According to a
survey of 2,500 staff in Australia, France, Germany, the UK and US, more employees are getting used to and liking their IT staff. Could we be entering a golden age of IT support where we aren't despised or ignored? Are we going to be, dare I say, appreciated? According to LANDESK, an IT systems management vendor, this new trend is due to "increased self-sufficiency and autonomy in
end users and indicates that end users are more resourceful than ever".
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They feel more empowered and
in more control... of a computer. |
This makes a lot of sense in my experience. While not all employees will take advantage of some basic training on computers and would rather find a way to blame us in IT for why they are on Facebook and not doing their job, there are many who enjoy learning something new. I find that when I can show someone how they can fix a re-occurring problem, or provide them info on how to make their job easier, they [users] feel empowered and more in control while they are using a computer. Granted, this could be bad as they could get into the "enough to be dangerous" zone, but they feel more comfortable using a computer.
And when our users are more able to solve their own problems, then us as the IT pros can focus more on the real issues of the company, such as improving spam and malware protection, upgrading the aging 2003 server in the corner of the server room, or testing Windows 10 in a lab environment. Have you seen this trend yourself in your company? Do you think there is more we can do as IT pros?
Jimmy Tassin is the IT Manager of Midwest Regional Bank and has been involved with the Technology field for over thirteen years. His two hobbies are overseeing the daily operations of OmniKraft, a Minecraft server community, and writing at Goblinbyte.com.
There is most certainly a shift, but I think the business is a very determining factor on what users you get :)
ReplyDeleteBut indeed, most of the time when I learn users a small shortcut or just a quick-fix for a reoccurring issue, and make sure they feel that their bigger issues are being properly taken care of they are quite respectful and appreciative.