As former IT support I can relate. I tend to think they would go to you because they knew you could find the answer in mere moments and this was far easier than doing the actual work themselves. I also taught end users how to do simple things so I didn't have to do it for them. For some reason the people above me frowned on that. I never did understand that mindset.When I worked IT support, I started making sure internet search skills was part of an interviewees skillset, as well as my employees. Looking up the numbers from a BSOD or other error message is pretty simple. In the old days it was looking things up in manuals, today it's all online. Critical thinking skills are, well, critical. There are times to reach out to the subject matter experts, or management, but that should be one of the last options. Reminds me of my stepson when he was little. He'd say he couldn't find something and I'd say to go look. He'd run off and come back in 2 minutes saying he looked everywhere but couldn't find it. I'd make him come with me when I went to look, so we actually did look everywhere. When we found whatever it was, I told him the next time I wanted him to look for it the way I did. I don't know if it's lack of education, lack of critical thinking skills, lack of on the job training, or what, but I notice a lot of employees who can't be bothered to figure things out on their own.
Don’t reply.This may be more whining than ranting.
I told my team last week. I'm on vacation starting at Friday at 5pm. I don't know you, you don't know me, I'm dead.
Day 1 of my vacation, a guy on my team texts me at 11pm "are you still awake?"
I replied "I am"
He then asks me a stupid ass question he should know the answer to, or at least be able to google it.
I replied "you are texting me to ask a question that you can easily Google?"
I also provided the answer to his question.
He responded he's sorry to bug me and that he spend half an hour looking for the answer. I knew it off the top of my head, he should know it too.
So I googled it, found a page with the answer on it in 2 minutes and then send him the link along with a note saying "2min"
I specifically told them all I'm dead, and there are several people on the team he could have reached out to before me.
Wtf leave me alone this is my first proper vacation in 4 years.
Ffs.
That's exactly it. If he can't figure it out then if the problem how's up and management gets involved it will go south real fast. So it's just easier to help these idiots to keep management out of it.Don’t reply.
I’m like you, it’s hard for me to just not reply knowing the idiots will just **** something up by trying to figure it out themselves, but damn people, we do this every single day for a living, memorize it and be as good as you can at your job. We have people that don’t know how to write a program after working here for 12 years. 12 years of doing this daily, and you don’t know? That shows me there’s no ambition. Then they complain they wanna make what someone who does know makes. Clown world.
Unfortunately I'm in a position currently where one of my subordinates should be fired for multiple reasons and they won't let me so I'm back to answering calls from work when I'm away. C'est la vie I guess.I know. I answer calls/texts/emails from my people when I'm not working. The wife cusses me when I do, but I would rather take the time to assist them than have them go to someone else that will half-ass help them.
Yup. And it saves you from having to spend most of your first day back going through and fixing his **** up.That's exactly it. If he can't figure it out then if the problem how's up and management gets involved it will go south real fast. So it's just easier to help these idiots to keep management out of it.
Unfortunately I'm in a position currently where one of my subordinates should be fired for multiple reasons and they won't let me so I'm back to answering calls from work when I'm away. C'est la vie I guess.
I guess I'm weird. I actually log in to work on my days off to keep up with emails. I just don't like going into the next day "blind". Of course, I set my Skype and Microsoft Teams to make it look like I'm offline, so I'm "incognito".Seems impossible to be completely detached from work sometimes... it's exhausting.
At jobs where I had one, I only kept it on while on the clock or while on call. I'm usually really good and disconnecting, but I don't have a work phone now so my team has my cell number. I think after being a bit ****** with last night's disturbance he will respect my time.I miss having a work phone seperate from my personal phone. When I had a work phone, I would turn it off when I was on vacation.
Yea I think it comes with the territory.Businesses can force you to use your cellphone for business?
My good friends Padron and Gurka help with this problem.I completely understand what you're saying there FMJ. After starting WFH, there just isn't separation in work and life brain time. No decompression from the stress of the day.
Wow.Yea I think it comes with the territory.
I don't know about other industries but in salary IT positions you're never really "off the clock"
One thing that comes with working from home that means the boss knows if I'm home I can easily jump on my laptop to help when **** hits the fan.
The lines of work and home are very blurred.
To be honest I really struggled with the transition. I used to have a drive to smoke a pipe and decompress so I can have a home brain vs work brain bc I left it behind. Now I have a hard time letting go. So after work I sit in my spare room watch TV and smokes cigar or two so I have some me time to adjust.