Re: Confession of IT nightmare employee


"Todd Vargo" <tlvargo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OQrgtDGKJHA.3644@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Al Dunbar wrote:
I find this thread somewhat amusing, in that it reflects numerous common
misperceptions about what "the IT department" is all about - or should be
all about.

<snip>

I agree with you and Brian, however, with OP waiting 9 months and IT still
has not addressed the issue, I understand how the OP feels.

as do I...

I had a working
W2K machine that needed Adobe Illustrator installed. Since minimum OS
requirement is XP, IT did an upgrade over W2K. After making me wait a few
months to install XP, the machine seemed to work for about a day and then
went haywire. I have waited for 15 minutes several times for the database
to
open just so I could enter my work data (approx. 20 characters max.).

I reported the many issues it now has to my supervisor as well as thru the
IT ticket system twice over the past few months. Two IT techs, the XP
installer and his supervisor, have looked at it but can not figure out
what
the problem is. I even asked to have the HD wiped and reinstalled from
scratch but was told there was nothing more they could do.

I have similar difficulty in dealing with our central IT organization (I
look after a site containing only about 150 users). But having worked on
some national projects I have developed a greater appreciation for the hoops
and red tape my counterparts need to go through to get anything done.

I can certainly agree IT is a busy department but they must remember they
are pure overhead.

I cannot agree with you more. In fact, my own attitude towards my
organization and my clients within it improved markedly some years ago when
I realized that my services had no value whatsoever beyond supporting the
business line of the department.

Direct producers of a company's product and should not be
forced to work with bogus OS installations or wait months for simple
software reinstallations.

I agree, however, it may not always be the case that the party most at fault
is the IT guy - or the IT department. I have certainly provided less than
great service at times because of workload. But because I work in the same
building as all of my users I have the opportunity to show that I am really
working for them. This means calling to let them know why I cannot meet a
previously agreed to timeframe. This close relationship is much more
difficult to develop in an environment where the IT work is specialized and
done mostly remotely and for clients you don't know from a hole in the
ground.

I have installed XP on several machines and the
productive time lost has already exceeded the amount of time it would take
to wipe and reinstall just once.

I considered bringing in my personal laptop to perform my offline chores
while waiting on a resolution but decided if the company really felt it
was
important for their employees to be productive, then it would provide it's
employees with working equipment.

To OP, hang in there. Your office manager may not be afraid of IT but
rather
powerless to control their workload. 9 months is excessive and therefore
warrants stepping over the chain of command (your office manager and IT
dept.) to complain to their bosses. Good luck and happy scripting.

My sentiments exactly. I am not saying one should never complain about the
service they get (or don't get) from IT. Just that there very often is more
than one valid viewpoint of the situation. If it really *is* as bad as has
been suggested here, one can certainly develop a dislike for IT - but it is
not their fault if they are allowed to get away with not providing good
service. No, the fault lies with the management of the company, as they
appear not to be "managing" this aspect of their operations.


/Al


--
Todd Vargo
(Post questions to group only. Remove "z" to email personal messages)



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