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How Do IT Guys Get Respect and Not Become BOFHs?

Posted by kdawson on from the keep-a-curled-upper-lip dept.

An anonymous reader writes "I work for a small software company (around 60 people) as the sole IT guy. It's my first time in a position like this and after about 1.5 years I'm starting to get a bit burned out. I try to be friendly, helpful, and responsive and I get no respect whatsoever. Users tend to be flat-out rude when they have a problem, violate our pretty liberal policies constantly, and expect complex projects to be finished immediately upon requesting them. My knee-jerk reaction is to be a bastard, although I've avoided it up to this point. It's getting harder. For those of you who have been doing this a lot longer, how do you get a reasonable level of respect from your users while not being a jerk?"

36 of 902 comments (clear)

  1. Try the slow down method by jackb_guppy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If they are not nice, delay the response.

    Nice people get fast turn responses.

    Just check with your boss first.

    1. Re:Try the slow down method by teh+moges · · Score: 4, Interesting

      No need to check with the boss, just make sure you prioritize first. Urgent requests get answered first, nice requests second and bastard requests... later. Direct everything through a helpdesk system, so when people are bastards you can inform their bosses that their behavior is making you uncomfortable. At my last job, we had a constant problem of new staff turning up on their first day and their bosses ringing us to say that they need a new user setup straight away. For one-off cases, this wasn't a problem*, but for those that didn't learn, we took a good few days to do it. Paying to have staff sitting there with nothing to do usually teaches them quickly. * we usually left it a day anyway, firstly because some of the aspects of the setup did take time, and secondly, to allow us to stall if they become repeat offenders.

    2. Re:Try the slow down method by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      You just need to charge extra for RUSH service, just like the mail. Once they start paying exhorbitant rates, you will either make additional cash for your dept, or they will learn to order stuff through the normal channel and early enough for it to be ready when they need it.

    3. Re:Try the slow down method by Eivind · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Oh, you just need to make it clear to them in a language they understand: Money.

      We've got "rush-jobs", as in "drop whatever you're doing and do this NOW" jobs.

      They are charged triple the normal rate. The intention is loud and clear: If it's not important enough that you're willing to pay triple to have it fixed right-now, then it's not a rush-job.

      Works fine. I seldom get more than 2-3 rush-jobs in any given month.

    4. Re:Try the slow down method by JWSmythe · · Score: 1, Interesting

          It was the way to "encourage" non-priority stuff away. Most people in the office looked at it as a joke, but they knew we were way under paid, so a few bucks here and there helped. I only went to work there because my previous job had been outsourced, so I needed at least some sort of income. It didn't save my house, which was foreclosed on because I couldn't find a job anywhere near my old pay range. They played along, and would drop a few bucks in here and there, which was split between all the techs on occasion. They bribed us, we did their work a little faster. The people who laughed, wouldn't pay, and were demanding were always the ones that had their own personal "priority" which didn't line up with the company needs. Rather than spend a few minutes explaining to them that their priority wasn't a company priority (that speech was given several times, with blank stares and then the repeated demands), we simply told them "no tips, no priority service", which shut them up.

          Between the techs, we could eat a free lunch at the cafe once in a while. It's not like it was a money making venture.

          But since you obviously have no sense of humor, I'm glad I don't work for you. You're probably the guy who under budgets and over works every project, and then blames everyone else for not getting it done in time.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    5. Re:Try the slow down method by Sobrique · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Make it departmental chargable, make it clear to the user, and ask for a cost code and manager approval. If their boss agrees that it's a rush job, then fair enough. We do this for backup restores on a 'priority service' - it's because our tapes are offsite, and so we have to wait for the daily collection, or pay for a courier.
      It's amazing how many 'this is urgent DO IT NOW' type requests disappear in this situation.

    6. Re:Try the slow down method by Aceticon · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Also keep in mind that, without being aware of it, you might have been giving a faster response to the rude-and-angry ones than to the polite ones.

      That would be a likely scenario given the more common personality types to be found in IT.

      Over the long run behaving like that just gives people an incentive to be rude and abrupt towards you when they want their problems solved, so you will have more and more instances of that happening.

      With regards to the advice given by the parent poster, keep in mind that you need to, somehow, make it so that the people that are rude and aggressive are aware that they will get lower priority from it. Maybe something like demanding e-mails from the rude and aggressive ones but not the other ones, if your manager is willing to play along, have them fill in some kind of form "to justify my time" or "contact my manager to make sure my time is allocated to solve your problem" (e.g. add a visible barrier to provide service to them which is not there for "friendly" people), or maybe like another poster pointed out, tell them you find their behavior offensive and THEN delay service to them.

      Think of it as Pavlovian response training: it works best when the subject being trained (the rude and aggressive people) directly associate the unpleasant effect (delayed response, extra hassle, etc) with the behavior you're trying to eliminate (rudeness).

    7. Re:Try the slow down method by stonewallred · · Score: 3, Interesting

      When I ran an HVAC/R company, I did not charge for emergency (after hours) calls, unlike every other company in town did. And my logic was very simple. When I advertise an after hours service and set a price for the service, I am saying I am willing to come (or send a tech) at any time and fix your HVAC/R problem. I never liked working after hours when i worked for other companies, and never knew a tech that liked it either.So with my business, there would be no charge for emergency calls. That way I got to define what was an emergency, not the customer. Probably lost a customer or two over the years, but the customers I gained and kept from this policy more than made up for those losses. Nothing like a customer who you just fixed their equipment at 2AM on a Sunday morning and charged them the same if it had been 9AM on Monday morning. It engendered a lot of customer loyalty and referrals.

    8. Re:Try the slow down method by imneverwrong · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What a god awful method... pay for service to a service person who is already paid to do the job they are asking you to do.

      You have misunderstood the OP, and basic economic theory. Dealing with a rush job is costly to the IT staff, and to the other customers whose jobs are delayed in response. Recovering the full cost of such a job is the only way to not waste resources. Without such cost recovery, people will gladly cause a loss to other internal divisions of $80000 to save their own division $500, and everyone will flag their jobs as "rush".

      He is not advocating getting paid twice for the same job.

  2. Well.. by jessejay356 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I couldn't do it, I became a programmer and now am one of the annoying people bugging our IT guy.

    1. Re:Well.. by JWSmythe · · Score: 2, Interesting

          You know, I actually see that a lot (the account references). At my last job, our account guy loved me, because he knew I'd be detailed with anything I did. Explanations started with layman's terms, and went straight through technical. He wanted to know every piece of equipment deployed, so I told him every piece I knew about, with serial numbers. For the mystery machines, we went through his lists item by item, and found the missing machines, or machines that were mis-entered somewhere along the line. Some vendors were careless with serial numbers, and would use some other number on the equipment as the "serial".

          My expense reports included every receipt and line items for everything. I apologized once, because out of something like 40 receipts on a business trip, one for something insignificant got misplaced. I was upset because my records weren't perfect. He was pleased that I wanted them to be right.

          At an older employer, I was on a two month out of country job. I had every receipt, and turned in weekly reports on my spending in both local currency and American dollars. There was a certain level of trust there. Even though I had everything, I was reimbursed directly to my bank account, and handed him my receipt envelope when I returned home. I was making really good money then, so there were a lot of things I didn't report as an expense, like gas for the rental car and meals. I just wanted the high dollar things taken care of (2 months in a hotel, flights, 2 months in a rental car). I took care of business for them, and they took care of me. When I arrived in the country, I had no local currency, so I was handed the equivalent of $500 USD by our local guy. They knew that was less than I'd have as unreported expenses, so no one cared. The folks at the hotel must have thought I was nuts. I bought a small set of plates and silverware, and cooked most of my food in the microwave in the room. Housekeeping was given instructions not to wake me if the DND was on the door, because it was because I was up all night and was exhausted. Every time they came in, they found my dishes washed and drying by the bathroom sink, and my mostly organized desk. All they had to do was give me clean sheets and towels every few days. I was the perfect hotel guest. :)

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  3. I play and beat them at their game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I happen to work for a company that is full of rules and policies. For those few that think they can push me around; i will be the biggest a$$ while still following company policy. Therefore most of the things they ask for i can deny with no problem...

  4. Here's what you do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Get support from your Boss and Boss's boss for this, but:

    1) Everything goes in a MS Project file. Large projects get their own file, and roll it up into the big one. Items are done FIFO.

    2) The only thing which takes precedence are emergencies - and only if the thing is DEAD, on fire, or totally down. No pseudo-emergencies because this customer of the company is contributing $20 Million in sales this year (if that's the case, then get another body).

    3) PUBLISH the project file - read only. Everyone knows what's in your pipeline, what you're working on. So long as you hit your targets, people will tend to leave you alone and get on the list. If you don't hit your targets, then they'll treat the thing as the bullshit that it is.

    4) If you have two projects that come in at the same time, ask your boss to prioritize.

    5) Make your boss and your boss' boss look good. Keep them appraised of situations that could do otherwise.

    6) Don't fall prey to bimbos who hang their tits in your face, or people who bring you food. Stick to your project plan.

    Eventually - you'll get help, and you'll be the Team Lead/Manager because YOU'RE the guy who created the project plan methodology that works. You may get picked to do the same to other departments... After you do a few of those, someone's going to ask you to be a real manager and you might have to get an MBA - get the company to pay for it....

    And yeah, I know WTF I'm talking about - I'm living proof that this works...

  5. Re:Move to a different company by Dare+nMc · · Score: 5, Interesting

    worked in my case. IE when I switched companies a year ago, the people who had respect for me before, knew enough about PC's they still got by. Those without respect got to deal with your more typical corporate IT guy (not a total bastard, but at times). The guy who disliked me the most (actually accused me of sabotaging his win 95 box from the network, to our boss, just 18 months ago) publicly wished me back.

  6. Get another line of work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I'm not kidding. I was an IT guy in a previous life. It's a job where, if you do it right, no one notices, but if you screw up, that's another story. It sucks BY DEFINITION.

    These days, I'm a software architect. Folks actually notice when I accomplish something. And my Tums budget has gone way down.

  7. Re:Remember... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That's why I turned to telling the users in advance what's in for them. Often they even get to "vote" if a certain update should be done.

    People want to have the feeling their opinion is valuable. Sure, I eventually get what I want, but they think they've "influenced" my decision when it's actually the other way around. It helps if you tell them what they need to know to make the choice that you already did. They're much more willing to support your choice if they think it was theirs.

    Yes, that's not nice and that's not really user friendly. But it gets the job done and keeps the users happy.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Re:I Set Expectations by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A techie respecting a manager? Respecting someone who thinks a tie is a sign of civilisation, who thinks a blackberry is the pinnacle of technology? Gimme a break. :)

    I've been in both positions. And I slowly get to see just why it was so hard as a "techie" to respect managers, now that I'm turned into one: The mindset and goals are vastly different.

    I don't strive for a perfect solution anymore. A solution that works... no, not even that. I'm looking for a solution that doesn't break the budget, that I can "sell" to my higher ups without having to tear down walls of resistance (yes, that means "Windows good - big successful company behind it that has been in biz for years", "Linux bad - No company behind it, smells like some geek toy project"), that looks like it could get the job done and that can be administered without having to hire additional people.

    Yes, I hate myself too, why're you asking?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. White Board by Ozoner · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here's what I did in that situation:

    I put up a large white-board, and each time someone requested a job, I wrote it on a strip and put it at the bottom of the list.

    When they complained about the delay, I pointed to the white-board and suggested that they negotiate with those above them for priority.

    It worked well.........

  10. Re:Can't get no respect! by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Could someone drop a few insightful mods on that guy? It's straight to the point.

    You're essentially a repairman. Nobody wants to deal with one until whatever he can fix breaks down. And when it breaks down, people are usually anything but happy about it. Especially in today's offices, they can't do jack without their computers, so they're under heavy pressure when they call you: They can't work!

    So they stand there, getting angrier by the minute because their deadlines aren't going to be pushed back just because that computer doesn't work. They maybe don't even blame it on you. But you're there and they're angry.

    Once the machine works again, you've become obsolete. They don't need you anymore. But they need to catch up because they lost time.

    I admire people who work in helpdesk, and I make sure they feel acknowledged and thanked when they fix a problem for me. I know well that they don't get that a lot, but they'd sure need it to balance out the abuse they have to deal with.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  11. Tit For Tat by rainmaestro · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm in a similar position. Sole IT guys for a 70-ish person company (mostly engineers), though I have access to additional techs when something major breaks.

    I've only been there a short time, but it has already become obvious to most employees that the nice guys get their requests finished sooner. The ones who ask, not demand, and show basic friendliness ("Please" and "Thank You" go a long way) get top priority from me. I'll do a two-day task for them before a 5-minute job for one of the "other guys" (they aren't exactly rude, but have that condescending nature that so many engineer-types fall into even when discussing something they know nothing about).

    Engineers are temperamental at best, and often are at that level of tech competency to be dangerous. The ones who recognize when they are in over their head this can be great, as they give fantastic trouble reports. Those that don't just muck things up even worse.

    Now, I've seen this same pattern since high school (scrawny white nerd at a magnet program located in the middle of the ghetto). Geeky types are picked on because they let themselves be picked on. IT guys get no respect because they allow themselves to be made into peons.

    If you really want their respect, here's my suggestion:
    ***Confront them***
    A lot of the time, jerks don't really understand how they are coming off. If you discuss it with them, it can help. Don't be sheepish, don't get angry, yell, make ad hominem attacks, etc. Stand up straight, look them in the eyes, and explain your issue *as* *an* *equal*.

    Having said that, some guys are just assholes. They know it, and they don't really care. In those cases, the best you can do it avoid them as much as possible. Some people can't be won over. You catch more flies with honey, but some flies are best caught with a flyswatter.

    And remember the advice of the immortal Scotty: always pad your time estimates by a factor of 3 if you want to look like a miracle worker.

  12. Re:Patience! by SatanicPuppy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I agree as far as "They treat us like crap when everything is working perfectly." I've been in places where everything worked smoothly, and we were treated like garbage, and I've been in places where nothing worked, and we were treated like kings.

    I don't find that communication helps much, but it may just be my situation. I miss deadlines constantly because I have a job that is (in theory) equal parts deadline-driven code generation, and crisis-driven maintenance and administration. When a crisis pops up, everything gets a little later, and thanks to cutbacks, I'm in charge of way more than 1 person can effectively maintain (5 years ago it was 8 people, now it's me), so there are always fires that need to be put out, and there is very little time for the original code which is technically still part of my job.

    To add insult to injury, about 70% of my work is done remotely, so all the people who work where I happen to have my desk have this mistaken idea that I work for them and that, since they don't have any current problems, I should be working on their code requests.

    I don't know. I'm on the edge of adopting world class BOFHdom in self-defense. Last week I dropped 40 hours (in 2 days) on a site that wasn't even technically mine because their me equivalent was in the hospital in critical condition, and they had had a massive systems crash at the same time.

    The level of sniping and whining and posturing I put up with from the other whiney bitches at my other sites for their ridiculous bullshit problems almost drove me over the edge, despite the worshipful gratitude of the people I was helping.

    --
    ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
  13. Re:Teach them! by scamper_22 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Make your workload visible!

    I guarantee you, whatever workload you think is causing you to burn out, the software developers are under the same workload.

    1. Get yourself an issue tracking system. Since you're the lone IT guy... you don't need anything complex, but get something... preferably web based.

    2. Make the wait queue public. So people can see how much work you have to do. They also know how long to wait for things.

    3. Let this run for a few weeks, and if you feel you could use a second set of hands, you now have the data to take to your manager. Get a coop student, get another IT person...

    I say this as a software engineer. I now insist on everything being tracked on an issue tracking system. Nothing is worse than random people asking you to do work and no one realizes how much it all adds up to. I don't be an ass about it, but I do insist everything be tracked. If I have to, I submit the issue myself and assign it to myself.

    Do this and people will come to understand.

    Now then... you naturally understand that software engineers are generally reasonably computer savvy people. Nothing would frustrate them more than knowing they *could* fix a problem if only they had the rights or passwords to do so. You are lucky you are in a small company. You can bypass 'official' policies once in a while. If you can't handle the workload, maybe see if there are software developers you trust that can handle certain things. Maybe expose some scripts you run...

  14. Re:Teach them! by JWSmythe · · Score: 5, Interesting

        The last place I was at, I was driven absolutely nuts with incomplete trouble tickets by people who had no clue what they wanted.

        "I want an FTP account for a user in [city]."

        So I'd reply, give me a hint of which server, what username, what password, and why you're requesting this. Each server had dozens of machines.

        I had written up a very clear and concise list of what was expected in a ticket. That was overridden by middle management as unnecessary.

        "Can you search the Apache logs for [customer]?" That would be a customer who had a presence in several cities, and each one had several sites. No hint of what was being searched for, the date(s) to search, what server, what city, or anything more than the customer.

        And my favorite. "We need this project documented. You have 2 weeks.". That's it, no more real explanation. I'd never worked on the project. Had been categorically excluded from the project. Was not allowed to know anything about the project, and suddenly I was to recreate the project (document building each and every custom app from source), which the steps weren't documented and only vague ideas were given about any of it. I asked for information. I begged for information. I was told "This has to be done or the company won't be paid for the project." One week went by and finally information started trickling in. The last day of week 2, I had everything I needed (at like 5pm on Friday). I wrote up a 20 page document, included both sources and compiled versions, with an explanation of how things worked to the best of my understanding. I made ISO images, and put them on an internal server so the requestor could get them either that night, or Monday morning.

        "What were you thinking? Why would you make ISOs. I wanted it exactly as we'd ship to the customer." Ahhh, well beyond spec, but reading minds was part of the job, right? I can read minds, and theirs are drawing a blank most days.

        So I burnt the CD's, printed the document, put it in a FedEx envelope with a bogus shipping label, and put it in the managers chair, like it had just come in. He sat on it for two more weeks before handing it off to someone else in house to "test". A month later, he hadn't finished testing. Another week later I was told "You didn't include instructions on ...." No shit, I didn't know anything about ..... No one told me about ..... You're only coming to me now to tell me ..... exists. Why wasn't I told about this when I started, so I could complete your request. The truth? Because they don't know what they want, what any other middle manager has had someone do, or even what other departments are doing. Countless meetings all day long, and no one has a clue.

        Am I ranting?

    --
    Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  15. Re:Huh? by spydabyte · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sadly, this is the common misconception most people had. Returning to work at Cisco my father made a reference to my IT job. I had to explain that even though, as a company, Cisco makes IT solutions that does not mean my job title is IT nor that we're an IT company. Fortunately though, this matters little to most people not in "the field", even if he is the manager of a non-profit's entire IT staff (1 person, like the author of this post).

    But back to the author's question-- Stay clear headed, remember that it's just a job. If it's not enough for you (you're too passionate) then find something better, after waiting out the current economic times of course. If you're happy where you are, then find some good technologies and improvements to occupy your time and continue to deal with the external pressures as best as you can. I would suggest explaining or finding a way to let the other users understand how difficult and important what you're doing is. If that takes pushing deadlines then fine. Maybe posting a few articles around your office / on your door about how Google or BoA lost 10,000 customer's social security numbers, then do that. Be creative.

  16. Re:lmgtfy by TheLink · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "But it doesn't work on my browser!"

    lmgtfy _requires_ javascript to work and the previous BoFH might have disabled javascript (or installed noscript) on everyone's browser...

    --
  17. Stories from a non-recovering System Administrator by Zarquil · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm a sysadmin by day, computer consultant by night.

    I started this path because I kept getting stuck as "The Computer Guy." I set everyone up with email. I kept everything in the office running. I was the guy that knew what hardware to get next. I got a LAN up and running.

    I became a known quantity and all kinds of people started coming to me to fix the stupid problems. My friend talked me into starting a business on the side after fixing her computer. If nothing else I'd get a tax writeoff and at the very best my goal was to get into IT professionally and double my income.

    I burnt out. I got tired of doing the same stupid fixes for different (l)users. I got sick of working on someone's weird ass-hardware. I questioned why I ever wanted into the field in the first place. Then I got in with a company that wasn't stingy on getting standardized hardware and my job got easier (even possible). Things were great, I was excited and connected with my job, and then I ran into a lead programmer who dumped the impossible on my lap and expected immediate return. I burnt out again.

    Most of the company respected what I did, a few powerful people didn't. I got out, landed with a company I feel more comfortable with, and brought all my strengths with me without the baggage of a programmer dumping me in the middle of a problem and expecting me to fix it while he looked over my shoulder.

    My guru is a BoFH. I am not. It just doesn't work for me, I don't enjoy being grumpy all day (even though I secretly wish that I could be..) The people that respect what I do like me because I'm positive and helpful. When I'm not, I don't like myself. I'm most important, if I can't deal with the demands something outside me has to change, I can't live with the BoFH attitude.

    On the other hand, you're not a carpet to be walked on. If you have liberal policies that are getting dumped on, well, you have no policies at all. Defend and enforce your policies - you may need to explain your rationale. I'm really liberal on my network, I'm dealing with about 20 users, but my blanket policies are stupid easy to defend. (ie "Surf porn at home - our schtick is we're fast and our customers need ever bit of bandwidth we can give them." If they don't buy that, there's a dozen more excuses in my bag. If I can't get through after that, I have to decide if it's a hill I want to die on.)

    I completely agree with those who say, "Look at your work / life balance." Balance is everything. You don't have to do all your planning by the Scotty principle, but do pad your estimates and give yourself reasonable deadlines plus a bit. If you finish early, fill in that extra time you've given yourself with interesting projects. If you are enthusiastic and engaged in your work, your attitude spreads to your coworkers.

    Go get Thomas Limoncelli's "Time Management for System Administrators." http://www.amazon.com/Management-System-Administrators-Thomas-Limoncelli/dp/0596007833/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244613832&sr=8-1 I found it infinitely worthwhile and read it every few months when I start to feel overwhelmed again.

    A last side note, I don't have to do the consulting gig on the side any longer, but I choose to because I find it most rewarding now. I do a lot of simple stuff these days and it's pleasant to have people at the end of their rope so grateful to have a professional look at their system. Treating coworkers as regular customers has helped me not bog down in the abyss of cynicism.

    And congratulate yourself. The very notion that you asked the question is a pretty good indication that you will find your own solution.

  18. The IT Guy by DaMattster · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As the IT guy, you are a mayor and a chief of police in one. You have to strike a political balance and this is easier said than done. You should definitely not be a jerk but nor should you roll over and capitulate into unreasonable demands. You might have to develop some strong policies, implement them, and adhere to them. If you can explain the logic behind the policies, most people will understand and back down and you are being a good mayor. It is the 1% asshole population that you need to take on a police chief role. It is never fun but must be done to insure the integrity and functionality of the network, its servers, and its workstations. I have found also that software engineers have little understanding of the technology side and vice versa. Opening up lines of good communication and dialogue can help build this understanding to allow both to work together more smoothly.

  19. Wrong company to work for by LostMyBeaver · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I am a software engineer working at a firm that has 50% engineering and 50% sales and administration. We use an outside firm for IT support since :
      1) We can change our own printer toner
      2) If something is broken on our PCs, we either don't trust anyone else to fix it for us or simply need a new PC at which point we reinstall it anyway.
      3) There's no such thing as an IT guy that would even understand where to begin to install and configure our tools (which actually suck since we have to enter in hardware addresses just to get them to start)
      4) We don't use much more than an e-mail server, a file server, and a Cisco. None of which requires a system administrator on site.
      5) Subversion and Wiki servers are run on a separate machine that the developers take control of.

    I would seriously pity any fool that would even consider being the first IT guy to start working at this company if it ever grew large enough that it should need one on site. Being the IT guy at a small engineering firm where the people on site have historically simply fixed their own stuff would be a disaster. I've seen it before as well. You just don't ever want to be that guy. The problem is, most software engineers learned a lot of what they know by grinding through these problems on test networks, home networks, school networks, etc... It is very rare they ever had to do a good job and make something that could stay live 24/7. So they don't know what it takes to make a system stable for 60 users that can be depended on, instead, they know that it's just a line in a script, what's so hard about that.

    If you want a position where a system adminstrator receives more respect, then go to a non-tech company. For example, the happiest system admins I've heard of work at places like paper mills. Remember that you're working at a company where you're more of a convenience than a necessity. If you got hit by a bus, the software engineers would hate doing it, but they'd just start doing the work themselves instead. In a way, at the company you're working at, you're nothing more than a single person that asks the boss for money for new stuff instead of having 40 engineers dropping receipts on his desk. So, in a way, where you are working, you're simply a secretary.

    If you want recognition for your talents, go to a company where instead of being "The guy who could have been a programmer/engineer but wasn't smart enough" and head to a company where you're "The guy who keeps the company running".

  20. Re:Huh? by PitaBred · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Not just that. One of my professors was very well regarded in the algorithms field (can't remember exactly what for) and I remember he asked me to look at his Windows 2000 email machine once. Luckily he did all his important work on Unix, because that Win2K machine was probably the most spy and shitware infested POS I have ever seen. He was wondering why it was going "a little slow". It was at a constant 70%+ CPU usage from the amount of crap running. *shudder*

    Someone who is a very good algorithm developer, or even a very good programmer doesn't necessarily have to have the sense to know how to properly admin and maintain a machine.

    --
    My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
  21. Create awareness about their requests by Noctris · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've been in a situation like that and mostly, users don't understand that: " i would like a system that stores all customer data and automatically adds their incoming e-mails" results in months of work. They don't see the big picture and we humans don't see other issues when we are asking something ( what do you mean, you have other tasks ?)

    When i was servicing a 3 site company with around 50 people, i would get that type of questions all the time. After a while and A LOT of frustration, i started making "contracts" with people. Simple helpdesk tasks were fixed asap (kept them on the phone WHILE fixing so they get a feel for how long this actually takes).. larger "projects" or requests, were thrown into a simple schedule with the biggest steps in the process written down. Then i would add estimated dates when finished. Sure it creates a little overhead on the admin level, but after a short while, it got them relaxer, me relaxer and off my back.

    Since I had an "agreement" with them on paper stating what would be done when, they could not come and bug me anymore cause i would simply refer to the paper.. you do offcourse, have to keep to your word too..

    As for the being rude: We had sales guys who had to go sell products in bars.. not the kindest of folks AND not most computer literate around ( So where the f*ck is that "add printer".. i need to find it so i can pickup my copies .. *sigh* ).. I would be yelled at by them over the phone when they had an issue.. and i would just tell them they could call me back when they were cooled down and hung up. Simple as that. And when person to person, tell em, and walk away. Did that to the general manager once and after the initial "more yelling", he came to his senses, apologized and gave me a raise 2 weeks later.

    Nobody needs to put up with that sort of shit.. From anyone.. but most of the time, people need a little eyeopener before they understand they are being complete a-holes..

  22. Re:Teach them! by JWSmythe · · Score: 2, Interesting

        My insulation came in the form of paper trails. Most of his requests were verbal. All of my requests were via email, which I stored copies on my personal laptop. Daily "I need more information" emails, and daily verbal "I'll get it for you later" responses.

        I was being set up. I knew it from the first day I was handed that. Shit hit the fan, and I had a magic shield protecting me from the splatter. Actually, when I was completed and it was refused because it wasn't on CD's with a printed manual, I spelled out that I had a paper trail, and I wasn't going to take the fall for his incompetence.

        They found another excuse to can me a few weeks later. I was sick. Home, with a fever and a migraine where I couldn't see straight, I notified them a few minutes late. I was handed my walking papers that Friday. I left with a big smile on my face, which drove him absolutely nuts. :) I wanted an excuse to get busy on my own business, that would actually be run by professionals (myself and an excellent trained and practiced corporate officer). I know IT. He knows business. He won't question my IT decisions, and I don't question his business decisions.
       

    --
    Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  23. Re:Teach them! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    And my favorite. "We need this project documented. You have 2 weeks.".

    Yeah, especially the "two weeks" bit -- the number still steaming from being freshly pulled out of someone's ass. My favorite example of this kind of crap comes from a friend of mine who worked for United airlines. Being extremely well-versed in FAA procedures, processes and timelines, he was sent to their Chicago HQ for a meeting of a bunch of company high-rollers.

    Some VIP listened to the discussion of an issue, then spit out that he wanted the issue resolved in one month. My friend raised his hand and said that the solution could not occur in that short a time. The imperious VIP then called him to the front of the meeting to explain why not.

    My friend diagrammed on a whiteboard the amount of time to prepare documents, the shortest time in which the issue could be in front of the FCC, the way they scheduled reviews, time required for them to return requests for additional docs, etc., etc., ending with the conclusion that the minimum time in which the issue could be concluded was close to three months.

    After this detailed layout of the work flow, the VIP had one word for an answer -- "Unacceptable!" He then added his final judgment -- "Six weeks maximum."

    If you've been around for long enough, you can narrow down the date of this exchange. It was during the two or three years in which the management fashion was to show what a hard-ass you were by declaring any proposal as "Unacceptable."

    During that time, ComputerWorld ran a comic strip full of characters like this. The strip's name was "Two-fisted Management". Completely on target.

    Am I ranting?

    Yes. And very accurately, I must add.

  24. Find a new job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Find a new job. ASAP You cannot fix the situation you are in and it will end poorly for you. In addition you will end up a bitter a miserable person in process. It's a job not a marriage involving kids, pack it up and move along.

  25. Faux-Asperger's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Too many of the IT lads here at my major Midwestern University have poor social skills - a faux-asperger's, if you will. They don't smile, don't look their clients in the eye, don't engage folks interpersonally. Cliche? Yes. True? Yes. I have adopted the practice of not letting these fellows shuffle past me whilst looking at the floor - I greet them by name, with a smile, slap 'em on the back and shake their hand and ask them how the rat race is treating them. The ones that start opening up and socializing get treated much better by the office tyrants and technophobes....

  26. Psychotropic drugs by ebunga · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Psychotropic drugs are a start. Nine out of ten systems administrators are prescribed at least one psychotropic drug. The other 10% either quit, smoke tons of pot, use various other illicit drugs, or commit suicide. Sorry to break the news to you.

  27. Difficult Users by sackeri · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A couple of years ago this story came out in ComputerWorld

    Someone posted it in our Company IT Forum, and this is the response I gave which I think applies to this situation:

    These categories are pretty good. But every single user you will work with is unique in their behavior when dealing with computer related problems. Interestingly enough, depending on how you handle these situations, you can use some of these personality types to your advantage in working with the problem.

    For example:

    Know-It-Alls - These people are more difficult to accomodate, as they're always asking for unusual requests, but the advantage is that if you go out of your way to help them, they usually don't need much follow-up help at all.
    Know-Nothings - Ironically, I think this type of user is easy to work with. I find that people who have little or no experience with computers hardly ever call for support. As long as they can get what they need done, they tend to follow the same patterns (check email, enter work orders, etc.). Also I tend to find a lot less junk installed on their PCs.
    Mr. Entitlement - Luckily this type of person is pretty rare. I think this person is more appropriately called "Mr High Expectations". I have users that expect a lot of hand holding, and feel neglected when you give them detailed instuctions. But again, like Know-it-alls, if you can bite your tongue and go a step out of your way, often they will be more flexible about working with you, sometimes waiting longer for you to make time for them, etc.

    I could go on, but my point is that each user behaves differently, and it's not as important on how to categorize them as it is to understanding how to work as well as you can with them. I think the most important point of the article is that you have to maintain a working relationship with these people despite how you feel about them, or how difficult they make your job. Here's what works for me.

    Be honest. - You have to honest about what you can and can not do for someone. If you let them know the limitations of what you can do for them, they are much more likely to meet you halfway to finding solutions. Also, you have to be honest about when you make mistakes. Admitting when you are wrong is pretty difficult sometimes, but most people are much more understanding and easy to work with when you do, rather than hiding behind your pride

    Communicate - Let your users know what is going on. With so much to do as an admin/support technician, I think this is the hardest to do. But when a request goes too long before there are any answers, it causes the most stress that can easily turn to uncomfortable confrontations. Simply letting someone know that you are working on their problem relieves a lot of tension.

    Empathize - Showing the people that you care about their problem helps tremendously. If you can get yourself "on their side", and that you are working together to solve their problem, it will make things easier for both of you. Also it will help you figure out the best way to help them, no matter what category of user personality types they fall into.

    Respect - This is a double-edged sword. If you don't respect the user, and they don't respect you, the above three things are not going to be easy. But it is important that you stand up for yourself when someone is being disrespectful. In those cases, being honest, communicating, and empatthizing are even more important. If you don't handle those situations by being the better person, you'll make it impossible for anyone to support your side of the situation.

    When it comes down to it, most people just want to do their jobs, not spend all day on the phone with you. Complaining about the users that turn your day sour makes you feel better, but at the end of the day, you still have to work with th