1

I’ve gotten a rash of emails from the person who formerly held this job and now works for us in a part-time non-IT capacity.

She has a lot of positive energy, but now that the shoe is on another foot has taken to barraging me with “and on what day can we expect this to be done” emails.

If I did not know for a fact that she knows better, and did not know for a fact what her views were on this behavior I’d jsut let it slide - like I do for all of those people who do not actually know better.

No solution likely, - just a rant.

19 Spice ups
2

Were there any hard feeling about the switch? It makes me wonder how she can forget what it was like. You would think she would be one of the more patient users.

1 Spice up
3

I am pretty strict on this - unless it mission critical - anyone being “funny” gets their job put to the bottom of the pile, forcing them to wait longer that if they stopped wasting my time chasing up a job - which in all liklihood was only reported 10 minutes earlier.

We cannot let the users rule our day!

1 Spice up
4

Nik2632 wrote:

I am pretty strict on this - unless it mission critical - anyone being “funny” gets their job put to the bottom of the pile, forcing them to wait longer that if they stopped wasting my time chasing up a job - which in all liklihood was only reported 10 minutes earlier.

We cannot let the users rule our day!

You tell 'em Nik!!!

5

Loren Gatten wrote:

Were there any hard feeling about the switch? It makes me wonder how she can forget what it was like. You would think she would be one of the more patient users.

The catch being, from what it sounds like is she didn’t want to go. And now expects whoever is doing her old to do a better job. Like doing things faster. Or maybe that was a reason for her switch? Who knows.

6

Nik2632 wrote:

I am pretty strict on this - unless it mission critical - anyone being “funny” gets their job put to the bottom of the pile, forcing them to wait longer that if they stopped wasting my time chasing up a job - which in all liklihood was only reported 10 minutes earlier.

We cannot let the users rule our day!

Hear hear!

You want me to set your new system up “urgently” and “asap”? Well, you should have requested it asap… instead of a week late, forcing me to follow up and hold your hand like an incompetent child!

Last minute requests tagged Urgent will be the first to be late if other tasks come in.

7

I always use the analogy “it takes an hour and a half to cook a chicken no matter how soon you want to eat it”.

Sometimes if people are really pushing I just say “you are free to find someone else who can do it for your quicker”. This is a win win situation since either they will find someone (in which case my work load is reduced) or they will realise that I am the best and only person for the job and it will be done when I finish it and not when they want it.

6 Spice ups
8

as soon as you become a user, all patience and understanding must go out the window? maybe someone is performing lobotomies on all of these people?

9

Loren Gatten wrote:

Were there any hard feeling about the switch? It makes me wonder how she can forget what it was like. You would think she would be one of the more patient users.

No hard feelings. I liked and respected before she retired.

I still like her.

I’m just having problems understanding why behavior that was previously unacceptable (and part of her reason to retire) is now "normal.

But I still like her.

10

Deff sounds like she didn’t want to switch but Management made her because she was slow on getting things done??? and now maybe hounds you too see how you handle things and maybe say something to her boss about it if she thinks your aren’t efficient as she was??? Not saying that’s it for sure but there is most certainly ppl out there like that.

11

John681 wrote:

I always use the analogy “it takes an hour and a half to cook a chicken no matter how soon you want to eat it”.

That’s brilliant. I think I’m going to post that on my door.

12

Good to keep your immediate manager in the loop – as there are lines between being open, assertive, bossy, and hostile.

Short answers – thanks, noted, etc – can work well to diffuse things, while not giving leverage.

13

Mike7 wrote:

Deff sounds like she didn’t want to switch but Management made her because she was slow on getting things done??? and now maybe hounds you too see how you handle things and maybe say something to her boss about it if she thinks your aren’t efficient as she was??? Not saying that’s it for sure but there is most certainly ppl out there like that.

It was mostly a burn-out. She did a great job with the budget and co-operation she could get. I walked into a network not as I would have designed it, but totally functional - jsut in need of a reconfiguration.

When she left one of the reasons she referred to was the lack of respect an planning she was getting from certain individuals and she had all she wanted of people going behnd her back.

Odd.

14

Maybe she feels like she’s going to get special treatment since she’s on the “in”. I would probably still forward the emails along to superiors with an explanation for a bit of preventive damage control just in case she’s posturing for complaints to management.

15

I swear I have seen this exact same thread before, must be a pretty common problem.

16

Absolutely hate these kind of situations i.e. the former person still around and knowing exactly what both your situation is like and feeling superior.

Its like they automatically expect them to fill their role as good (or in most cases) better than they ever did it. Almost in revenge for having to do it themselves.

17

I think she is just treating you like her users treated her. Still, you’d think she should know better.

18

It’s amazing how easily people slide (back) into the role of a user.

19

You’d think she could at least sympathise a little bit after being put through the idiocy of users in the past

20

I think she’s probably just a bth