Don't Say It
March 2, 2001
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Some days, your life as a high-tech worker can seem to be an endless parade of people who want nothing more than to make your life difficult. I am here to remind you that not everyone is out to treat you this way. While you may run into a few difficult people in the course of your career the majority of your customers and your peers will be decent folk who suffer from the same problems you do. Sometimes, though, we can forget all that and begin treating everyone as the enemy, regardless of their actions.
The "users"
When I was working in technical support full-time it was a great fight
to not think that every user was stupid and a big pain in the butt. I
am sure you have heard the office talk, even if you are just starting
your career. Stupid user jokes seem to be common in all support departments.
Tech workers will pass around stories about troublesome users and even
go so far as to create an informal blacklist. At one company unflattering
remarks were even attached to trouble-ticket database records. I always
cringed when I thought how easy it would be for the user to see the remarks
and rancor that would result.
The constant press of support calls, crashes and software upgrades can
all combine to make some high-tech workers downright bitter. If you want
to have a successful career, though, you need to avoid both this type
of thinking and these types of people. Once infected with the "us
vs. them" mentality it can be very difficult to salvage your career
without getting out of your current job (or your career) entirely.
Starting here, starting now
There are a few ways to protect yourself and keep your career moving forward
even if you are unhappy with your current job.
Refuse to participate in "user-bashing" regardless of whether
the person being discussed is difficult to work with or not. Such talk
is sure to eventually get back to the person and it will undermine your
relationship with them and anyone else who hears such talk. If someone
hears you talking about a user behind their back they might just begin
to wonder what you say about them when they aren't around.
Even worse, "user-bashing" talk is more insidious because it
shows that you are beginning to think about your users as deserving less
than your full respect. Everyone has different skill levels and different
levels of maturity, but they are still deserving of your respect on a
basic human level.
This is even more important to remember if you are dealing with outside
clients. Nothing can sour a business relationship more quickly than idle
talk from the staff. You don't want to responsible for a client taking
their business elsewhere. If you don't get fired outright, the reduction
in business could put you on the road to layoffs.
It isn't you
It is always important to remember that, in most cases, you are merely
the focal point for a user's frustration and feelings of inadequacy. It
has very little to do with the quality of your work. If you are doing
the best you can in your current situation then you must remember that
fact. In my experience, high-tech departments are always understaffed
and overworked. You have to protect your own sense of well-being by understanding
the limitations you work under and knowing that you are doing the best
you can. If you let down your guard in this area you can quickly become
cynical and wonder exactly why you chose this career in the first place.
Leave it at the office
The most important rule for any high-tech worker is this; leave your frustration
and stress at the office. The worst thing you can do is to bring your
frustration home to your spouse or significant other. I say this from
experience as I have been guilty of that on many occasions. The last issue
I wanted to address when I came home from work was a computer question
from my wife. By some obtuse logic I figured she had more computer skill
than the people I supported all day. In fact, she was like all of us,
simply struggling to deal with a recalcitrant computer or piece of software.
Bringing your stress home can cause issues with your loved ones, but if
you stop and think it can remind you that you should treat "users"
at the office with the same respect you would treat a family member.
While I never worked with anyone quite as bad as the tech support guy
in some current Saturday Night Live sketches I can see the truth that
underlines this character. Intolerance, lack of respect and even dislike
of those you work for are a symptom that you have slipped over that line
that marks professional behavior and high-tech burnout. You have to watch
you own behavior every day and do whatever needs to be done to remain
on the side of professional behavior, no matter how bad the situation
may seem.
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