What makes a professional? 2

[rosieb]

I’ve just taken over responsibility for part of an IT support group. We are small, so knowledge tends to be specialised. I see a lot of behaviour which I, personally, would characterise as unprofessional.

These include: insulting remarks about users; insulting remarks to users about other support staff; public, unsubstantiated, criticisms of colleagues’ work; refusal to answer a ringing telephone (when the help desk is unattended); refusal to answer a technical query when “at lunch” at one’s desk; walking out “on the dot” despite serious technical problems; “ping-ponging” of issues between support groups” (on specious grounds); consistent late arrival / (single-day) absence; sexist comments; excessive swearing (including swearing in front of users); public burping / farting / discussion of bodily functions / readjustment of genitalia, etc., etc.

I can see that some of this is inevitable (occasionally). And it’s been suggested that I’m being totally unreasonable in expecting to change it – that’s how IT support is!

I find a lot of the behaviour unacceptable and I believe that the general attitude sets the standard for the level of support provided, and provides a user perception about the standard of the support offered. If we don’t act professionally, why are we surprised to be considered as a bunch of buffoons?

I’m working on the “setting an example” basis of good practice and jumping on individual major excesses, but how do you inculcate a professional approach into an established environment? And, how far am I over-reacting?


Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[rosieb]

sleipnir214
Lunches are supposed to be staggered. And there is always the option of taking them elsewhere.

I usually choose to eat at my desk, but if someone wants to talk to me and I am at my desk, I consider it plain rude to tell them to go away - they may have to put up with me munching a sandwich. But they will have my attention.



Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[sleipnir214]

If lunches are staggered, then there is someone who is "on duty". Those who choose to take lunch at their desks during their scheduled staggered lunch breaks shouldn't be penalized.



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TANSTAAFL!!

 

[DrJavaJoe]

rosieb, I don't think whether people eat at there desk or not, or take phone calls while eating at there desk is the problem, it seems that the environment has grown to a point where the team could care less about the product/business. When a call comes in for Joe and it's obvious he's having his lunch someone else from the team should gladly take the call for him. It is this environment that you as the manager, need to foster and demand. Being a public sector manager do you not have any control over your team? If you do, then make the rules and expect the team to follow them, I would think that this is what is expected from you as a manager. I wouldn't want a management position where I had no say in what my team does.


"Two strings walk into a bar. The first string says to the bartender: 'Bartender, I'll have a beer. u.5n$x5t?*&4ru!2[sACC~ErJ'. The second string says: 'Pardon my friend, he isn't NULL terminated'."

 

[rosieb]

DrJavaJoe
At a previous job, this was never a problem, staff were all totally attuned to the pressures and would jump in to cover each other - mutual support , the only “arguments” were along the lines of “I’ll take that , you don’t have time for it”.

Real team spirit. And all good friends, so if someone had a family / health / personal problem – I rarely heard of it (as an official problem – but I always knew), it was always covered unofficially. We had no official flexitime policy, but I ran an unofficial “flexible” working policy (supported by my management).

We were all adults, so long as everything was covered, work the hours that suited, AND have fun, AND learn new things (according to your interests)! It was the department everyone wanted to work for. But it produced results, we all worked really hard , but we all gained from it. (real evidence, anyone who stayed over 1 year got promoted, internally either within the department or without. My staff were subject to constant internal poaching approaches. Those few who left the organisation went to get married / live abroad.)

This is what I yearn for – team spirit, mutual support, personal development , no back-biting AND fun, I know it can be done.


sleipnir214
Maybe, in a perfect world. But we're a small group, certain individuals have to be specialists in certain areas. If someone wants to talk to me about a specific project , while I am at my desk, I would consider it rude to tell them to go away.

If it's a general question, yes, I would direct them to the person "on duty".

I see it as a courtesy issue ,"do as you would be done by".

Anyone who enters the office, or works in it, should be treated with courtesy by all present. That includes being given appropriate attention, and not having to suffer belching, swearing etc.

To my mind, the lunch issue is a relatively minor one, the main one is respect for colleagues and co-workers, but the lunch issue is symptomatic of a poor attitude.

Do you tolerate discourtesy? – Your posts suggest not.


Or, to put it another way, frequently the behaviour in the IT Support Office is infantile, objectionable and crass (or worse). I sometimes find it utterly intolerable, and I have no intention of letting it continue long-term. Circumstances dictate a slowly, slowly approach. Apparently, direct criticism = stress => massive sick leave , so not acceptable.

(Incidentally, this is not people severely under the cosh, it’s UK public sector, in my opinion – mainly working at 60-70%, relatively low paid but, great benefits, flexibility and security, no real pressure; nothing like the private sector, and they’ve all chosen to stay long term.)




Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[Kjonnnn]

I think when you don't allow people to have a peaceful lunch in their "work area" (whether thats a cafeteria or their desk) you're almost forcing them to go elsewhere.

There are very very few computer emergencies. Most people will bother you with their "I need this RIGHT NOW questions." Its not a "computer emergency," but its an "I want what I want and I want it right now" situation. You've been your office since 7:30a, but a user waits to talk to you during your lunch about an old issue? THAT is rude and inconsiderate. And unfortunately, many users treat IT staff like bad waiters to be at their beck and call no matter what.

The other issue in the original post are controlled by the person in charge. If that person doesnt set the limits and just plain standards of good behavior (not even talkn profesionalism here), their employees will do as the want.

1. Don't belittle a colleage or his/her work to a client.
2. Talk politely to a client.
3. No Finger Pointing of Blame
4. If an issue is left undone, FIX IT ... then meet later to see where the ball was dropped.
5. No sexually harassing behavior. (Sexual jokes, repositioning).
6. No cursing in front of clients.

If these directives arent followed, thats what performance evaluations are for.

Its seems that the manager, needs to manage.

 

[KornGeek]

Just to offer my 2 cents:

I agree with what was said earlier about getting cooperation from the other managers. If you don't present a united front, you will all lose authority.

Also, instead of coming in and dictating new standards of behavior (which tends to put people on the defensive), I suggest trying the approach that was used in my son's kindergarten class. The teacher had the class make up the rules at the beginning of the year. Have a meeting and work together to come up with some standards of behavior. People tend to feel better about rules if they feel they had some say in creating them. Be prepared to compromise some of what you want for the greater good.

<aside>
I my son's class, the rules came out suprisingly good. There's standard rules such as "No hitting, etc.", but there are also some suprisingly wise rules such as "Always do your best." My personal favorite is "If somebody asks for a hug, give them one." It's amazing the things 5-year-olds come up with.
</aside>

Finally, dismiss the notion that this behavior cannot be changed. One of my clients recently had some problems implementing new technology. The employees were very resistant and wanted to keep doing things the old way. When things went wrong, management adopted a simple policy. "Do things the new way or we'll find somebody who will." They gutted that department (about 2/3 let go) and brought in replacements who are eager to learn the new technology.

When something happens suitably bad (sexist comments for instance), dropping the axe once or twice is usually enough for others to get the message loud and clear. Hopefully it won't come to that, but this is why you need to get the united front from management early on.

 

[DrJavaJoe]

"If somebody asks for a hug, give them one."

I love it, but did someone say sexual harassment.

&quot;Two strings walk into a bar. The first string says to the bartender: 'Bartender, I'll have a beer. u.5n$x5t?*&4ru!2[sACC~ErJ'. The second string says: 'Pardon my friend, he isn't NULL terminated'.&quot;

 

[lionelhill]

This thread is proving very consoling reading.

On lunch-at-desks:

In a way, lunch-work is no different to an interuption while you're working for someone else; you can't just drop client A's work because client B has come bouncing in demanding instant attention (this is a continual problem for me), but you can politely arrange a more appropriate time for client B.

It actually doesn't look terribly professional if I make a half-stab at solving someone's problem while chewing on a sandwich and dropping bread-crumbs all over their paperwork. Also, when I try that one, I usually take so long over the work that I don't get my sandwich finished before the next question turns up. And then people get the idea I spend my whole time eating lunch... I now prefer to say "OK, sounds like we need to talk about this (or whatever); how does X O'clock suit you?"

Kjonn, agree, but compare items 3 and 4...

 

[xmsre]

Your arguments will apply to hourly workers, but not to salaried employees. That's how WalMart got into trouble."

The problem is that in order to be exempt your job has to pass the tests defined by the FLSA. Simply beacuse you work with computers does not mean that you meet the exemption; your work has to have creative content. Break/fix or help desk doesn't cut it. CSC found this out the hard way, as did Oracle, as did Bank of America. CSC is intersting because it is specifically about admins and help desk personnel. In the BOA case, they settled out of court for 4.1 Million. Is making employees work during lunch worth that kind of liability? Like I said, have them take lunch out of the office [break room, off site, etc] and close the issue.

http://www.lieffcabraser.com/cscwagessuit.htm

 

[rfr100]

Sweet Jesus. 4.1 mill ??? God bless America

I don't eat lunch at my desk because for some bizarre reason some users seem to think that if Im at my desk during lunch they can ask me about problems they have with PC's at home.

Talk about pet hate.
I never fix friends PC's. Plain and simple, because any and all later problems will automatically become my fault.


And why should there be an expectation of working through lunch ? Lunch is there as a natural break in the (long) day, used for eating and chatting to friends from other departments - Not Working!

 

[SilentVision]

Ok, I am way behind on this thread as I am new on this board but I have a few things to say about the original post.

I have worked for my current employer for a little over 2 years and many of the concerns you have brought up over your staff are concerns I would have as well, as I see the same things from my co-workers.

Insulting remarks about users: These are your customers, you are being paid to answer the questions, regardless of how "stupid" they seem to you. You have a job simply because these people need help, enough said.

Walking out on-the-dot? I could go off on this forever, completely unacceptable. My job does not require that I stay past my normal work hours, if an urgent problem comes in at 5:25, should I run out the door? NO!!!! Take care of it, at least document the problem so the next shift can investigate.

Ping-Pong: This unfortunately occurs almost constantly at my place of work. We have many different application support groups and playing tennis seems to always be in season. People need to be more responsible for looking into problems before the fire them off to someone else. If at the get-go it doesnt seem like your issue, fine, but please, at least look into it somewhat and confirm this.

Again, everything here goes back to what the purpose the the employees job is, to help their customers.

To recap, I am not in IS management, I am in support, your typical support specialist, nd I completely understand what many IS supervisors, managers, whatever, have to deal with on a daily basis.

 

[DoubleD]

I'd like to add one small point. In several of the previous posts it was suggested that a meeting be scheduled with the other people's manager, and include your boss. This is the best way to start an us vs them attitude. Meet with the other manager alone to discuss your concerns. Your boss should only be included if you are not able to make progress without them.
Most managers want their teams to be viewed positively by other departments, as it makes them look better in turn.
For your direct reports, schedule a meeting with all of them. Lay out all of your expectations as a manager, being as clear as possible. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT point fingers at any of the employees. For any employees who aren't getting the point, schedule discreet meetings to discuss whether they understand your policies. Ask them if there is anything you can do to help them adjust.
Make the changes a team effort, don't make the employees feel they are the only ones changing, just because the new manager is a "insert your aphorism of choice to describe a person who is not fun to be around".

Pain is stress leaving the body

DoubleD

 

[DrJavaJoe]

rosieb, it's been a month has anything improved?

&quot;Two strings walk into a bar. The first string says to the bartender: 'Bartender, I'll have a beer. u.5n$x5t?*&4ru!2[sACC~ErJ'. The second string says: 'Pardon my friend, he isn't NULL terminated'.&quot;

 

[rosieb]

DrJavaJoe

Yes, it has. Partly, I suspect, because we've been very short handed for a couple of weeks - adversity as a team-building exercise! (I've proved I can hold my own technically, at least in some areas; and that I'll muck in; and that I need, and appreciate, my colleagues' help.) Oh, and we've been doing some serious after hours socialising.

One of the other managers has obviously decided to back my campaign, so my delicate ears are (mostly) protected from profanities - actually I think he's overdoing it slightly, but we'll find a balance. Interestingly, most of the other guys seem to be joining in.

There's still one,in particular, but it's clearly mostly an attention-seeking thing, he doesn't report to me so... I ignore bad behaviour, and reward good behaviour with attention and praise (a bit like handling a 4 year-old) - tedious when you're dealing with a 30 year-old adult!

Without going into boring detail, there's still a lot that is bugging me (in terms of behaviour), and a few things which horrify me (mainly relating to testing and change control), so I have a feeling that there are going to be a few "unpleasant" confrontations in the immediate future.

So, currently, I'm feeling as though I'm having an effect. Next week, who knows?

(I probably shouldn't admit it, but mostly, I enjoy the job - and I really like most of my colleagues.)

Rosie
"Never express yourself more clearly than you think" (Niels Bohr)

 

[willir]

What a long post

Are we confusing professionalism and work ethics?

A professional gets paid for their work.

Good work ethics tend to lead to excellence which is critical for support.

One thing not explained is the "history".

I have seen some dynamite people who at one time provided great support fizzle up. Either the work load is too much and the guy or gal gets burned out. And sadly, the ones who really care may also be the ones that burn out faster.

Next is if there is an on-going moral problem. For example, no bonuses or bad news after bad news, job cuts after job cuts. With the current state of some industries, inlcuding the IT business post the dot com bubble burst. Nothing is more depressing than to see your friends get cut and more work gets thrown your way. Then you are told there are no bonuses and no pay increases. Intellectually we understand that this is business but emotionally, it is depressing.

Another blow to the moral is when you have a grat job but due to outsourcing, leveraged services or something similar take all the joy out of work.

Then there are the poor management issues. Good work is not recongized, suggestions for improvement fall on deaf ears, etc. A real nasty is the blame game. This is real common between different individuals, and between departments (eg. desktop vs infrastructure vs applicaiton).

One more would be culture. State to state, provence to provence and country to country, there are differences in the way one typically approaches work -- relaxed to high tension, close enough to high perfection.

With the exception of the last, I have seen learned helplessness reduce a group of quality, ethical techs to uncaring rabble.

Sadly, when this happens, especially the burn-out once caring guys, are sometimes replaced by a new crop. A real common theme with the high pressure, low margin revolving door scenario.

Rose
Management can perhaps do something about this. To repeat some of the above themes, and perhaps add a few more...
- Instill the fact the "we", the tech, work for the customer. We hel the customer do their job better. It is not the case where the customer bothers us from time to time. If we dont help the customer, we may not have a job.
- Improve moral. Find out if there is a "history" that led to the decline in moral. Some things you may be able to help, others you may not. (The money thing)
- Instill service excellence. "Do things right the first time." Help the user do their job.
- Work as a team. Each support group works with the other to provide a seamless suport package. When your group is calle upon to support another group - do so.
- Improve communication. Communication is a two way street. Listen to your group. And communicate to them what is expected. Moreover, when working with the customer, other support groups and other management on expectations and needs.
- Demand respect, earn respect and be respectful.
- Clearly define priorities.
- Recognize achievements.

There are others of course.

But there is one thing that is plays an important part in the formula that we can not contol - money. Business are still going through some vigerous cutting, outsourcing, etc which will always play havic with moral. Surviving this transtion is a test of character.

I do have a pet peeve. When non-technical people make technical decisions which can have a profound impact on IT. I feel senior management has to ask the right question "we have this problem and we need to do this. what is the best way to achieve this?" instead of we are going to do this, this and this.

I guess the last thing is that it is easy to make suggestions, crticize, but it is much tougher to put a plan into action.

Any way, Rosie, you have made some dynamite posts in the past, and I am sure you will soar with eagles in your new position. Best wishes.

 

[CajunCenturion]

I don't think there is a confusion between work ethics and professionalism. It is true that one who gets paid for their work is a professional, but not all professionals behave professionally, and it is the behavior, the attitude, the work ethic, and other qualities that determine professionalism. I've known some volunteers who's professionalism would put some paid workers to shame. This thread is not about professionals, but entirely about professionalism.

I do think there may be some confusion between moral issues and morale issues.

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

 

[lhendrickson]

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Have the team meet to brainstorm to create new policies and procedures for themselves. The only way to get employee buy in is to implement their ideas. Make sure everyone has a voice, even those employees that tend to hide in a group. You may not get the stringent policy you had hoped for, but a step toward improvement. How good is a stringent policy if no one will follow it anyway?

An idea I have always liked is to make an employees annual evaluation a group effort. Each employee is rated by 3 randomly selected piers, 3 randomly selected clients (users), and themselves. The identities are not to be revealed - ever. This should give the employee a glimpse into how they are really doing - it may go over well, it may not, but it will be a truer picture of performance. It sounds like a lot of work, but as an employee getting the review - I would like to feel like I am worth the extra trouble.

In the daily grind of work, any positive feedback you get about one of your employees should be repeated in a group forum and any negative comments (if constructive) should be repeated one on one behind closed doors.

There is a book that I tend to read once per year "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. It gives you some pretty good examples on how to manage people without them really knowing they are being managed.

Always expect that you are going to have one employee that will not buy in to environment changes. Sometimes you can make this person your shining star - positive feedback they don't expect (but it must be sincere) UNFORTUNATELY sometimes you have to let/force that person to move on for the good of the group.

Always stay positive and let your employees know that during work hours this is what is expected. Once you begin seeing improvement you can start a reward system.
Allow 2 employees to leave 1 hour early each Friday until all employees in your group have had their time off (don't dock their pay - of course). Don't give them advance notice, just walk up at 2:45 and tell them they can leave 1 hour early today for working so hard.

Most managers don't realize that a simple statement like "Hey Jerry, I reviewed your results on the XYZ project and I was impressed with how you handled X -- good job" will mean a lot toward job satisfaction for that employee (but once again you must be sincere).

Just a bunch of random thoughts/opinions I have on managing people - most were obtained from being managed properly over my career.

Best of Luck - hope to see a post with your results!

LHENDRICKSON