Yuppie Sherpa

Working in Internet Marketing, the company IT department often holds the keys to resources needed to perform my job. I seldom have problems with IT departments, but I often hear complaints about them from friends and coworkers.

“They’re mean, they’re lazy, they talk down to me, etc.”

To be blunt, you need the IT department a lot more than they need you in the microcosm that is your company or office. So, rather than be discouraged, take into account these three things that every professional should know about the IT department.

1. They’re the hardest working people in the company

There are exceptions to every rule, but this is one I’ve found holds true for every company I’ve worked for. While you may not think they’re the hardest working people in the company, they probably do — and that’s what this is about.

You need to understand that the average employee will never make a request to the IT department that qualifies as a “major” project for them. If you were to listen to two IT specialists discuss a project in non-layman’s terms, your head would explode. Kind of like the movie ‘Scanners’.

Much like the CIA or your local police, a successful IT department is one where you forget why you need them.

2. IT professionals have preconceived notions about you too

I’ve befriended IT professionals everywhere, from big companies like Viacom to small companies using the janitor’s closet as a server room. They can be some of the friendliest folks you’d ever want to meet, especially if you’re able to sympathize. Sympathize with what?

Imagine asking Alan Greenspan to help you balance your checkbook.

Now, sympathize with the fact that your IT department, despite years spent elbow-deep in server code, spends a significant portion of their day recovering forgotten passwords and explaining how to get the little cartoon paperclip to stop popping up in MS Word. There’s a reason why the common acronym among IT professionals is ‘PEBKAC‘, which stands for “Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair“.

3. They know everything you’re doing

I’m always met with disbelief when I explain this to others who are just entering a corporate workforce for the first time. You are being watched. Yes, you.

Everything you do with the company computer, including the sites you visit, how much time you spend on them, and image captures of your screen throughout the day are probably being fed to your IT department. Now, the IT department uses some of this information to protect the company network from malware sites and viruses. The rest of the information, however, is available to your boss at any given time.

While we’re on the subject, know what else your boss has? Access to your entire MS Outlook, including your sent and deleted items. Before you go in and start emptying out your “Deleted Items” folder, you should also know that most companies also make frequent (as in nightly) backups.

You don’t have to love your IT department, but making an effort to understand their needs, limitations and frustrations will go a long way towards making sure you get what you want from them.

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the Yuppie Sherpa RSS Feed to get all new posts delivered straight to your feed reader.