How to Work with IT HR?
Content
A few weeks ago, I focused on how not to fall a victim to the professional deformation of technicians in the company when selecting new IT solutions.
In all honesty, us managers also fall victim to professional deformation and especially in IT this does not do any good. The reason is very simple – IT is a world in and of itself.
IT technicians, at least from my perspective, are experienced professionals in their field. Hand in hand go the specific requirements and work environment along with behavior.
Some managers are trying to change the technicians and fight against their nature but I have found a much better approach – adapting to the technicians.
This is why we will call a spade a spade – without IT technicians, majority of companies can close the door. So how do you adapt to the world of IT technicians and find your way in the IT HR?
Stereotypes
When you say an IT guy, a lot of people jump to a vision of a person pressing keys on a keyboard, working in a dark cave and living off of pizza and energy drinks. He listens to weird music and actually it seems he hates everyone. And he has no social life becaus ehe just sits by the computer.
Is That Really True?
In the years I have worked in IT, I have collected several remarks regarding the truth.
First, IT professionals are not just programmers. IT is a world of a wide spectrum of areas, ammong them also work with hardware. Someone has to bring the servers physically in, connect them, configure them and take care of them. For some technicians this means relatively long journeys to and fro to ensure the physical infrastructure works as it should.
We also have to count all the kilometers they run to help users with all the devices. A printer here, a password there, a stuck update over there. And after a whole day, you realize they barely touched the keyboard.
Second, a dark office is a practicality. You also know that, if your monitor is facing light, the flares cannot be fought off in any other way than to put the blinds down. Besides, this kind of isolation also helps with the heat. Each device running on electricity produces heat as a side product. And who has the largest number of devices in their office? Of course the answer is your technicians. No wonder they don’t want any more heat from the sun.
Third, the menu of technicians is much richer than it may seem because they get to food at completely different times of the day than others in the company. And if you remeber the hours they stay overtime, sometimes up to early morning, then no wonder they need caffeine.
Fourth, it is necessary to realize that many IT guys have work and hobby in one package. How mmany of us can say the same thing? So if the technicians work all day with computters and then they use them also in their free time, it is just a result of their entertainment being their breadwinner.
Fifth, technicians usually don’t frown because they hate people, they have some much work and each time they see a person, it usually means a problem or more work. And it means it now. Imagine you are solving some kind of inconsistency in accounting that is related to a large customer. And then someone comes to resolve employee meal tickets. Wouldn’t you frown too? And this situation is on a daily schedule for technicians.
Sixth, let’s just say that many technicians have families.
In All Honesty
How many of these things have you ever realized and spent some time thinking about? Majority of technicians breathes for their work and they would do anything to find the solution, resolve everything as quickly as possible and ensure that no other problem occurs. And what do they ask?
In our company that was some distraction. Something that would enable them to relax and at least for a second just shut down. Something that would make them happy. And just to give them some time and space for it. For example, foosball, darts, SodaStream, 3D printers… or a chameleon. Yes, even that can make technicians happy, they are no mmonsters to the living beings. You can meet our Alfred.
Final Words
IT guys are not somme special company equipment, they are human beings that are a part of the team just like any other non-technical staff. The difference is that their work requires a non-standard approach because they are required not to work in a standard manner. Is foosball a high price to pay for devoted work?
