To be annoyed at my IT Manager?

[showtunesgirl]

I'm just back from maternity leave and have been given a new computer and desk. Quite a few of the software that I need in order to do my job has not been installed and I still don't have a phone line.

Apparently, whilst I was away, the server and phone lines were upgraded but she can't remember what the password is so she can't re-route the phone lines. AIBU to want to remind her that this is her bloody job and she should pull her finger out and get on with it?

You sound nice.

This is what she ALWAYS does.

Also a couple of years ago when it was snowing, she didn't come in for a whole week because it was "snowing too hard" and there was "no transport". I know for a fact that she lives two train stops from where I live, on the same train line and I made it in and back every day!

Maybe she has, y'know, other people's issues to deal with?

I'm in IT and I find that naturally people think their urgent issues are the most urgent but normally that isn't the case. You can have a thousand urgent issues but you can only do one thing at a time. Sounds like she hasn't got around to yours. I would ask her how long it might be before its all fixed and where you are in the queue.

Didn't she know the date you were returning and your requirements? If not, I would say this is the fault of your manager not her. Surely there is a system in place to deal with people returning from mat leave?

There should also be a system to manage and prioritise IT issues. I would inform your manager of the situation asap. You aren't able to perform your job and they need to know that.

Yup she knew my return date.

I don't know if I'm making myself clear here but I think it's simply that she doesn't know how to do her job. The phone line thing she said that when the system was upgraded she lost her password so now doesn't know how to get into the system to update any phone information.

Also a while ago, another staff member found that the Ruler guidelines had gone off in Word. It was a simple matter of going through to Options and selecting that option but the IT manager said that it would have required an entire reinstallation.

MummyForOne I always ask her for an estimated completion time as one time I asked for something to be done and it took over six months for it to be done. Granted it wasn't massively important but six months is quite a long time!

hahahahaha re: ruler lines. Wow! Do you really think that we (IT professionals) spend years and years studying engineering & maths so that we can show you how to use a secretarial package? Some of my peers programme nuclear submarines and you think all we're good for is fannying around with mailmerge?

Point 1. Yes, she should know the fucking password, but 2. It was your manager's job to make her aware you were coming back 3. It's pretty pathetic she couldn't dial in from home during snow.

Well, in that case OP someone needs to deal with the issue. I would have a quiet word with my manager giving the actual facts (not that you think she can't do her job). Then your manager should escalate it to her manager and the necessary training/support should be put in place. If she was aware of your return date then you should have been all set to go the minute you returned.

I do think this is a common problem. People assume that despite being on mat leave you have somehow continued to follow all the changes in the office (IT related or not). It does nothing to bolster someone's confidence if they return to an absolute mess and no effort is made by their manager to reintegrate them in the team. Bad management is usually the problem ime. Your manager should really have been all over this the week before you returned.

Blimey that ruler option thing in Word most people should be able to do. You're right. She doesn't sound massively competent :)

DolomitesDonkey this is a really small company, about 40 people and she's the ONLY IT person. She didn't need to be highly qualified to do this job but as the years have gone on, she's just stopped caring and she gets away with murder.

I've spoken to my manager before about issues but I think because it's such a small company and they probably aren't paying loads for the IT role they've kept her on as any half decent IT person would probably need a better salary. She's stayed though as it's an easy ride.

Are you suffering from the 'maternity leave power demotion' I.e. Before you left they'd have jumped on an issue for you, but now they ignore you like you don't matter?! Afraid this is v v common in my industry

It happens, email your manager in light hearted way to ask if they can pull rank for you.

Surely an IT manager would need to be pretty well qualified to be employed into that role. If she isn't paid very much then what does the company expect?

Nah, I'm bottom of the rung here anyway!

My line manager isn't the most tech-savvy of people but I will have a quiet word before the end of the week!

Sounds like a shit company to work for... Either there should be sufficient Office training for staff in general, or an approachable skills/training department, or a first-line IT support with troubleshooting capability for common programs. If the IT manager doesn't know the answers to fiddly but basic questions, she shouldn't be trying to answer them. "No idea, ask Dave on helldesk helpdesk" is a better answer than "um, erm, reinstall".

I sympathise - when I went back to work I was without a desk for a month, and went a further six weeks or so without a phone. It does not help with the transition back to work particularly since they had given all the interesting bits of my job to other people.

Cross posted. The only IT person has to know everything which is why it's a job nobody good wants.

I'm an IT Manager and couldn't tell you how to change the margins on Word, but then again I do expect people to be able to click on 'Help' and find out themselves rather than getting me to do it.

However, the rest doesn't sound good. She should have taken a back up & note of the applications you had on your machine and transferred them onto the new one.

She should also know how to reset the password on the phone system even if she has lost it.

Yes she sounds crap, but if her manager isn't going to do anything about her competency then you're a bit stuck.

Speaking as someone who has worked in IT all his life, your IT manager sounds rubbish.

Swapped your PC and couldn't be arsed to reinstall all the software? Lost the password for the phone system and not bothered to get it sorted out? Says "Reinstall Word" rather than "You know what? I'm not sure how to fix that. I'll find out and get back to you" followed by a swift bit of Googling? Pah.

Admittedly it's hard being the only IT person in a small office as you're expected to know everything about everything without having any backup. On the other hand, only having 40 people to look after helps a lot and it's not like the Internet isn't bursting at the seams with websites telling you how to fix all manner of IT problems.

Wee in her coffee.

Just make sure that there are lots of "naive" emails to your boss along the lines of:

"The xx project may be a little delayed as yy software hasn't been installed despite me advising IT on zz date"

And

"I really need xx software but it has yet to be installed. I may need to switch machines to complete this task. I anticipate the delay will be y hours/ days"

And

"I'm waiting for person A to finish a task so I can complete my job. As you know it's been x days since I requested the upgrade"

Hopefully your boss will wee in her boss' coffee for you.