Need Objective Opinion Please

[smittytech]

I work for a small company with @40 employees. There are 2 people in the IT dept. The system administrator and myself (I’m the helpdesk). Recently the sys admin stopped being a full-time employee of this company and became a consultant that is in the office 2 days per week but dials in from home everyday to check email, answer questions, etc….

Since the sys admin isn’t technically an employee they gave the title of Sys Admin to the nearest existing manager. I technically report to the new manager for everything – but, obviously I have to keep the old sys admin in the loop as she has the necessary knowledge & skill set for the IT stuff. The new manager’s department is not systems or IT related. They said that only full-time employees within the building can hold a position/title such as Sys Admin & since her dept was the closest to systems that's why they chose her.

I don’t have the training or experience to be the sys admin so it really didn’t bother me that they gave the title to an existing manager. Besides, the person who held the sys admin position is still in the office 2 days per week and available via phone and email 7 days a week. I did pick up some additional duties but nothing that is considered high level IT stuff.

There were some changes made when my new manager took over and I addressed both of the issues listed below in a professional manner and I included the responses I received:

1) My hours were changed to coincide with the new managers existing department 8-5pm. When I asked “why,” I was told that she didn’t want to keep track of different schedules and that I need to be here “in case I’m needed.” (You have my home number, cell number & I live about a mile away from work. I’ve had slightly flexible hours for the the last 3 yrs. IE: If I came in early to do something system related I could leave early and I worked from 7:30-8:00 to 4:30-5:00.) No-one in her “other” department is required to come in after hours to do system maintenance or be “on call” – but I am.

2) I now have to do an activity report every day because “she doesn’t know what I spend my time on.” I’m the only person in the building that has this requirement. She doesn’t even have to do an activity report for her boss and none of her other staff has to do it. Not my fault you don't know IT stuff. I don’t cheat on my timecard. I don’t miss work for no reason. I do the work assigned to me as best I can. If I have questions I ask them. I check my resources. ...hmmmm if I were a bad employee then why are my reviews always good? why do I receive praise from other people in the building? and why has it been mentioned that I have outstanding attendance?

3) When I approached the previous sys admin about my concerns and the responses I received she just blew me off & said she doesn’t make those decisions anymore. (they are good friends with each other.)

I keep trying to be positive and I keep telling myself that the activity reports are educating her on my duties but I’m having a REALLY hard time being micro-managed. I'm sorry that someone in your dept did you wrong a few yrs ago but I haven't and I don't need to be micro-managed.

What I need to know is…

What am I not seeing?
and
Am I just being retarded about the whole situation?


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"Life without chocolate is too terrible to contemplate!"

 

[CajunCenturion]

Put yourself in your new manager's shoes. You are now in charge of the helpdesk person (not your area of expertise) and yet you still have to answer to your boss. How will she answer the question "what does smittytech do"?

Your schedule was changed to 8-5, from slightly flexible hours 7:30-8:00 to 4:30 to 5:00. Maybe I'm missing something, but that doesn't seem like a big change. As far as being on call for after-hours maintenance stuff, that goes with the territory, but having a reasonable comp-time policy in place is also reasonable, and is something that you may want to discuss with her, but not right now.

How else will she learn how you spend your time if you don't tell her? Her requirement that you put that in a daily report is, although a pain, not unreasonable, and it's possible that once she's up to speed that you'll not have to continue to file that report. If no-one else in her department has such a requirement, it may mean that she has as much desire to read and maintain the report as you have to write it. But in the meantime, some knowledge transfer needs to take place. Only time will tell.

I don't think that you should be quite so hard on her, at least not yet. Just because she doesn't know what you do, does not mean that she thinks you're a slacker or a bad employee. It means that she doesn't know, but recogonizes that she now has that responsibility placed on her -- a responsibility that she may not have asked for either. The fact that she has implemented what she considers the most efficient way of coming up to speed is more of a reflection on her as anything else.

As far as being micro-managed, is she telling you what to do, or how to do it, or when to do it, other than to firm up the schedule, or is she simply telling you to inform her of what you've done, after the fact?

Give her a chance to get to know you, and what you do. Give yourself a chance to get to know her, what is required of her. Once you both get to know each other, then re-evaluate the situation and proceed accordingly.

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[phgirl]

Smittytech - Been there, done that and is it ever frustrating. But, I have to agree with CajunCenturion and also advise a positive 'wait and see approach.'

It could be that the new manager is so unsure of how to handle her new responsibilty (mainly you and the IT dept.) that she is using the activity reports to make her own evaluations when reporting higher up. Once she has a handle on what you do and how you do it, it is very likely that the reports perhaps will become a monthly update sort of agenda or go away completely. Same with the flexible-hours, they may return once your new supervisor has a handle of the activities related to the department and understands why the change of hours NEED to happen occasionally.

Hang in there.

 

[smittytech]

She has the "Job duties" listing which outlines all of the things I'm responsible for. Shouldn't the previous sys admin have conveyed some of this information? After all, they are best of friends and her desk has been 20 ft away for the last 3 yrs.

The comp time policy for IT was different than the comp time policy in her dept. - so she changed it to be the same as her dept. Now I don't get comp time.

As far as the micro-management:
"is she telling you what to do: yes,
or how to do it: sometimes,
or when to do it: yes,
other than to firm up the schedule, or is she simply telling you to inform her of what you've done, after the fact? : that too.

then she questions how long it takes to do something.

Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I'll read your response more than once....

******************************************
"Life without chocolate is too terrible to contemplate!"

 

[phgirl]

Ouch!! Keep smiling and do some documentation of your own for down the line.

"is she telling you what to do: yes,
Is she unreasonable or wrong? Is she Not taking experienced IT advice and thus making the job harder/longer/more cumbersome?
or how to do it: sometimes, same...correct manner in how to do it or just being controling? Are her instructions blatently wrong?
or when to do it: yes, Time management issue?? Is she again, helping with scheduling or delaying it? If delayed, is there a reason why that is valid?
other than to firm up the schedule, or is she simply telling you to inform her of what you've done, after the fact? : that too.then she questions how long it takes to do something. Is she just trying to get a handle on the new situation?

I agree, when people work in a close environment, some knowledge should just 'rub off' and she should be aware of some of the management skills that were there previously. But obviously this is not the case -or- perhaps she did not agree with the way her predessor handled matters. Even though it was thought that they are good friends does not mean they appreciate the same work ethics. Only time will tell with your new manager. IF you still feel this way after a few months, all of your documentation will be useful either taken directly to HR or in a forum between you, your new manager and HR.

Hang in there! You'll make it..

 

[rosieb]

How long have you reported to her? She’s suddenly got responsibility for an area completely outside her expertise, if things go horribly wrong, she’s in the direct line of fire.

The “Job Duties” probably don’t mean a thing to her – just words.

See the activity log as a positive change, it’s your opportunity to show how much you do. It sounds as if your new boss wants to learn about what you do, always a good sign.

Do you get a regular weekly/fortnightly meeting with her? If not, you could suggest it. The activity log plus a list of your plans for the next period can help you both identify problems, resource/training needs as well as highlighting your triumphs. Your chance to educate her.

As for “micro-management”, it all depends on how it’s being done. As your boss she’s entitled to set your priorities etc., questioning how long things take could simply be a genuine case of wanting to know. She may just need time to learn to trust you.

Use the activity log to show if you have to work extra hours, after a couple of months you can use it to re-open the question of comp time. Don’t rush it.

It’s worth asking yourself: Does she seem like a reasonable person? Do her other staff find her a good manager? (Of course, if the answers to both are “No”, you’ve got a problem.)

Hope it all works out

 

[MasterRacker]

I've been through this also. I would have to agree with CajunCenturion as well and expand a little.

You're looking at this from the purely technical (and maybe common sense) side of things. For things like flex time and comp time, try not to sweat it. If you're not exempt, they should at least have to pay you overtime. Since you now report to a new person, you're now essentially 'part' of her department, regardless of org chart or actual title. It could cause a lot of political problems in the eyes of the other members of the department for yo to be treated differently than they are. It takes a pretty good manager to make and defend a distinction. Most managers won't. This managers doesn't even know you yet, so why would she go out on a limb to defend different treatment? (Keep in mind that most people tend look on any treatment different from their own as 'preferential' and therefore resent it.)

As far as time reporting goes, this is a good idea for many reasons. Even many IT managers don't know what really goes on in IT. They could be a long time out of the trenches or may have slid into the position laterally (like your new boss.) If they are going to treat you well, they need to understand what you do. Also, if you track yourself well, you may actually find some surprises in how you really spend your time compared with how you thought you did.

Use this information. You could use hard numbers to justify training, help, a raise, etc. You get the idea. Qualititative arguments don't cut it. You need quantitative numbers to convince a manager of anything.

Managers will have a different set of priorities than you. Either their own or handed to them by others. I was a sysadmin reporting to non-technical types for many years. I was criticized for a number of things that were percieved to not be getting done quickly enough. After collecting numbers for a while, I was able to convince my boss why things took so long, he was able to convince his bosses and if he wasn't, he was able to give me priority items to keep them happy, whether it was he technically correct priority or not.

The bottom line, is that your real job is to keep your boss happy. Period. In my case, I was able to negotiate a couple of pretty good raises event though my productivity went down due to the extra reporting. I went more time documenting what wasn't getting done than actually getting things done, but everyone was happier because they felt that they knew what was going on. I got my pay check so I was happy too.

You're not supporting 'systems'. You're supporting people, so slug away and do the best you can. Good luck!


Jeff
If your mind is too open your brains will fall out...

 

[willir]

smittytech

The boy scounts motto -- always be prepared.

You support about 40 people. Businesses are looking at ways to cut costs. And I hate to say it, but one of the reasons for the daily reports may be to justify your position.

I just finished talking to a guy who supports a site with over 400 people! Sure, the helpdesk provides the bulk of the support and he looks after just the tough problems.

He said something interesting -- he gets about six calls a day. This is interesting, because I have seen the nuymber, about "six", for on site support pop up in many real life support situations. (About 120 calls a month)

Another site I am aware of has about 50 users. They got rid of the on site support electing for part-time support plus a remote helpdesk. The people on-site are not happy with this solution but the corporation dieties have spoken.

If your job is first level support, how much work do you do? Are you busy, or is it fairly easy with a light work load? I realize that if you are also programming, web design, then the support component is just part of the job. And if you are on a high volumn, support volumn can be 30+ -- but these will mostly be simple calls. Also, a banking, production or engineering environment will have much heavier demands than an office administration environment.

Next, work hours...
As CajunCenturion states, this is part of the territory. I have carried a pager for what seems like a zillion years. Even had to return to work in the middle of a major sports event, and in the middle of my vacation.

Next, your documentation on your daily work may be justification in keeping you as a full time employee.


My suggestion...
- Consider going beyond what she requests. Develop a tracking system so not only do you provide a daily report but you can prove you resolved xx number of calls this month, and that year. (I do this with a database. I also use this tool as my site admin manual, contacts and procedures, etc. This would have some of the duties and responsiblities your manager has also requested.)

- Consider how you can add value to the comapny. With 40 odd people to support, I can understand why your Sys Admin moved to part time position. He/she may now support other sites. How can you add more value to the company in your present position.

- This can be considered an oportunity for you to upgrade your skills. Would you like to learn more and become a more qualified Sys Admin (on paper)? Would the company pay for the training?

- Make her feel confident with your abilities. Prove to her, not only are you doing the work, but you are managming your time well.

Lastly, you suggest your manager and the previsous Sys Admin were / are friends. This is possibly, an awkward situation.

First, as a friend to the Sys Admin, your manager would have had confidence in the ability of the Sys Admin, and would not have asked for details. It may have seemed awkward for her to ask her friend for reports, processes and justification if it implied incompetance.

Second, as a friend to friend, they may have talked about you. Yep, probably should not have happened, but I can see how easily this conversation cpul have happened. So your manager probably has been influenced by comments from your Sys Admin.

Which goes back to my original thoughts...
You have to justify your position (again)...
- Can do the job
- Can you add value added, and do more than your current position
- Is enough work
- Can you manage yourself well
- Be prepared

I wish you luck.

 

[Kjonnnn]

There's one bad thing about reporting daily duties if you're the tech.

Unless things are going terribly wrong it CAN look like you don't do anything.

My day isnt filled wall to wall with duties. Especially if everything is running smoothly. To a non IT person, I'm not needed (been told that by other employees), but let something go wrong.

 

[CajunCenturion]

Fill in slack time with Preventative Maintenance activities, which you can use your imagination to define.
Disk Cleanups, Find Broken Links, Duplicate files, ...

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[willir]

Kjonnnn You are right about the IT reporting thing -- I keep telling my bosses that I am doing a good job because nothing has gone wrong. They don't seem to believe me half the time ;-).

Of course, when things go wrong, they ask why are you not doing your job?. Half joking of course, but this is where you need your supporting documentation.

We had a virus break into our site a while back, and management complained. I whipped up my documentation showing I had requested some hardware for this very reason (security concerns), and management had rejected my submission. Not only had I protected my butt, but I had also clearly demonstrated a reason for keeping me around.

To add to CajunCenturion comments, if you do have slack time, this is where you look for ways to add value, and upgrade your skills.

 

[smittytech]

Thanks to everyone for the comments & suggestions. Your guidance is appreciated.







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"Life without chocolate is too terrible to contemplate!"