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I don’t know if anyone remembers, but I’ve posted a couple times about being a single person IT shop, the more than overwhelming workload, and my attempts to ask upper management for a second person in my department. Tomorrow, I am pleading my case once again in front of my immediate “supervisor” and our ultimate decision maker, the CEO. I’ve compiled a report on my helpdesk tickets, listed out the many current projects they have me doing, what needs to be done here, what of that I don’t have time for, and also have in hand a copy of the article SAM posted not long ago about single person IT shops and how they just don’t work. What I need now is some backing up from a few of my peers- meaning you. Can a few of you who either work in a single person shop, or run your own multi- person department give me some backup that I can print out and show these people? If absolutely necessary, would any of the Wichita Spiceworks reps be willing/able to back me up face to face with my CEO? I’m pretty sure that convincing my immediate “supervisor” is not going to be an issue- I have kept her up to speed on EVERYTHING I’m doing, daily. She is going to be doing not only her job, but the job of her boss, and my job on top of everything when I go on maternity leave in July- and she is absolutely terrified. If you could let me know what company you work for and what your credentials are with your post, that would be awesome. Also, if you have any suggestions of any other evidence or documentation I can provide that would help my case, please let me know. In advance, thanks Spiceworks and my IT peers!

31 Spice ups
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I moved this to the question’s and answers forum.

I would make sure you have some evidence of your work load, maybe get some bar charts generated based on the volume of tickets you have daily, along with tasks lists and time it takes you to complete everything and projects being worked on with priorities assigned. Your supervisor sounds like they already could back you up on this. I would think that your supervisor should be the one asking for the additional hours / staff and shielding you from push back from a CEO. Just make sure you have everything documented to CYA and also document their denials for additional help and reason why.

Just my opinion.

4 Spice ups
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I can’t make the drive at the drop of a hat but I can always get on a call.

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Bill’ advice is sound.

Realistically if you have been asking for help for a while (and I do remember one of your earlier posts on the subject) then in my opinion they (whoever your version of “they” is) have almost put you and them in a real bind/

If you are leaving in July that gives you just over two months to find a qualified and suitable candidate IF they gave you the OK tomorrow.

Then you’d have to bring them up to speed - assuming they did not need training to support you.

I’d find a better way to phrase it but if the decision is to NOT get you some competent help then depending on your area market onsite technicians will run $100 an hour and up. That’s $4000 a week until you get back or your boss will be faced with taking on your tasks - and you make that sound like something she’s not ready to do.

I hope the solution is not for them to hire someone’s wannabee nephew.

3 Spice ups
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I just saw Scott’s post.

Take him up on it.

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  • 1 for getting SAM on a call, he can make an argument that is not refutable. I’ve never had a phone call with him before, but if he can type up a well versed debate in 2 minutes about anything, I’d assume his lingual skills will match. Hands down best offer you could get.
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She’s not David- she’s not an IT Manger, she’s head of accounting. Before I got here 2 years ago she used to “run IT”. I say that loosely because she had no prior IT knowledge, and outsourced many of the IT tasks. I have tried contacting the people who helped her when she was attempting to run IT, but either I can not get ahold of them, or they are not willing to put in any time to help. The CFO is retiring in June and they cannot find anyone to replace him as of now, so she is taking over his position- and having to learn his job, on top of doing her own, and when I go on leave in July, my job till I get back.

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I should say she “ran IT on top of her accounting job”

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+2 , I would have to agree with that as well.

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Just to add on here on top of great advice, I would sell it as a benefit for the organization and not just for you.

1 Spice up
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+3 It would depend if SAM would be up for it but maybe a video conference would be more suited?

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The advice I can give you coming at it from the managers prospective, is when you talk about this to them, stay away from these words:

  1. I feel…

  2. I think…

Use words like this:

  1. Based upon this specific information (reports, etc…)…

  2. Per our discussion …

  3. Here is proof…

Especially if you are talking to someone at the purse strings level. They may not care how you feel something is is going, or what you think about how it should be…, they want to know facts and based upon those facts, here are the 3 or so options to resolve this issue of too much work for 1 person.

Also - don’t be too taken back if you are turned down. That happened to me.

I love my new job now at a different company.

6 Spice ups
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^^That’s also sound advice, keep emotion out of the discussion. And when it comes down to it, some places aren’t worth the fight, there are plenty of greener pastures out there.

2 Spice ups
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It sounds like your company has multiple problems, and IT under-staffing is one of them.

It also sounds like your boss is aware of the problems.

I am often confused when I see or hear about or am in a situation where no one is in disagreement about the nature of the problem, there is little disagreement about sensible solutions, but no one will “pull the trigger” on implementing a solution.

I understand that there are costs associated with making things right, but there are costs associated with any business.

If something is a necessary cost as opposed to a discretionary cost then it needs to be funded.

If funding is inevitable then sooner is better than later.

Regardless of why you are going to be out for a while (not really relevant) you need time to be able to make sure your company is functional and safe (IT safe) while you are not available.

Someone needs to pull that trigger.

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@ David9459

Pride. Someone, somewhere, at some point said it would work with only 1 IT person. They probably don’t want to be proved wrong. Unfortunately, I’ve seen this too many times.

2 Spice ups
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That’s the worst thing to deal with too.

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I talked to my immediate “supervisor” this morning to tell her about what we were going to meet about this afternoon. She told me they would probably fire me and hire someone who was willing to do the job themselves because they can’t afford me and another person. I was hired as an IT tech, and am paid like I am a first year out of college (17.50/hr)-but have been doing the job of an IT Manger, a whole IT department, for 2 years. I am asking for someone to come in who knows a lot more about servers and network infrastructure than me so I can do what I was hired to do- take care of users, printers, phones, etc so I don’t have to worry about the entire world crashing down around me. I told her I had to try- something has to change, and if that means they’re going to let me go I will take that as a sign that it’s time to move on. I now have 5 years in the field experience and a 2 year Associate’s Degree. Meeting is at 2 today…we’ll see how it goes.

4 Spice ups
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Wish you the best.

A company with that mentality is not where I’d want to be.

I don’t believe what you’re asking for is by any means crazy.

2 Spice ups
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That was a bad conversation.

If they did fire you to replace you with “someone who was willing to do the job themselves” what is their plan for the inevitable time when he/she has the same issue you are facing - understaffing.

That’s a rhetorical question.

I doubt they have an answer or have thought of the question.

Best of luck to you.

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Exactly David- and that’s what I told her- even IF they did replace me with a person with more knowledge and pay them the salary of an IT manager, they’re going to know much better than me starting right out of the gate- and will know that the department cannot be run with one person by themselves-and they will be asking for someone to do help desk. Or the other option- they are not going to find someone at all who will work for what they want to pay them. I was told that I was hired pretty much because I was the cheapest rate- I didn’t have a whole lot of experience and that’s what they could afford, in the same breath, was told I was doing a good job with what I had here. If I was that inexperienced when they hired me but have somehow managed to go above and beyond what any one person can do, I think I deserve some credit.