Dealing with Internal Staff when you are working on the Helpdesk.

Dealing with Internal Staff when you are working on the Helpdesk.

Regardless of the industry your company is in, there are certain constants that will impinge on you as an IT person.  Everyone in IT starts on helpdesk as it is usually the most hated of IT jobs and one of the most important as it is the “face” of IT with which most other staff deal. The variety of staff that you will interact with in your role on the “Helldesk” can be a bit overwhelming for a new hire to a company.

As IT people, we are generally logical, methodical, and thorough (at least we like to think we are!) and this is what appeals to the almost OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) amongst IT people. Therefore, computers and technology appeal to our sense of order.

What we as helpdesk operators need to understand is that for many of our clients, the computer and systems are just tools, like a hammer or screwdriver to a tradesperson. If you call them clients, you are less dismissive of their issues. Many of our clients have worked out how to do their job on this tool and when it doesn’t work as expected, their stress level goes through the roof.

So as a helpdesk person, our job is not so much to fix the problem, but to help relieve the stress.  As the saying goes,” A problem shared is a problem halved” and in this situation we are the other half.  Before we resort to the standard,” Have you turned it off and on again?” maybe we need to listen to the person on the other end and make sure they are ok.

Before we get to the people, we need to talk about terminology.
For many non tech-literate people, the “Computer” is actually the monitor on their desk.  When they say that their computer is not coming on what they really mean is that the monitor is not on.  Ensure that you are talking about the same thing when you ask them to turn the computer on.

Below is a quick summary of the different types of clients I have experienced. Number 1 rule, don’t lose your cool and number 2 rule, don’t be a d!ck when someone makes a mistake.  Whilst it might make your ego feel good short term, in the long term, the hit to your reputation can be quite detrimental.
1. The mature clerical, generally an older person who, whilst very good at their speciality, are not flexible when it comes to computer issues.  They have a checklist they use with the computer to do their job and anything that deviates from this causes chaos.  Even forcing a regular password change for this person results in stress, and updates to their usual software will cause a meltdown.  What has worked for me with these types is to connect to their computer, walk through their checklist with them and make suggestions on how to change their list to easier achieve their work.  These people are generally very grateful when you can resolve their issue quickly for them. Things to avoid- jargon and trying to explain why you have changed a setting (it just confuses them).

2. The enthusiast – This is the young guy (or girl) who knows all about computers.  Sometimes these guys can be very helpful when it comes to troubleshooting strange issues, mainly because they caused the problem in the first place.  Letting them describe the troubleshooting steps they have taken will quite often lead them to the solution on the phone.  Make sure that you include these guys in your solution.  If you must do something in the backend to get them working, describe what you are doing as you do it. If you need to consult someone else in your team, try to get them on to a conference call.  These users are your informal IT support and will be eager to help their fellow users as it feeds their (ego) and takes a load of minor issues off your shoulders.  However, these guys can also be the source of much of the “Grey IT” that happens in companies (e.g. In one company I worked at, we found that a bunch of users were using Dropbox to store files so that they could work on them at home, instigated by one of their work mates.) So as Michael Corleone in the “Godfather” said,” Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Welcome any suggestions they make and look at them seriously. Give them feedback on their ideas so that they don’t go off and do their own thing.

3. The harassed PA – a subset of the clerical, these people can be particularly difficult to deal with as they quite often are the power behind the throne and can make things difficult for IT if they feel you are being obstructive.  Sometimes all they need is a bit of sympathy and guidance and they can keep working at making their boss look good. Unfortunately, sometimes their requests are impossible to fulfil, and you need to be creative in finding a “just as good” solution.  Anything that lets this person impress their boss is good for the IT department. A flat "no" is likely to result in the CIO getting an irate call from the senior manager.

4. The senior executive – If you are doing internal support and going to people’s desks, this person can be a real trap. They will assume you will be there straight away even if you are in the middle of a server crash recovery.  Some of these people can get off on making others look bad, or belittling people in front of other staff.  It must be a function of their ego that they need to make others look bad, so they can feel better about themselves. Usually the issue they are complaining about is something trivial, but they blow it out of all proportion.  CAUTION – do not sink to their level and make them look like an idiot! This is the surest way to paint a target on your back. The best way to deal with these people is to fix their issue as quickly as possible and with a minimum of interaction.  At no time should you admit that it is an IT mistake, as these executives will use this to make the IT department suffer. Trust that Karma will take care of them in the long run. Note that this only applies to a small subset of senior executives as most are very “people oriented” and are aware that you are doing your job to the best of your ability.

This is not an exhaustive list and I’m sure others can add more.  The takeaway that I can give you is “Do not make people feel or look stupid, even if what they are doing is dumb beyond words”.

This only breeds resentment and can come back to haunt you later.

And for those that really hate being on the helpdesk, here is one of the earliest clips I saw about working on the helpdesk The Internet helpdesk

And for those that think IT should be in charge of things, here is the Bastard Operator From Hell (BOFH) archive.  Please note that Wayne's Ramblings does not endorse anything illegal or immoral, just that there are some clients who could really do with a dose of being shoved down a stairwell. :)

I asked to be laid off

I'll admit it, I'm one of those employees that stick with a job long enough to be the person that is turned to when legacy systems fail.  My first job was with a government department where I lasted 8 years, moving once to another area in the same department. When I left that job, it was because I was headhunted by a company that had just won the outsourcing role with the government department that I was working for.  I lasted another 4 years in that role.  

Eventually I grew tired of dealing with the bureaucratic way that the department ran, and found the contractor/employee divide too wide to bridge. The problem was the departmental employees always blamed the contractors when things went wrong, and the contractors had to rely on the employees to provide them with the information required to complete their tasks but it always changed at the last minute.   Everyone tires of being the whipping dog for other's inadequacies.  I started looking for other jobs. 

I was given an interview with the IT manager at a small stock brokers (they were small when I started) and we hit it off straight away.  The IT manager was a great guy who taught me a lot about how to treat your staff and get the best out of them. We grew the IT side from 2 offices to about 15 offices all over Australia, mainly by acquisition of other brokers.   This was an interesting time and there never seemed to be enough time to complete all the tasks.  I had always been the "go to guy" when something needed to be repaired and as the company grew, so did the numbers in the IT department.  

By mid 2011, we were up to a dozen IT staff spread over 3 different sites.  We were managing web development, networking, infrastructure and server farms.  We had strategic contracts with specialised software systems providers, that covered the management and maintenance of those systems, and we had a brilliant team of IT staffers that worked really well as a team and had 4x 9's of uptime (about 30 seconds a year offline) through our use of VMware technology and redundant links. Our biggest outages were those that generally affected the whole industry, or our software suppliers.

However at this stage the GFC struck and as a stockbroker, our company took a big hit.  An order came down from the management that our IT department was to be downsized, with up to 4 staff being laid off.  By this stage I had been working with the company for more than 14 years, and was 1 year off long service ( In Australia, permanent employees get 3 months paid leave when they reach 15 years of service with the same company, or pro-rata from 10 years).   I was on a first name basis with all the company directors and had actually been to most of their homes to set up their home computers.   

The HR department called a teleconference and we were informed that there would be cuts unless we could come up with alternate savings.  I will give credit where it is due, our department teamed together and came up with a scheme for us all to take a 10% cut if it would save our jobs.  However this was not enough saving for our company.  They decided to go ahead with the job cuts.  They told us it would be happening in the next month and completed by a certain date.

At this stage I could see the writing on the wall, and met with the IT manager.  I laid out my best guesses as to who he would be laying off and who he would be keeping.  (I was actually surprised how accurate it turned out to be).  One of the staff I could see being on the chopping block was me.  

So I said to him," I understand that I may be laid off so I am starting the job search now.  If I get an offer before the layoffs, would you use that to save the job of one of the other staffers?"    

His reply was that if I found a job before the layoffs, then  he would make sure my position was one of the ones in the layoff, with me getting the payout, rather than me resigning and just getting the outstanding leave entitlements.  

Over the next couple of weeks, a couple of staff were informed that they were to be terminated.  One was a part timer whose wife had a high paying Mining company job and a new baby, so he was ok with that  as he could become a full time house dad.  The next one was a project planner,  who was given a week to wind up his projects, and had a job lined up before he finished up. With the spending freeze, there wouldn't be any new projects anyway.  

Another was a staffer from one of our branch offices, who walked into a new job as soon as he was let go ( I suspect he had started looking as soon as the HR department teleconference finished.)   

Finally there was me.  I was escorted to the Boardroom and met by the HR manager and the IT manager, who read out a script announcing that I was to be let go. At that point both the HR manager and the IT manager burst into tears and I was in the strange position of reassuring them that I would be OK.   I was given a package outlining my entitlements and the termination cheque, then escorted back to empty my desk.   By midday I was riding my bike home.  About half way home, the shock hit me and I had to stop.  

This had been the first time I had ever been laid off and it was not an experience I enjoyed.  Like many people I defined myself by my work, and this felt like I was being told that I was worthless.  I had to tell myself that this was not the case, that to my family and friends I was much more than an employee, I was a husband, father, son, friend and that my work was just something that paid for us to have a good life.  

Obviously November 2011 was not a good time to be looking for work, but I threw myself into the task, making sure I first worked out what sort of organisation and technology I felt attracted to. I also made a point of checking our finances and evaluating how long we could last without me working.  It turned out that the payout I got ( including my pro-rata long service leave) meant that I could spend up to 6 months looking for work.  

I then submitted my resume to a number of IT recruiters and websites, to get my availability out there.  In 1 month I had a couple of acquaintances offer possible jobs (ie they liked my skill set but didn't have a role for me yet although they may have soon) but no formal job interviews.  Coming into Christmas, looking for work is not a good recipe for seasonal cheer. Then I managed to change my luck by taking a chance.

As a long term employee, I had not devoted a lot of time to updating my resume, so when I was laid off, I had to come up with one quickly.  To help me along, I had approached a local recruiter for an honest opinion on the one that I had created.  He asked me to take it and format it using the default resume templates in Microsoft Word and then give it to him.  He was so impressed that he took it to one of his clients and got me an interview.  From that interview, it was 1 month to being employed.  

I have now been employed for over 4 years with a company involved in the construction of the Gorgon Project.  The work is varied and interesting, and I occasionally get to go on board tugboats to sort out their IT issues.  I have also been to Barrow Island a few times and seen the Gorgon Project first hand.  However I am currently on the lookout for a new position, as my contract here finishes up in January.

Addendum:
Since this article was written, I have worked in a number of locations. The job I was in continued on for another year and I was laid off in January 2015.  Looking for work again was difficult but on the off chance that I could go back to work for the parent company I had just left, I applied for a role in their Perth office.  They didn't want me for that job but they did want me for my knowledge of the systems of the company they had just absorbed. Obviously they wanted me at rock bottom prices and I ended up working for a salary that was almost half my previous one. I have since left there and am working at a location that offers more autonomy and is willing to pay for experience.