Human Resources..

[BrokenVisage]

They're the deciders of who gets part of the birthday cake.

 

[Juddog]

I'm not bitching at them for not knowing what to do, I'm bitching because they didn't even try contacting me when I specifically told one user "If you run into any problems, call me.". Cell phones are pretty common these days....

Right, but all you would have had to do in order to please them was just wait until they show up, and make sure that they understand how to use the equipment.

I do this at work for all of our big meetings, and I never just leave the equipment and jet; I stick around and make sure that they understand how to use it. You have to assume that they don't know how to use it, and work from there. In other words if you stick around and see that they get everything working, you say "good" then jet. Never jet before the conference actually starts, because that is what gets heads turned and someone higher up probably was embarrassed because they couldn't figure it out.

That embarrassment on their part (making them look bad in front of their peers) will directly translate to pressure on you, because had you stuck around that wouldn't have happened. Therefore you can expect to constantly be on your ass until either they leave, or you leave.

 

[Regs]

Check Post # 8 .. since reading comprehension isn't your strong suite.

That movie is a classic! You never watched Office Space?

 

[Goosemaster]

As IT you are in a support role, strategic or otherwise, a subordinate to the actual business that goes on. You can rarely ever make the company money and ALWAYS end up being a cost center. You have to accept it you want to work in the field

As part of the support infrastructure your job is to make sure business gets done, whether you are deploying a geo-cluster ahead of schedule or telling the presenter how to press Fn + F4 on their Thinkpad 2 minutes after a 500 attendee meeting has started. You might not be their bitch and certainly don't have take their shit but recognize that they pay you to enable them to do their job. If you aren't doing that then you aren't fulfilling your role.

In the end everyone else is someone else's bitch but if you are going to bitch about such a basic requirement of IT you are in the wrong field.


edit: urgh.... I feel like such a tool right now.

 

[Rumpltzer]

At my company, HR is in some other building and we never see them. I was hired by an HR person because my boss told her, "Hire this guy. Offer him this much." She didn't send me the paperwork that I was suppose to fill out for the first day of orientation. She didn't tell me when or where to go for orientation. She didn't do squat until I asked her stuff... and then she didn't do it until I asked again.

After being hired, I've never dealt with HR again.

I did have some middle manager once threaten me to "take me to HR". I laughed in her face and called her a child. We both knew that her threat was hollow because she was the one who had screwed up... and I'm not even sure what this whole "take you to HR" is about. My job, raise and promotions are all about the internal politics in my building, and HR doesn't have a clue or any say.


I'm also very good at my job.

...and I wouldn't have left that conference room until I knew those people were set up.

 

[Leros]

I haven't had much experience with HR other than them basically acting as greeters during the interview process. They're also the people who asked me to fill out employment forms. Honestly, other than that, I haven't had much interaction.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

HR was next door to IT office on my last gig, so I wasn't able to avoid them. Not that I would have wanted to, she was very cute.
Every time we had to make sure everything was good for conferences, there was a heads up about it a decent amount ahead of time. Usually had at least 1 person come in to verify all was good to go just how they had in mind as well. Received no complaints about that.

 

[mvbighead]

PC/Networking Specialist

I'll give you a run down of the problem. I was asked to check the video conference equipment at 2 for a meeting at 2:15 so I stroll in there and check it out. Everything looks good so I take off because I had another issue come up. I get a call about 20 minutes ago from the HR manager asking if I checked it and I tell her I did. Well turns out they had problems and she asks why I didn't stick around and wait on them. I tell her I had another issue pop up so I couldn't wait around for 15 minutes and she digs further asking what exactly I was doing.

I mean seriously, they have my cell phone but instead of calling they would rather throw their hands up and complain. We have roughly 250 employees here and only myself and a newhire to support them.

Well, unlike some here, I won't rail road you saying you screwed up. In my office, if someone has a conference, it is their job to show up 15 minutes early to determine whether or not their needs are met by the conference room PC (we have 6 or so rooms). They are to test their given method of conference (PowerPoint, GoToMeeting, AT&T Conference Call, etc.) and if something doesn't work, enlist the help of IT to correct the problem. Asking you to check the system is about as stupid as it gets, because you likely won't have the foggiest clue what they're going to be doing. You'll check the components I mentioned, but they'll want to run a QuickTime video or something else.

Further, having something else come up, if serious, is grounds enough to not hang around. Especially with such a small IT crew.

But, as for HR, yeah... smile, nod, apologize. All you can do really.