New hire, make him SET-UP his own pc?
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@gjacobse said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@obsolesce said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@mr-jones said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
We have an HP Z440 workstation sitting on the shelf, that I was about to configure for him, but I had the idea of "why don't I just make him figure it out"
Because when someone starts a new job, they should have a functional system and work area waiting for them.
If you feel a need to train him in putting together a workstation, I'm sure you can do that too, but why have him start a new job without a functional system?
I agree and disagree.
Most times, all the access and such isn't there yet. So what else are they to do? This at least gives them something to work on while things are being set up.
ETA: I started 28 Jun 2021, I am still getting access to systems I will be supporting.... I'm also having to create some of that documentation... but - that's another story.
Lack of documentation and consistency between deployments of equipment creates problems. I've been with enough organizations to realize setting up my own PC just shows a failure in their current process. Also, giving a brand new user local admin rights to setup their PC is poor security practice. Really no user should be running their system as admin or root. If they need software installed, it should already be approved and packaged for them in most cases.
I get that IT employees need more software than typical user, but there should be documentation for IT admin tools and even packages to deploy them in most cases.
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@irj said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@gjacobse said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@obsolesce said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@mr-jones said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
We have an HP Z440 workstation sitting on the shelf, that I was about to configure for him, but I had the idea of "why don't I just make him figure it out"
Because when someone starts a new job, they should have a functional system and work area waiting for them.
If you feel a need to train him in putting together a workstation, I'm sure you can do that too, but why have him start a new job without a functional system?
I agree and disagree.
Most times, all the access and such isn't there yet. So what else are they to do? This at least gives them something to work on while things are being set up.
ETA: I started 28 Jun 2021, I am still getting access to systems I will be supporting.... I'm also having to create some of that documentation... but - that's another story.
Lack of documentation and consistency between deployments of equipment creates problems. I've been with enough organizations to realize setting up my own PC just shows a failure in their current process. Also, giving a brand new user local admin rights to setup their PC is poor security practice. Really no user should be running their system as admin or root. If they need software installed, it should already be approved and packaged for them in most cases.
I get that IT employees need more software than typical user, but there should be documentation for IT admin tools and even packages to deploy them in most cases.
TLDR - Making someone setup their own workstation isn't the flex you think it is.
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Yeah I agree with the post above about making someone setup their own computer as being a flex.
It's not setting up and deploying a clustered file system, it's literally installing applications (and maybe the OS).
Very basic stuff that the most junior of professionals should be able to easily do.
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I would honestly expect the interview to have sorted out this type of person in the first place too.
While I can see the value in showing someone how your deployments normally are setup, this is essentially wasting their time and yours, because they may not install or use the same tools that you're used to using.
Set it up for them, and get them ready and able to work as soon as possible.
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@mr-jones is part of his job to deal with OS setup? If not this just stupid waste of time.
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OMG, so he is like a survey of "everything but IT?"
GeekSquad does bench, not IT.
Computer Science is CS, about as far from IT as you get.
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@mr-jones my feeling is that this is unrelated. Building a computer isn't something IT does or any normal company needs. And how will he know the company standards and stuff without a computer to work from.
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@dustinb3403 said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
Yeah I agree with the post above about making someone setup their own computer as being a flex.
It's not setting up and deploying a clustered file system, it's literally installing applications (and maybe the OS).
Very basic stuff that the most junior of professionals should be able to easily do.
Most high school students should be able to do.
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I try hard to have a nice, new computer fully installed, updated, and ready to go on day one for new hires if possible. It makes us look professional and competent from an IT perspective. Like we are happy to have them on the team and want them productive and successful. It makes them feel better about their job both that they are wanted and that they chose a good place to work. We want to impress them.
We also want them focused on their jobs and learning. They have plenty to learn that they can't know before we hire them like our ticketing system, documentation, email, chat, phones, who is who in the hierarchy, and so forth. I don't want them distracted from getting up to speed.
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@scottalanmiller said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
I try hard to have a nice, new computer fully installed, updated, and ready to go on day one for new hires if possible. It makes us look professional and competent from an IT perspective. Like we are happy to have them on the team and want them productive and successful. It makes them feel better about their job both that they are wanted and that they chose a good place to work. We want to impress them.
We also want them focused on their jobs and learning. They have plenty to learn that they can't know before we hire them like our ticketing system, documentation, email, chat, phones, who is who in the hierarchy, and so forth. I don't want them distracted from getting up to speed.
@scottalanmiller Appreciate the input. One of my biggest reasons for asking this question was because I felt that it wouldn't be recieved well. As you've outlined, it could give them the impression they weren't valued, and that's not the impact I would be looking for.
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@jaredbusch said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@mr-jones is part of his job to deal with OS setup? If not this just stupid waste of time.
Absolutely. Since his background isn't in Windows, setting up and configuring Windows is something he'd need to know.
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@mr-jones said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@jaredbusch said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@mr-jones is part of his job to deal with OS setup? If not this just stupid waste of time.
Absolutely. Since his background isn't in Windows, setting up and configuring Windows is something he'd need to know.
Ok the. Make him do it on a spare machine. Or if on his machine, make sure he has a temp to use.
Also to make @scottalanmiller haooy change the title away from Build a pc. Since you only mean setup windows.
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@mr-jones said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@jaredbusch said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@mr-jones is part of his job to deal with OS setup? If not this just stupid waste of time.
Absolutely. Since his background isn't in Windows, setting up and configuring Windows is something he'd need to know.
Learning some stuff about Windows and installs isn't a bad thing. But, is there a risk that he won't have a well configured machine because he doesn't know all of the necessary details?
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@jaredbusch said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@mr-jones said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@jaredbusch said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@mr-jones is part of his job to deal with OS setup? If not this just stupid waste of time.
Absolutely. Since his background isn't in Windows, setting up and configuring Windows is something he'd need to know.
Ok the. Make him do it on a spare machine. Or if on his machine, make sure he has a temp to use.
Also to make @scottalanmiller haooy change the title away from Build a pc. Since you only mean setup windows.
Thread Title updated; will that suffice?
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@mr-jones said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
@scottalanmiller said in New hire, make him build his own pc?:
I try hard to have a nice, new computer fully installed, updated, and ready to go on day one for new hires if possible. It makes us look professional and competent from an IT perspective. Like we are happy to have them on the team and want them productive and successful. It makes them feel better about their job both that they are wanted and that they chose a good place to work. We want to impress them.
We also want them focused on their jobs and learning. They have plenty to learn that they can't know before we hire them like our ticketing system, documentation, email, chat, phones, who is who in the hierarchy, and so forth. I don't want them distracted from getting up to speed.
@scottalanmiller Appreciate the input. One of my biggest reasons for asking this question was because I felt that it wouldn't be recieved well. As you've outlined, it could give them the impression they weren't valued, and that's not the impact I would be looking for.
I doubt that it would be poorly received. But it would at best be neutral, I think. But having everything prepped for him would, we hope, provide a specifically positive impression.
People have an expectation of smaller businesses not having their act together and things not being ready for them. So few people would see it as a negative. But when you go to a new job and everyone is ready, expecting you, and put in the effort to have you sit down and be ready... it feels great. For us, part of that is... making it feel like we are a large, polished organization.
That's super important for us because we are relatively small (~44 people) and everyone works from home. So we have our size and the "work from home" aspect to overcome.
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Likewise, we try to have brand new laptops (or desktops when it applies), running the latest software ready to go with all the accounts set up (email, chat, etc.) and people ready to greet the new hire as soon as they get online. We ship them a brand new desk phone and, when possible, have IT from their city deliver everything and make sure that they are up and running well at home.
We can't always do that, in fact really often we can't (COVID plays a big part in that, though), but we try because it really feels like you are part of a solid organization when someone shows up and delivers you a brand new, kick ass setup for your home office.
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@scottalanmiller said in New hire, make him SET-UP his own pc?:
Likewise, we try to have brand new laptops (or desktops when it applies), running the latest software ready to go with all the accounts set up (email, chat, etc.) and people ready to greet the new hire as soon as they get online. We ship them a brand new desk phone and, when possible, have IT from their city deliver everything and make sure that they are up and running well at home.
We can't always do that, in fact really often we can't (COVID plays a big part in that, though), but we try because it really feels like you are part of a solid organization when someone shows up and delivers you a brand new, kick ass setup for your home office.
I'm struggling with time right now myself. My boss took a whole vacation, so my plate is full. With that being said, and after having read some of the replies, I'm going to give him a already working setup I have as a spare (might need some updates), and let his first departmental task to be SETTING UP (maybe install some RAM, and a HDD or whatever too, because I'm pretty sure that machine got gutted) the machine in question.
I still feel pretty strongly that this would be an appropriate task to help see where he's at. This will strengthen my approach to teaching as I can identify his weak areas and address them head-on. The process is already documented so that's also a factor to be evaluated as others have mentioned, and this will hopefully give him the -as we said in the military- "warm and fuzzy", and I hope wash away that imposter syndrome that's so common in the tech industry.
Have you written about that? Imposture syndrome in tech? Seems like something you'd write about, or at least make mention of.
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@mr-jones said in New hire, make him SET-UP his own pc?:
Have you written about that? Imposture syndrome in tech? Seems like something you'd write about, or at least make mention of.
I should, definitely my kind of topic.
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@mr-jones said in New hire, make him SET-UP his own pc?:
I still feel pretty strongly that this would be an appropriate task to help see where he's at. This will strengthen my approach to teaching as I can identify his weak areas and address them head-on. The process is already documented so that's also a factor to be evaluated as others have mentioned, and this will hopefully give him the -as we said in the military- "warm and fuzzy", and I hope wash away that imposter syndrome that's so common in the tech industry.
Now that we know it is a Windows install, not a hardware assembly, that feels logical to me as well. But I definitely would prefer it personally to be a machine to demonstrate what he knows, not a task to do before he's able to function.
For example, I'd want him to use the machine that I built and provided to him to access the documentation on how to build the new machine to company standards. Test him on following directions, documenting properly, putting in tickets, etc.
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Also to make @scottalanmiller haooy change the title away from Build a pc. Since you only mean setup windows.
Ah. I see the disconnect here. I was really wondering why you would assume OS setup wasn't part of the job, but seeing now that I must've titled with the word "build" which threw you off a bit. That's on me. To be fair though, the computer has probably been gutted, so maybe build would apply? At any rate, that's on me.
