Slashdot Mirror
Uniforms For the Help Desk?
An anonymous reader writes "I am an IT worker in a mid sized company with approximately 500 employees. There are 30 people on the IT staff, 6 of whom are on the help desk. Our help desk does have significant visibility in the company, and most people know us by face (some by name). Recently the idea has been floated up the management chain to have these help desk workers wear IT department branded shirts. The idea is to promote visibility and unity. Wearing of these shirts would be mandatory Monday through Thursday. The shirts would not be identical (there would be several styles offered). We would be the only department with specific garments outside of the normal business casual dress code. Is management out of line with the industry in promoting this sort of policy change? Is the singling out of 6 employees as 'the IT guys' a step in the right direction, or does it detract from the professionalism that we are trying to display as a department?"
To me, it's a little close to wearing a fast food uniform. It would bug me.
Call them red shirts, and remind them what happens to red shirts in Star Trek, because as the saying goes, image is everything!
is the color blaze orange with concentric circles on the back?
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
Does the company have an existing dress code? Do the IT guys follow that dress code well?
Let's be honest: IT guys have a reputation for being a bit sloppy. If that's the case here, perhaps the right approach would be for the team to do a better job of looking professional.
But if the team is already meeting the same expectations as the other employees, this just sounds like a giant waste of time. Money, energy and resources wasted on this would probably be better spent on something worthwhile that would actually have an impact on the team's ability to provide quality service.
I haven't had to wear one in almost 20 years, but when I did, I liked it, because then I didn't have to think about what I was going to wear to work.
Maybe they're trying to send you guys a not-so-subtle message that maybe your business casual is a bit too casual?
by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
While we're on the subject, I'd like sales people to be readily recognizable as well. Perhaps a red S emblazoned on their forehead with a red-hot branding iron.
If you're like most companies that are trying to keep a "helpdesk-centric" model going, your group is the forward face of IT, and the contact point. Help desks aren't about strong individuality - they're about consistency/uniformity of service. I don't see why the idea couldn't be extended to wearing branded shirts.
When your skills outgrow the help desk - and they should - consider losing the uniform as a perk of advancement.
n/t
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Given how IT staff get harassed to fix everything, and blamed for everything broken, I would suggest an idea floated during my days as a university student.
See, we had these "Programmers On Duty", or PODs, many of whom were volunteers, who would look at your program, and attempt to help you find what was wrong. This was pretty much a thankless job, and anything you broke, and they couldn't fix, was considered their fault. (This was the late 70s era of punched cards, and computer printouts, with actual terminals a rare and coveted tool -- the POD had an office with, you guessed it, a terminal -- a CRT to boot, so one would not have to keep trying to use the back of discarded printouts in the DECwriters. The attraction of POD duty was access to that terminal, in hopes it would be a slow day.)
A bunch of us thought that PODs should be issued distinctive uniforms as well: superhero-style costumes actually. Ostensibly this was to distinguish them as members of a rare breed: people who could debug programs quickly. In fact, the intent was to shield their identity lest the be pestered to provide help while off duty.
In Liberty, Rene
Hopefully the IT helpdesk are professionals. Who else in the company provides support for anything? Are they going to have uniforms as well?
Who is going to pay for these uniforms? The company?
Now lets do a little analysis. There are 6 employees who this will affect. There will be several styles. The word "several" is defined as: "being more than two but fewer than many in number or kind:" (dictionary.com).
So lets assume that there will be 4 different styles. This means that there will not be a "common" uniform, which is the only thing that would "unify" the department and promote it's visibility.
This is different from technicians who go out and support customers in the field. This sounds like a really stupid idea.
With conspicious uniforms mandated for your help desk and NO ONE ELSE, I'd imagine it equivalent to taping a bulls-eye to your back on a battlefield.
This may be the desired effect from management but the HD will probably despise it. Every time a coworker passes by you and your neat little t-shirt, it will remind them about that computer problem that just cant wait untill you are done eating...or smoking that cigarette, or taking a leak in the public restroom.
I know that this feeling is already experienced by those of us in IT, but I think this would worsen the problem.
You have 30 people in IT staff for a company of 500 people?! You lucky bastard!
Bow before me, for I am root.
"You know, the Nazis had pieces of flair that they made the Jews wear."
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
As opposed to interchangeability and lack of individuality?
Why on earth should your help desk boys be forced to wear uniforms by policy when the rest of the office get to dress like professionals? From my viewpoint, the whole question just oozes social stratification.
What are most of you DOING? I work for a company with over 800 employees, approximately 600 or so who directly use computers, that has 16 locations in the Eastern USA and we make do with TWO.
Corporatism != Free Market
First reaction is that this is nothing more than flair and you know who else made people wear flair? TGI Fridays! AndHitler.
Second more reasonable reaction: which other departments are required to wear uniforms? If IT is being made to stand out like a redheaded stepchild, that's not cool. I'm trying to think of other businesses that have that kind of uniform/plainclothes distinction. Delivery drivers, pest control people, UPS, the people who go out in the field wear the uniform. They're also the lowest paid of the bunch. McDonalds lets the managers wear a dress shirt and tie. Dealerships have the mechanics wearing uniforms but not the sales people and office staff. Pretty much anyone in uniform is on the lower end of the totem pole. IT is supposed to be a co-equal department, right?
It might seem like I'm making a bit much of it but I think this is really an outward sign of holding IT in lower regard than the other departments. Let me know when Accounting gets assigned jumpsuits.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
Recently the idea has been floated up the management chain to have these help desk workers wear IT department branded shirts. The idea is to promote visibility and unity.
Is the singling out of 6 employees as 'the IT guys' a step in the right direction, or does it detract from the professionalism that we are trying to display as a department?
Better question: Is your Help Desk projecting an image of service or are they too focused as being seen as "professionals"?
It seems to me that your management wants to label your Help Desk staff so that people will be more comfortable in approaching them with issues. This, if it were true, is a HUGE RED FLAG to everyone in your department. If your Help Desk isn't helpful, its just a desk, and it is likely way, way, way too expensive in that light. If the shirts thing doesn't work, expect workforce changes.
Someone needs to recon what your management thinks of the team as a whole, without focusing too much on the dress code issue, before you decide to respond in any particular way. Changes need to be made. Preferably changes to your liking rather than the more heavy-handed flavor.
That's alot IT staff for only 500 employees. Our organization is 13,000 employees with 10 IT Staff.
Yeah, this seems like a management issue on several fronts. First, why do you need one IT person for every 17 people in the company? Second, if the manager's stated idea (and I'm betting it's the head "IT guy" who had this idea) is to "promote visibility and unity" for the IT group, why is it only the helpdesk guys have to wear the shirts?
I'd guess the REAL reason is something like this. Some higher-up complained to the IT manager - it may have been about the helpdesk, or it very well may have been about the IT manager himself. This scared Mr. Manager, who in the best "bad manager" tradition came up with a really stupid idea that he thinks will make it look like a) he's actually doing something, and b) his role as manager of the brownshirts is vital.
#DeleteChrome
This is what happens as the company grows .....
It goes Dilbert on itself.
This is what happens when people too stupid to do any real work and who've been replaced by a bash script gets promoted to middle management because you can't get rid of them due to union rules and stuff.
You know how they got the management position? A: The parkinson law : Upper management doesn't want their job threatened by a younger, smarter, more active, more educated middle manager, so they promote somebody dumber then themselves and the guy under hires some1 dumber then himself and so on
Uniforms is lack a respect for you tech support guys, uniform is a school's tool to reduce violence and bullying by unifying every1 thus eliminating gangs and groups. It's not for a job place, it's a joke to think about it, if they had respect, they would ask you to wear a suit and a tie, but then you would be in par with ur middle management guy, he is not gonna put you on that level, he is also prolly afraid that you'll write another bash script to replace the middle management positions.
Hey while I think of it, a script that creates and assigns random useless task and complains a lot could replace my boss.
I hate to disillusion you, but IT has always been blue collar.
See if you can get management to go for lab coats with a logo or some sort of jacket. That way, you could take it off easily for that lunch break they are probably timing to the second.
My God. If your employer wants a uniform (or uniform appearance) you wear the shirt. Who cares? They're paying your salary, so they call the shots.
In the grand scheme of workplace complaints this is so low on the list as to be not worth mentioning.
Three Squirrels
When I worked in technical marketing, making low six figures, we wore polo shirts provided by the company that had the product names for which one was responsible stitched above the pocket. If your area of responsibility included several products, you could end up with a closet full of free polo shirts. I wouldn't consider that "fast food-ish". Of course, they were nice, cotton shirts that fit well. I would perhaps feel different if they were 100% polyester or vinyl one-size-fits-all monstrosities like I had to wear as a busboy in college.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
One of the companies i worked at had a standard,
Tan pants and
dress shirt or company logo'd shirt.
But it applied to everyone, even the president.
I'd find it a bit demeaning if it was limited to the help desk only.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
In that case I'd ask management to have enough guts to tell you what they really want. If they think you dress like slobs they should tell you so. I have no sympathy at all with gutless management and you shouldn't either.
You may sleep better if you never know.
The answer might be that they never intended to do it. "Oh, all of you hate the idea? I would have never guessed. Well, the good news is I convinced my boss to just skip that idea, we won, yeah for us! Oh and by the way, I forgot to mention, no pay raises or bonuses in IT this year. But, its all good since we won the battle of no uniforms! See, we get a reward sometimes!"
Or they very consciously intended to pull your chain... Need to downsize 10% this year? Make working conditions intolerable until 10% quit. Then suspiciously get rid of the dumb ideas. See, everyones happy no one had to be fired!
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Whether you wear department shirts won't affect the professionalism.
The right answer depends on:
1) the culture of the company at large, and of the IT group in particular. Heck, if you "have fun" with it, it could be a big plus
2) whether there is some other lurking problem you have not mentioned the shirts attempt to address
You hit it right on the nose.
To the OP:
There's the issue of exactly what the uniforms look like. It sounds like shirt-and-tie isn't already required at this office, so if you want to empower yourselves, give yourselves a HIGHER dress code than is required by the rest of the company. If management says you have to wear crappy knit golf shirts, then say, "we'd much rather all wear these better button-down shirts, thank you." If management's shirts are actually nice, then say, "thanks, we're also going to wear ties." Your department is apparently an important part of the company, and a part that has a lot of exposure; dress like you understand that.
Personally, I like ties. I have a large collection of high-quality and unusual ties I've bought over the years at different thrift stores. No, they aren't all ultra thin, and I don't buy crappy ties. I wear one every Friday, partly in reaction to the casual Friday schtick that I dislike, and partly to remind myself that I have a professional position (but one that does not require a tie). A properly sized shirt with a properly tied tie is not uncomfortable at all. Discomfort often comes from the neck size of the shirt being too small.
Remember, dress for the job you want, not the one you have. And also that it is difficult to be overdressed, especially in professional circles.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
If I were the IT manager, I wouldn't want extra visibility for the IT guys, because it seems to me it would encourage users to circumvent the proper helpdesk channels. Whenever a uniformed IT guy walks by, I can just hear the one-off requests/questions, that would be completely untrackable.
Besides, I always thought in the best-run shops, you never knew that IT existed. :)
They don't grade fathers, but if your daughter's a stripper, you fucked up. --Chris Rock
Seriously - doctors, nurses, mechanics, police officers, firemen, geeze, a *bunch* of legitimate professionals wear uniforms, many with pride. Now, you're thinking "I'm an office worker, I'm above that". I don't know. Being in a service industry (and that's what IT is within your company - an inward-facing service division) I think a uniform can actually make some sense in this case. I'd like to know more about their reasoning, though. As others have said, maybe it's just a way to get you to dress somewhat normally.
How about a trade-off - you wear the uniform but you also get a company car?
Do you have ESP?
Having a uniform takes the usage out of my own clothes. Christ the number of ruined shirts I had when I worked for EMC because of the times I ended up crawling in some crappy floor space to pull a cable through.
However we had to go onsite in suit and bloody tie. I'd have loved some 'free t shirts' - hell, give me half a dozen and that's my dad sorted for Christmas ;)
Hell i loved School Uniform when i was a kid because I didn't have to care that I wasn't following the latest fashion.
Remember, dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
This is absolute BULLSHIT! What we have now is a whole lot of people fucking around trying to impress everyone else with their fashion sense rather than actually accomplishing anything noteworthy. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who bases their decisions on the fashion sense of those around them is a sheep and deserves to be treated like one (i.e. most people).
Over-the-top Response Guy! Giving "Over-the-Top Responses" since 1970.
There are plenty of times and places where uniforms gain respect. In many civilizations, wearing a military uniform was very much a sign of respect, certainly a high ranking one anyway. Lots of people still respect firefighters and police officers today. At one time government officals all wore uniforms as a mark of position. Also as noted, suit and tie are definitely a uniform of a kind.
Uniforms gain you respect IF the institution they represent is respected. So it can be a benefit (IT, those guys are great) or a problem (geez, another IT goon). In all cases it sets you apart and puts you in a class.
Also the surrounding culture matters. If you are surrounded by suits, wearing a uniform will likely pull you down the totem pole. If the standards of dress are very lax, then it might make you stand out and appear to have your act together. Management will still view themselves as above you, but you might gain over all organizational respect.
So a risky move that might pay off if you understand your culture well.
Remember, dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
This is absolute BULLSHIT! What we have now is a whole lot of people fucking around trying to impress everyone else with their fashion sense rather than actually accomplishing anything noteworthy. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who bases their decisions on the fashion sense of those around them is a sheep and deserves to be treated like one (i.e. most people).
Reality would strongly suggest that you are wrong. Inter-personal relationships are, like it or not, based in great part on our appearances. That's why uniforms work. If you chose to be a slob, then you have to be far more talented to get the job that the fellow next in line who is better dressed.
Try wearing a suit some time when you don't have to. Just try it. Not a crappy fitting suit that looks like it's 20 years old, but one that fits well, and looks good. Just try it. My experience doing that suggests that you will get more respect, be taken more seriously, and your professional life will be a lot easier.
Me, I work for a fellow who is in charge of a department of 30 people with a budget of 300 million dollars. It would have to be an emergency for me to not wear a least a button down shirt, slacks, and a tie if not a suit when going to his office. Do you really think you would be taken seriously if you showed up in a similar office wearing a t-shirt and jeans?
Remember, uniforms exist because they work. It's social engineering.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
I've been thinking about this issue recently in the context of highly intelligent, customer facing, problem solving employees, and I've come to the conclusion that uniforms, or at least the idea of a "virtual uniform" is one that has value both for the company *and* the employee.
The uniform is a means toward conformity, and as such both attempts to mold the individual into some standard and also serves as an indicator to others that this individual has certain abilities and responsibilities which set their expectations before an encounter has begun.
If you're not wearing a uniform, then you're on your own as an individual to impress your customer. You will take any comments they make personally, and you may feel compelled to act "cool" in a "Yo, what's happening, I'm so awesome" kind of way to try to protect your own ego. This is all really bad from the customer's point of view.
When wearing a uniform, you're taking on the persona of that uniform and what it stands for (your company) and to a great degree you *are* the company when you wear it. This means that if someone whines or complains at you, they're not really attacking you but the company. This can allow you the freedom to act in the ways the job requires, which may include being subservient to your customers (oddly enough we usually work for them rather than the other way round, no matter how much we like to think otherwise). You can leave your own ego and attitude at home and feel ok doing things, and behaving in ways, that you as an individual would not be comfortable with. If you make a mistake, the uniform even takes some of the blame off of you the individual.
Smart techies encountering a new customer often expect to immediately be treated with respect and reverence, when in reality such respect has to be earned each time. Wearing a uniform helps with this too, as respect you build will apply to everyone wearing that same uniform and so the next person who has to deal with that customer will get more benefit from the relationship you've already created with them.
So I think there are definite advantages to being able to hide your self/ego behind a uniform at times. The uniform doesn't even have to be an actual physical thing. Just understanding the concept that when you're working you're not just Joe The Individual, but Joe of YourCompany, can help you deal with a lot of the ego/respect issues that arise when you're serving whoever your customers are.
G.
"Likely the real reason for the uniform is so that you will stand out, so when your walking past or in the vicinity they can spot you and grab you to immediately to assist them."
The only way to organize technical support in a big company (and 500 people is quite big already) is to prioritize the work.
What you suggest above is anathema to proper prioritization. Nothing kills planning like doing adhoc work.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
What's your problem?? Are you *really* going to turn down the opportunity to make one less decision each day?
Have gnu, will travel.
Last place I worked we told everyone "Please call the help desk at extension xxxx, I can't help you without a trouble ticket" We justified it to the bosses with the "prioritization" argument.
If you're going to do it, do it right. Check out VF Imagewear, the leading supplier of business uniforms. They even have a downloadable design tool.
There are several ways to go. One is a lab coat, like the ones doctors wear. Aerospace companies have used those for decades. Another is auto-company style uniforms. Avoid ball caps unless you get the entire SWAT-team ensemble, which they offer.
You might want to float the idea of having armbands. They're unobtrusive, sharp, and have been shown in the past to foster a sense of shared identity.
Might want to give a little thought to putting a logo of some sort on it too...maybe one of those Indian good luck symbols...you know, something simple that looks good in black and white.
Original Series, NextGen, DSN or Voyager. Seems reasonable to me.
The closer you are to the code, the happier you are. - Ancient Geek Proverb
I work in a IT dept of two people for a small town. The IT head wanted us to come up with a logo to "Brand" our dept. So we worked on the style and substance and came up with a nice 3 color logo. I tossed in some binary because it looked good in red and stands out in the logo. 01010010 01010100 010000110 01001101.(yes, the boss knows what it means) When any user or "Tie Wearer" asks what it means we just tell them its some random binary numbers.
WARNING! If the Help Desk thinks your question is stupid, we will set you on fire!
...
Try wearing a suit some time when you don't have to. Just try it. Not a crappy fitting suit that looks like it's 20 years old, but one that fits well, and looks good. Just try it. My experience doing that suggests that you will get more respect, be taken more seriously, and your professional life will be a lot easier.
Indeed! When I wanted to start living somewhere nice (not student accommodation) I went to look at a house to rent. I was dressed in baggy trousers and a Korn t-shirt I could tell before I'd even got out of my car, as soon as the landlord had seen us he'd decided that he wasn't going to rent to us. Ever since then I wear a suit to important things, even stuff like buying a new bed or TV. Having salesmen falling over themselves trying to help, offering things like food and drinks (including alcohol) even if I say I'm just browsing is much better, and much more fun, than having the security guard follow you around the shop.
I have a big goatee beard and face piercings, when I'm dressed in a suit people know I want to be taken seriously, so they treat me the way I'm dressed.
Everyone knows that different people are different. Wearing a suit says so much about your attitude. Taking the effort to look good and look smart tends to command a certain level of respect (in the correct situations).
I worked for a Mortgage company that had five front line IT people including my boss. He suggested that we get navy blue polo shirts for us with the company logo. They were nice ones (should have been dry cleaned but I am cheap) and even he wore one 4 days a week (he was the junior partner in the company.) I did not mind them since it also meant I did not have to figure out what to wear or buy work shirts. Even the sales types wanted them. The only complaint I had about them was that they did not get long sleeve ones for the winter. If it is done right it can work. Suggest that the head of the department get them as well.
I work at a MSP, so we're a help desk for 30+ companies. The uniform for technical folks is a logo'ed button-down shirt (dark green, either short or long-sleeved) and slacks (technically kakhi, navy or black, but the predominant color is kakhi) and 'dress' shoes (anything not sport shoes is fair game). Even for those stuck in the office all day and not in the field interacting with customers the policy applies (the logic being that if you have to run out to a site you're already dressed). We have a strict "no help without a trouble ticket" policy and most of our customers are now smart enough to not harass the local greenshirt directly... mostly. If we're talking about a megacorp helpdesk, it only makes sense if the rest of the company has required uniforms or anything beyond "business casual". In an office without uniforms the breakdown seems to be this: Boss + boss's cronies/assistants: Business formal or high-end business casual (suit and tie) Non-customer-facing folks: business casual customer-facing: business casual with a tighter dress code or a uniform. If IT must have a uniform, make sure it is comfortable. Full-cotton is great, and darker color don't show dirt and sweat (though the usual gray computer-dust sticks out a bit). Also find a dry cleaner that will do pickup/delivery. Professionally cleaned and pressed uniforms do wonders for the image (bonus: the IT grunts only have to keep track of where the dirty bag and pile of clean shirts are, not the mechanics of washing.). If you do have a mandate for uniforms, make sure to keep a stash of cleaned and pressed uniform shirts in a closet or cabinet somewhere at the office, someone WILL need it someday.
Do you want fries with that ;-) Typical, treating IT staff as service workers as usual...no offense to those who wear uniforms for their jobs but it's appropriate in some jobs...not in others. Working in corporate and office environments means showing certain kinds of professionalism and making IT staff wear some sort of uniform, in my opinion, detracts from this image. We aren't plumbers or electricians or copier repair guys visiting your sites from outside companies...we are employees too (I count contractors in this pool too especially whe under long term contracts). I agree with some others...make management wear badges that say "President", "CIO", CFO" etc...you think that would go over well...why should IT wear a uniform....frankly, IT staff are often the ones who know and speak with everyone in the company and anyone who doesn't live under a rock in their company knows them...that's more than I can say for some employees in places I've worked. There have been employees who literally sit next to each but never speak or even know each other's names...maybe they should wear a uniform letting others know which departments they work in...maybe that would foster more teamwork from average employees...leave IT staff alone...we've got enough fires and issues to deal with...Peace and happy New Year to all...
I wore a uniform for two years, consisting of a white shirt with the company logo and khaki trousers, and thought it was a good idea. My department was held in high regard as a result of the services it performed, and I gained instant credibility as a result of my visual identification with the department. Wasn't a help desk, but as an instructor in a technical college. Still, if the department is respected, the members will be as well.
As many have mentioned, it depends on the uniform.
If it was something like a golf shirt with a small monogrammed IT logo, it wouldn't bother me, as that's pretty much what I wear to work anyway (and pants).
If it was something really distinctive and cool, like custom Hockey Jersey's with teams names and logos, and my name on the back with a number, I think that would also be fun!
If however it was something I felt was lame or stupid, when then I guess I wouldn't like it very much.
I can see doing this so people know who the IT guys are, but I think badges would be better. Tell them you want cotten cause you are allergic to polyester :))
Welcome to Kmart, how may I help you ;)
Only 'flamers' flame!
Does slashdot hate my posts?
Most IT professionals have adopted the British Maid outfit for the help desk, Norge repairman butt crack pants for the techs and Bondage Mistress for the CIO.
I work at helpdesk for a smallish technical college. We have about 15-20 total in the IT office and our CIO buys us these nice dress shirts with the college logo and "Information Technology" above the pocket. His dress code for us is no jeans and look professional. We can choose to wear a tie or even our own shirts. But we also regularly get comments from other people about how nice our shirts look and how professional it makes our office look when we show up to a meeting in similar styled dress shirts. On days when there's a lot of dirty work involved we can come in with what's appropriate but overall I think the shirts add to the job instead of being an annoyance.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world; those that understand binary and those that do not.