What’S the Best Etiquette at a New Tech Job?
You may know that I am non stop on the
search for informative stuff on
new technology. This evening, I
discovered a very
nice article that talks over technology from a new
light. Today’s find is titled What's the best etiquette at a new tech job? .
Question by DarwinM: What's the best etiquette at a new tech job?
I am going to be doing the IT work for a small business, and I wonder, what is proper etiquette? I had a few parts to the question.
1. If I find pirated software what do I do?
2. If I think hardware or software needs to be upgraded, how can I say that without sounding like I'm bossing the boss? How how long should I work at a place before proposing something like that?
3. What do IT people do at work when everything is "working?" I don't want to look like I'm not working (which, technically, I wouldn't be then)
Best answer:
Answer by yn_tennison
1. Read or ask about your company policies regarding this issue. There may be a specific way you're expected to handle this which can't be completely answered on a public forum. Typically, you'll be expected to report your find to your immediate supervisor, but whatever they tell you, that's what you do. If you are in a position where they insist on using pirated software you may have to ask if you really want to work there.
2. Let me answer the second part first. You should wait until you are comfortable enough with what the business does and what their needs are that the recommendations you make are for their benefit and not your own comfort and desires. Most Tech Geeks are never truly happy until they have the latest and greatest of everything on the market but in reality, most business customers don't need supercomputers with the latest software. A few years back PC Magazine ran an article saying how most (over 90%) people who use word processors could still meet their needs with Word 97 which came out nearly 10 years before the article. When it comes time to upgrade focus not on how they NEED to upgrade but rather on how it will benefit them (especially financially) to do so. If you can show your employers how an upgrade will improve service, lower expenses, or bring in more customers they will more likely be willing to listen to what you have to say. Remember, you're not giving orders, you're making recommendations based off your experience and observations. If they didn't want you're input you wouldn't be hired to work there. Also, always have an answer if your going to point out a problem. Something to the effect of: "I noticed it takes a long time to boot up our computers in the morning and they tend to run very slowly when doing work on the network. This probably causes our customers to wait longer than they need to which isn't great customer service and could be one of the reasons we don't have as many customers as we deserve. I did some reasearch and for less than $ 2,000 dollars we can get four new computers which will allow us to work more efficiently, serve more customers, and provide a level of service that will make us more competative in our industry." While not directly talking about financial savings there are strong implications that there is money to be made by upgrading. Of course, be realistic about what needs to be upgraded. If you only need a hard drive, only ask for a hard drive.
3. Probably won't happen but if it does then spend your time reasearching. Reflecting on questions 2, there will never be a time when your equipment is both completely operational and up-to-date. Especially with new technologies coming out almost daily, you want to make sure that you stay sharp on what's coming out so you can make solid recommendations. You're certainly correct that you don't want to appear to not be working (this could lead to you being downsized to a part-time or even on-call employee) so fill the extra hours trying to find other ways to benefit the company. Remember, just because everything is "working" doesn't mean it can't be working better.
I hope this helps.
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