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Being a jack of all trades is what's pissing me off today. And I don't mean in the regular MSP sense, where you're expected to take a support ticket, change some settings in active directory, then setup a VPN. This was my day today: * setup new dc for client in preparation of decommissioning an old 2003 server * mounted a tv, setup a roku, and replaced a wireless router * fixed quick books multi user issues * finished manual share point update on sbs Doing residential service makes me angry, break fix stuff tries my patience.
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Feb 26, 2014 06:38
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Add in printers, carrying heavy things, and coffee machines = me every day. I think its pretty standard for a lot of folks. I will say that Quickbooks and it's multi-user bullshit can eat a bowl of dicks in hell.
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Feb 26, 2014 06:52
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Swink posted:I will say that Quickbooks and it's multi-user bullshit can eat a bowl of dicks in hell. Doooooooo yooooooouuuuuuuuu have an odd situation where one person cannot login to a muti-user file if it's already open, but if they open it first and another person opens the file, it works magically?
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Feb 26, 2014 07:55
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incoherent posted:Doooooooo yooooooouuuuuuuuu have an odd situation where one person cannot login to a muti-user file if it's already open, but if they open it first and another person opens the file, it works magically? That's not odd that's a standard loving feature. I did not figure out how to fix that. I no longer have to deal with quickbooks.
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Feb 26, 2014 08:39
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One of our juniors went out to the datacentre today, ostensibly to rack a new server. However, this wasn't enough excitement, so he :
Oh, and of course this all happened without any change control, or anyone else being aware of what was going on. Someone is in for a LARTing come tomorrow... Echidna fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Feb 26, 2014 |
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Feb 26, 2014 16:09
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This place LOOOOOVES acronyms. We were all provided an "Acronym Glossary" on our first day, I poo poo you not. Yesterday, the sentence, "And then we can get back to BAU." was used on me. Business. As. Usual. Help me, I am in hell.
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Feb 26, 2014 16:22
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AlternateAccount posted:This place LOOOOOVES acronyms. We were all provided an "Acronym Glossary" on our first day, I poo poo you not. One acronym got you into this mess, and only one acronym can get you out. 
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Feb 26, 2014 16:25
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Yeah, two other guys who are pretty instrumental(as am I) in running this joint during the transition are trying to get me to sign on to put in my resignation at the same time as them to basically blow the place up and draw attention to what a mess it is and hopefully get them to throw a pile of temporary money at us. I can't help but think that this is a Bad Plan.
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Feb 26, 2014 16:35
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Financial companies love putting 'BAU' in job descriptions
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Feb 26, 2014 16:36
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AlternateAccount posted:Yeah, two other guys who are pretty instrumental(as am I) in running this joint during the transition are trying to get me to sign on to put in my resignation at the same time as them to basically blow the place up and draw attention to what a mess it is and hopefully get them to throw a pile of temporary money at us. If your company is being purchased, pulling this kind of stuff rarely works. The purchasing company doesn't give a poo poo about you. The people running the transition care even less. You are more likely to be shown the door faster than you expected. Instrumental is illusions of grandeur. Never underestimate the level of operational risk execs are willing to take especially when their authority is questioned.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:06
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AlternateAccount posted:Yeah, two other guys who are pretty instrumental(as am I) in running this joint during the transition are trying to get me to sign on to put in my resignation at the same time as them to basically blow the place up and draw attention to what a mess it is and hopefully get them to throw a pile of temporary money at us. It sounds like they want to use resignation letters as a bargaining tool. Are they actually okay with quitting their jobs? If not, terrible idea. I can't think of a professional or dignified way to say "Hey, remember that two weeks notice I gave you and how I said that this place is an absolute mess and is falling apart? Well jk lol please let me stay please"
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Feb 26, 2014 17:08
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AlternateAccount posted:Yeah, two other guys who are pretty instrumental(as am I) in running this joint during the transition are trying to get me to sign on to put in my resignation at the same time as them to basically blow the place up and draw attention to what a mess it is and hopefully get them to throw a pile of temporary money at us. Even if the plan works and they do keep you, you should have a 4-month exit strategy. Really, most of the time you make a move for the door as a form of leverage, it should be to raise your salary before you go into the next round of interviews.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:20
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Well none of us have a future with the new company, and they literally could not run the place with out us. I k now this gets thrown around often, but in this case it's true. It would be legitimately catastrophic. And they are ready to quit outright. I am... less so. But I agree, 99.9% of times, most likely including this one, putting a gun to your own head is a bad tactic. CatsOnTheInternet posted:Even if the plan works and they do keep you, you should have a 4-month exit strategy. Six months!?! Hell no, I plan to be out of here in 90 days or less no matter what.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:21
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AlternateAccount posted:Well none of us have a future with the new company, and they literally could not run the place with out us. I k now this gets thrown around often, but in this case it's true. It would be legitimately catastrophic. And they are ready to quit outright. I am... less so. What skillset do they have thats so unique they are the only two people on the planet that can do it?
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Feb 26, 2014 17:22
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Even if you know (think) they can't run the place without you, it doesn't mean they won't try. Places like that would rather fail than admit that in fact you were necessary, and trying to hold them to ransom will only end really badly for you.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:23
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Sickening posted:What skillset do they have thats so unique they are the only two people on the planet that can do it? Just knowledge of how our stuff is set up. There's zero documentation, daily route sheets are generated by hand, etc, etc. Hey what customers are expecting service today? Well, this guy just knows I mean when the transition started we were highlighted as 4(there were 4, one has left already) people who were integral to keeping things running and we needed to be kept around until things were all switched over. Regardless *I* think it's a bad idea and I don't have a wife with a job like the other two to help float bills while I scramble after they say OK SUCKER, GET OUT.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:35
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AlternateAccount posted:Well none of us have a future with the new company, and they literally could not run the place with out us. I k now this gets thrown around often, but in this case it's true. It would be legitimately catastrophic. And they are ready to quit outright. I am... less so. If they/you end you doing it, please follow up because stories like that can be pretty cathartic for the rest of us.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:45
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AlternateAccount posted:Just knowledge of how our stuff is set up. There's zero documentation, daily route sheets are generated by hand, etc, etc. Hey what customers are expecting service today? Well, this guy just knows Your coworkers are either not very smart or are letting their emotions get the better of them. Large amounts of stuff not being documented is part of every take over. Business will go on. Sickening fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Feb 26, 2014 |
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Feb 26, 2014 17:52
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AlternateAccount posted:Just knowledge of how our stuff is set up. There's zero documentation, daily route sheets are generated by hand, etc, etc. Hey what customers are expecting service today? Well, this guy just knows You three are not as irreplaceable as you think. However if you are sure that you have no future then you should be looking to as soon as possible instead of relying on poorly thought out schemes.The cynical side of me can see the following happening if you follow trough: The others get cold feet and throw you under the bus as the instigator. For being "loyal and proactive team players" they get a $25 gift certificate. After 3 months the company found suitable replacements and they are fired anyway. Sprechensiesexy fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Feb 26, 2014 |
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Feb 26, 2014 18:21
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AlternateAccount posted:Yeah, two other guys who are pretty instrumental(as am I) in running this joint during the transition are trying to get me to sign on to put in my resignation at the same time as them to basically blow the place up and draw attention to what a mess it is and hopefully get them to throw a pile of temporary money at us. Do Not Do This. Having gone through this exact situation many times, you need to trust me when I tell you that the company will get along without you three. There will be bumps in the road for them and maybe some horrible fires that will take many days to put out, but they'll manage. What you need to be doing right now is focusing all of your energy on finding a new job before you are fired. Because you will most probably be fired as New Company implements Not Invented Here and spends a lot of time reinventing the wheel. Your job from now on is to be nice, be professional, help with the transition a little bit while doing as little as possible and GTFO as soon as possible.
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Feb 26, 2014 19:34
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Yep, I finally decided to step up and be the Voice of Reason, took the one of the guys that's here with me into our former boss(who is still with the company and we have a good relationship with)'s office to just sit down and get his mind right. Former boss basically repeated the strategy that I've been trying to maintain and that many of you have repeated. Smile, do your job but do only your job, disconnect your personal investments into things, recognize that your opinion no longer has any real weight and just clock in and clock out each day until you find a new job. Be sane, look to what your best interests are, don't be a crusader, don't be vindictive. So I ended up basically working to defuse the whole thing. Keep heads down, get out.
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Feb 26, 2014 19:46
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AlternateAccount posted:Be sane, look to what your best interests are, don't be a crusader, don't be vindictive. Sounds about right. As much fun and satisfying the "Well I'll show them! I'll show everybody!" scenario might appear, it rarely works out that way. But the posts about it make for spectacular fodder here.
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Feb 26, 2014 20:01
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Yeah. I mean we're not early 20s newbies, everyone at this company should know that this never works. I was sort of tempted by the possibility of extracting more money, but...
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Feb 26, 2014 20:24
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AlternateAccount posted:Yeah. I mean we're not early 20s newbies, everyone at this company should know that this never works. Good man. It's always fun to entertain the fantasy, just gotta acknowledge at some point that that's all it is.
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Feb 26, 2014 20:40
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I'm an early 20's Newbie and know drat well that "I'll show them!" is a great way to give the employer cause to dismiss or lose potential unemployment benefits if I don't have something else lined up for me. It's why I've suffered my current position instead of going gently caress y'all when negotiations fell through for me at my current place for an FTE Hire
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Feb 26, 2014 21:03
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Pissing me off: cubicle walls that are 1" away from the office wall and trying to get to network jacks. AAARGH Not pissing me off: Office puppy!
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Feb 26, 2014 21:14
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That's always awesome, I've had to remove cubicle panels from both sides to get to stuff behind a row of attached cubicles. The back panel that's in between the wall and the cube never gets put back on because it's impossible. It's also fun reading jack numbers that are behind cubicles or desks. A mirror (CD) taped to a ruler comes in handy.
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Feb 26, 2014 21:32
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A cordless drill and a holesaw is your friend when it comes to un-burying network outlets.
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Feb 26, 2014 21:35
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Ok, so need advice on how to handle this. FYI I am starting to look for another job. but have a family and mortgage. Been at new job for 2 years and it is turning into the job I left: Overworked, metrics, no time to focus on anything because of the escalations that keep coming in. For about a year and a half it was a place where I could work 8 hours and feel like I did something. Now I am starting to work more (with OT), but nothing is getting fixed. We are starting to lose people and they are replacing them with temps (for a support engineering job). The thing was, this was supposed to be a break out year. We have some big support contracts and we were well positioned to take on more work. I did pretty well, and our largest customer asked that I be their main point of contact. And there my troubles began... I would have loved for them to come to me and say 'hey, XXX loves you and wants you to work with them, good job, keep up the good work, etc." But instead they announced the move on a conference call so I found out about it second hand from people. Still I took on the work, and the customer loves me. They love me because I work as hard as they do, almost, and I know what I am doing. At first this was working well, and like I said, I did good work, but it is burning me out and it is my old job all over again. I have so many things to work on that I can't focus and just sit and spin in my chair. Add to this the fact that we are heavily metriced, so if I focus on one issue, I get dinged on 5 others, and I feel like I can do no right. A year ago my old manager would have took me aside and told me what a great job I was doing, and to keep it up and he has my back. Now I just get emails about how case xxxxx has not been updated in so many days. I need to figure out if this can be fixed. My manager is awesome. Unfortunately she is new, really overworked, and, as a front line manager has almost no power. The folks above her are also new, but were brought in to implement ITIL processes in order to drive quality, or something, and do not understand why people are leaving or why employee surveys show high stress. They are working on focus groups to help us Accept Change. I am thinking that I need to make an attempt before I really try to leave. My position in front of our big customer may help me, or they may see that as me not stepping up. I am thinking about trying to talk to my manager about my concerns and get her ok to raise them with the people above her, and see how that goes. Ideas? tldr: My job has become Dilbert. Can I change it?
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Feb 26, 2014 21:41
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Paladine_PSoT posted:That's not odd that's a standard loving feature. http://www.xero.com/ Is about the only way I can find to fix that particular issue. Unfortunately my boss seems to love Quickbooks and won't look at alternatives. I have suggested it to a couple of clients and I know of some who use it. It must be pretty good as it is about the only accounting package our clients use which they don't call us about because it is misbehaving.
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Feb 26, 2014 21:58
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SubjectVerbObject posted:tldr: My job has become Dilbert. Can I change it? Your job hasn't become Dilbert until you've talked with your management and they cut your pay for the temerity. Seriously, talk to your management. Make it an official sit-down meeting where you seriously lay out your issues and tell them what you can handle, not a quick water-cooler chat or something. Emphasize the metrics bullshit; not only are you overworked, but the metrics system means that you're being punished for working harder than ever. Which is complete bullshit and makes being overworked a good thousand times worse than it would be otherwise. Bring up any praise that your Big Customer has made about you specifically, and how you aren't going to be able to provide that level of service when you're getting more work than you can handle and punished for not doing it all perfectly. Don't let them sidetrack you by trying to answer questions of the "how do we get all these tickets cleared with only you and X other employees, if you can only handle Y tickets?" variety. You can't help them with that, it's their job to make sure they have enough people to get poo poo done, not yours. Those kinds of questions are to distract you from the real issue, which is you're overworked and unhappy and this can't go on (I don't know if your management is full of assholes who would ask those kinds of questions, but I have experience with that so I thought I'd address it). Chances are fair that they know the problems exist and are just pushing as hard as they think they can get away with. All you can do is bring it up, document it, and if they refuse to accommodate you, move on. If they say tough poo poo, then completely stop caring about the metrics. Start prioritizing the work that will help you advance your career and prepare you for your next job. Basically give them one chance, but if they blow it don't waste your time beating your head against a wall.
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Feb 26, 2014 22:19
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AlternateAccount posted:I was sort of tempted by the possibility of extracting more money, but... This almost always turns out to be penny-wise and pound-foolish in the long run, so good job on steering clear.
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Feb 26, 2014 22:50
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Are metrics ever actually used for anything except: 1> So and so does x number of metric item and you only do y. Or the above cited example of disingenuous comparisons. or 2> As the sole determiner of an employees worth, which bad managers love because hey, I don't have to actually evaluate people, I can just pull a report.
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Feb 26, 2014 23:07
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AlternateAccount posted:Are metrics ever actually used for anything except: "We get x number of metric item but we can only handle y. We should consider hiring extra people." But those are sense-making words and no corporation like those.
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Feb 26, 2014 23:13
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AlternateAccount posted:Are metrics ever actually used for anything except: I have seen them used very successfully by managers who fudge the numbers by threats or outright deceit and then use those numbers to show how good they are. As in: "Customer satisfaction evaluations will go up or you will all be finding new jobs" - Workers beg borrow or steal good survey results. "Hey CTO, look at me! Under my leadership customer satisfaction went up 10%!" Heck I remember someone who worked for a Wendy's franchise telling me that the drive through people were told to automatically upsize all lunch drive through orders because the people would be in too much of a hurry and would be less likely to correct them, and they needed to hit their upsize targets.
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Feb 26, 2014 23:25
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incoherent posted:Doooooooo yooooooouuuuuuuuu have an odd situation where one person cannot login to a muti-user file if it's already open, but if they open it first and another person opens the file, it works magically? This is almost certainly a firewall issue. Make sure all the networks are set to "Work" and someone isn't rocking "Public" Try downloading and running this application: http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/articles/HOW12723 The ports Quickbooks uses change all the time and various countries versions use different ports. The first person to open the file becomes the host, so if one person has a firewall configured and blocking Quickbooks others will not be able to open it. If they have a file server you can install the Quickbooks "Server" on the server and have that host the database (providing you open up the firewall on the server). This is usually the best way to do this if you have the option. If you go down that path you're going to need to make sure you grant full access to the quickbooks database file/directory on the shared drive to QBDataServiceUserXX that Quickbooks creates on the server. I loving hate Quickbooks.
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Feb 26, 2014 23:52
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AT the GPO level (don't look at me, my manager call) the firewall is turned off on public, private, domain. The server deployment is my long term resolution.
incoherent fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Feb 27, 2014 |
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Feb 27, 2014 01:14
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Did a new computer roll-out for a client, upgrading their aging XP machines with new Windows 7 machines. $vendor assures us their software will run fine on Windows 7 prior to us ordering the machines. Turns out $vendor blatantly lied to us. Their software is a piece of trash that was written in the 90s using Borland. Apparently by "works fine on Windows 7 x64" they mean works fine on Windows 7 x64 after you spend 4 hours per machine screwing around with XP mode so their software can randomly crash because it can barely handle network printers and freaks out at a virtual os. Thanks $vendor! (On the plus side, lots of extra billable hours) There's apparently an AWESOME NEW VERSION of the software out now, though! And $vendor assures us it will actually run on Windows 7 (and Windows 8!). And the upgrade is FREE*! But it's going to be over a year before they can actually perform the upgrade for $client. *FREE after sending each staff member to "$vendor university" week-long training programs at the cost of multiple thousands of dollars per person Maniaman fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Feb 27, 2014 |
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Feb 27, 2014 05:38
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poo poo pissing me off: My boss is one of those guys who doesn't value anything but low level driver writing. If it isn't register reading/writing, it aint poo poo.  I almost had a also. 
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Feb 27, 2014 05:53
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Was on a conference call with one of our network admins and a network hardware vendor support guy today, just to provide some details from the server end about a problem we were having. Not being a network guy, I'd literally never touched one of the network devices in question before and knew nothing about the user interface, so it kind of worries me that fifteen minutes into the call I was having to tell the vendor support guy how to run configuration commands on it. 
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Feb 27, 2014 06:07
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