What happened to be nice to the IT guy?

codeyell0 · 2024-10-10T18:26:37.773Z

When I started in I.T. many years ago, this was the norm.
People would bring us treats, and we felt needed.
Now, it seems that I’m responsible for anything that plugs into a power outlet. Heaven forbid if there is a power outage.
Less asking, more demanding. Everything is our fault. This has started to weigh on me more and more. I like helping and making people’s lives better, more productive, and flexible.
Maybe it’s just me or the industry where I work.

What do others see?

spiceuser-ty2u6 · 2024-10-10T18:33:02.915Z

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MSouthworth · 2024-10-10T18:40:48.349Z

Welcome to World Mental Health Day!

Might want to read up on Burnout in Tech: IT Professionals Sound Off - Spiceworks

HulkSmash · 2024-10-10T18:44:20.435Z

Companies should have some sort of system to give thanks to others that go above and beyond. When I was told I would be moving to another role, people still reached out to me for assistance due to my previous role. I try to help everyone I can but it’s thankless. It’s just the way it is. I think IT has become a thankless job.

titusovermyer · 2024-10-10T18:47:24.730Z

When things were tough for them before you come in and you start exceeding their expectations, they get complacent and start asking for more and more. Not saying that is a bad thing, it shows they feel comfortable enough with you to ask for those things. You can’t always be a “yes man” or else they will see how far they can push you. As far as the treat thing, I personally think COVID ruined that for all of us. No one shares anymore since there is enough “germaphobes” that they are safer to not go there.

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Suzanne-Spiceworks · 2024-10-10T19:27:27.627Z

Here are some other posts that seem appropriate, some to this subject and some to the larger Mental Health Day idea:

How do you deal with work stress?
Is burnout the new normal? ️‍🔥
Why you deserve a break: The science on how bad burnout is for your health
Dear SpiceRex: My Struggle with Imposter Syndrome
How to Overcome Impostor Syndrome (A Pep Talk)
Dealing With Discouragement
Got Stress?
Who hasn't thought about leaving IT?

Rod-IT · 2024-10-10T20:00:48.521Z

codeyell0:

Maybe it’s just me or the industry where I work.

If by industry you mean ‘IT’ we’re all in the same boat.

As technology moves forward, people get complacent with it, it becomes more of a requirement, than a nice to have and when it goes down, it may as well be like losing a life in a game. People want to respawn quickly and get back to work.

The biggest problem is that most services are now ‘cloud’ cough hosted, it’s no longer a small network, contained by the 5 people in IT, over a LAN, it’s global scale, hosted and managed by ‘someone else’ over a WAN.

While this adds flexibility, bells, whistles and easier collaboration, any way you can dream it up, it also adds complexity when the brown stuff hits the whirly thing.

Regardless of where the data is physically, users expect the same as when the 5 man band hosted it in their back bedrooms and had full control.

That, sadly is rarely possible and it’s not until now, users realise how spoilt their were before … ‘the cloud’ (said in the voice of the toy story aliens).

kelly-for-auvik · 2024-10-10T20:26:12.998Z

Ah! You are not alone, I promise you. We heard a bunch of these sentiments back in on our SysAdmin Day festivities when we asked,

“Outside of “more budget” and “more resources” (because we all know that’s a given), what can executives do to support or celebrate you and your team”

1 Wins YETI Rolling Cooler, 4 Win 16 oz YETI Cup – Celebrate SysAdmin Day with Auvik!

Just simple general acknowledgement that we exist and add value to the org. We aren’t a roadblock to productivity, we are a force multiplier. That and put in a ticket.

1 Wins YETI Rolling Cooler, 4 Win 16 oz YETI Cup – Celebrate SysAdmin Day with Auvik!

Most IT dont get appreciated. Sometimes a thank you or card is the least that can be done.
But I think they dont acknowledge the IT department because they dont understand what they do and how vital they are. Buying them lunch on occasion would send them over the moon. Long term appreciation goes a little deeper than that. But we will take what we can get.

1 Wins YETI Rolling Cooler, 4 Win 16 oz YETI Cup – Celebrate SysAdmin Day with Auvik!

A simple thank you, act of gratitude for all that I/we do, or even a simple recognition here and there.

Gorfmaster1:

As far as the treat thing, I personally think COVID ruined that for all of us. No one shares anymore since there is enough “germaphobes” that they are safer to not go there.

I’ve been wondering if that might be the case, as well ^^^

Either way, OP, I hope you feel supported! You’re not alone in this.

somedude2 · 2024-10-10T21:54:35.738Z

Not just IT tho…

Familiarity breeds contempt…

Used to be airline pilots were like generals in the army, people saluted, everyone wanted a photo op, hanging out with one was wicked kewl…

Now they are flying bus drivers…

The fact they can operate a multi million dollar machine with out
crashing it into something is taken for granted…

Just another grunt doing a thankless job…

My theory is, do what you love, because at the end of the day, that might be all you get out of it (besides paying the light bill of course)

Also it helps that I know where they hide the candy in the office…

Samael1 · 2024-10-11T08:02:02.209Z

somedude2:

Also it helps that I know where they hide the candy in the office…

Must be a global IT thing, one of the 1st things to find out

patrick-d · 2024-10-11T09:54:49.483Z

Candy? X
Liquor? ✓

RMDTECH · 2024-10-11T09:55:13.609Z

The problem is not just with IT technicians. It’s an issue with how the world has changed in the last few decades.

Teachers, doctors, airline pilots, (insert any profession you like here) are no longer respected anymore or valued anymore. The problem is that organisations have become too big, the personal touch has been lost and people’s expectations today are a lot higher than they were a few decades ago. In addition, most people look at price and price alone, so the value of most workers has been reduced to whether you will do the job cheaper than someone else and everyone complains that they can’t find anyone to do the job properly anymore - but nobody wants to pay for things to be done properly.

The professionalisation of jobs in managerial terms of policies, processes and procedures has resulted in a loss of autonomy by virtually all workers, a bland corporate face to customers and even within the organisation itself.

The days of finding a job where you enjoy the work and working there for life are over! Find a job that pays well and allows you to enjoy hobbies (with the money that you earn) to get satisfaction in life. Don’t look for satisfaction in life at work anymore because that world has gone forever.

Robert5205 · 2024-10-11T10:48:10.864Z

codeyell0:

When I started in I.T. many years ago, this was the norm.
People would bring us treats, and we felt needed.
Now, it seems that I’m responsible for anything that plugs into a power outlet. Heaven forbid if there is a power outage.
Less asking, more demanding. Everything is our fault. This has started to weigh on me more and more. I like helping and making people’s lives better, more productive, and flexible.
Maybe it’s just me or the industry where I work.

What do others see?

When was the last time you brought cupcakes to your auto mechanic?
What is the name of the person at the counter where you buy your coffee?
If the UPS guy is late with a package you desperately need, do you greet him with donuts?
If your Internet connection goes down, how do you treat the ISP?

The way you interact with people at a tea party is very different from how you interact with them at a house fire, auto accident, or military battle. IT moved from being a tea party to being the lifeblood of an organization. IT people have to change their expectations of “treats” based on their new role.

uselessinfomine · 2024-10-11T12:57:23.459Z

HulkSmash:

Companies should have some sort of system to give thanks to others that go above and beyond.

To be fair to them, mine does occasionally. A few years ago we had a massive cyber security shake-up (as far as management paying attention to it was concerned, anyway - I’ve been paranoid about it for years!) after a couple of other local organisations got crippled by attacks, so I tightened everything up, made us sail through our next audit and assessment, presented to the board to allay their fears and generally did what needed to be done.
The IT Director, and the Exec Director above him said that while the company couldn’t give bonuses, it can give gifts, so gave me a small budget and told me to pick something that they would acquire for me, which I did.
They also take the team out for meals when we’ve done something particularly good - we did the other week.

HulkSmash · 2024-10-11T13:05:44.924Z

Awesome. We do have a system as well. I think people tend to help more when they are recognized more. If someone helps me with something outside my area, I always recognize them. You never miss the water till the well runs dry.

codeyell0 · 2024-10-14T15:39:49.229Z

Most people think pilots just fly the plane. No they learn how to deal with the plane when the crap hits the fan. My uncle Flies for Boeing and was a sim instructor. The things they train for is intense. All they really train for is crazy scenarios. Engine blows up what do you do? go!
Flight computer goes down. GO! no looking up anything just do. They do this for each aircraft they fly.
I think if you ever listen to flight recorders on crashes, they are pretty calm. They are trying to fix it until the last second.

denniscircolone · 2024-10-21T14:36:18.180Z

In my over 20 years in I.T. it was never the norm to bring treats just for I.T. where I have worked.
if I helped someone with a personal I.T. issue maybe they would buy me lunch. What seems to have changed is that CIOs and I.T. directors no longer have the backs of there underlings. You mentioned anything with a plug is now our responsibility, I have been asked to look at desk lamps, microwaves, even a heating system for an indoor pool, upper management just says “I need you guys to help them out” instead of letting the departments know that this is not the responsibility of I.T. In my experience this is because the CEO gets upper management that are “yes people” and this trickles down to middle management. When a directors smart refrigerator is acting up guess who is going to be tasked with looking at it.

idriveakeyboard · 2024-10-22T09:33:33.958Z

The 2 people you’d always “be nice to” are receptionists (gate keepers) and the IT guys.
If you pissed off either of these people, you got absolutely nowhere.

It seems that people are so selfish and arrogant these days that we seem to be the bottom of the proverbial food chain… Until something goes catastrophically wrong then were the FIRST people they come to.

We still hold ALL the power. (Mwuah mwuah mwuah)

spiceuser-b5ro8 · 2024-10-22T13:14:18.082Z

Probably now everybody thinks they are IT specialists and can do everything you can do, as they believe all we do is sit around all day asking people to reboot.

They wonder what we do when everything is working and wonder what we do when everything breaks, even though 9 out of 10 issues are user related and caused by them.

ryanbeaman2 · 2024-10-22T15:14:45.111Z

I was told early on that working in IT, its always “Nothing is working, what are we paying you for?” or “Everything is working, what are we paying you for?”
We’re the ones that tell end users that they can’t stick a metaphoric key into a metaphoric electrical socket, so we are basically babysitters with less respect sometimes.