When management uses IT to solve people problems
-
I saw this on SW:
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1881566-how-to-limit-printer-usage
At the time, there were 73 replies, and the "Best Answer" was to turn off printing for this employee.
I submit this is a management failure, not an IT problem:
My response:
*"Mike, I'm not saying this is a bad idea, but the primary issue is when management decides to use IT as a solution to a people problem. It is obvious this employee is the root of the problem. Deal with the employee, not the printer.
This is a clear sign of poor leadership. If they cannot sit down and talk to the employee, and then take the next step when they don't comply, but instead, sidestep the issue by inserting IT into the problem with all expectations that IT can somehow deal with a rouge employee, then they have failed as managers."*
-
Yeah this is clearly a management issue, firstly by having IT talk to the employee (WTF . . .) and second by disabling printer access to the employee...
Um WTF. . .
-
I say this constantly. So often IT seems to be used (or feels like it should be) acting as some kind of weird HR department that works by disabling functionality rather than addressing employee problems. And when you ask why IT doesn't do what HR should do, they don't have the authority. When asked why HR doesn't fix the problem, we are told that HR doesn't care (which means that management doesn't care.) Which makes me wonder... why does IT care when the business does not?
-
@scottalanmiller said in When management uses IT to solve people problems:
I say this constantly. So often IT seems to be used (or feels like it should be) acting as some kind of weird HR department that works by disabling functionality rather than addressing employee problems. And when you ask why IT doesn't do what HR should do, they don't have the authority. When asked why HR doesn't fix the problem, we are told that HR doesn't care (which means that management doesn't care.) Which makes me wonder... why does IT care when the business does not?
But IT doesn't care, in these case IT's just doing what management told them to do.
-
@Dashrender said in When management uses IT to solve people problems:
@scottalanmiller said in When management uses IT to solve people problems:
I say this constantly. So often IT seems to be used (or feels like it should be) acting as some kind of weird HR department that works by disabling functionality rather than addressing employee problems. And when you ask why IT doesn't do what HR should do, they don't have the authority. When asked why HR doesn't fix the problem, we are told that HR doesn't care (which means that management doesn't care.) Which makes me wonder... why does IT care when the business does not?
But IT doesn't care, in these case IT's just doing what management told them to do.
Actually, most of the time when I see this, IT cares way, way too much. There are times when it is just foolish management, but very rarely do I actually see that without IT at least encouraging it if not doing it unilaterally.
-
@scottalanmiller said in When management uses IT to solve people problems:
@Dashrender said in When management uses IT to solve people problems:
@scottalanmiller said in When management uses IT to solve people problems:
I say this constantly. So often IT seems to be used (or feels like it should be) acting as some kind of weird HR department that works by disabling functionality rather than addressing employee problems. And when you ask why IT doesn't do what HR should do, they don't have the authority. When asked why HR doesn't fix the problem, we are told that HR doesn't care (which means that management doesn't care.) Which makes me wonder... why does IT care when the business does not?
But IT doesn't care, in these case IT's just doing what management told them to do.
Actually, most of the time when I see this, IT cares way, way too much. There are times when it is just foolish management, but very rarely do I actually see that without IT at least encouraging it if not doing it unilaterally.
OK I'll admit I used to be guilty of that, but much less so these days.
