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This comes from yesterday, when I returned to work after staying home to avoid the weather on Monday. As for The Client, let's just say that they, like many other businesses, were shut on Monday and Tuesday, with an admonition that only "essential personnel" were to come in. Of which, Your Friendly Neighborhood IT Service Desk Technicians are included.
Thus, the parking lot and garage at The Client are both pretty barren, and there aren't a lot of people around. We're there to take what few calls come in and get them taken care of, or assign them to whatever support team will handle it. Thing is, all of the support teams (with the exception of the core server teams and one or two others) are considered "non-essential," and thus they cannot come in.
IMPORTANT-- LET ME RE-STATE THAT-- It's not that they "won't" come in, it's that they CANNOT come in. Due to the general "state of emergency" declared by The Client, non-essential personnel are NOT ALLOWED to charge their hours worked during the SOE to the contract, and thus, they CANNOT come in to work.
This is important, kids. There may be a quiz later.
So, into all this comes Little Miss Entitled.
Dramatis Personae
J2K - Jay 2K Winger - Yours Truly [Rating: Awesome]
LME - Little Miss Entitled - The Sucktomer [Rating: 0]
Gobber - My supervisor, ITSD Tier 1.5 [Rating: Quasi Awesome]
Callie - My manager [Rating: Spinally Proficient]
Glossary
ITSD - IT Service Desk
CST - Close Support Team - Quasi-tier 2 technicians, who handle specific The Client divisions or buildings
SecNetA - Secure Network A - The primary secure network used by The Client
SecNetB - Secure Network B - A different secure network, used more by other businesses with which The Client works
TDP - Transfer of Data Professional - The technicians who have the access & authority to transfer data between networks for The Client
LME rings in to the ITSD and gets Yours Truly. It transpires that LME has some files that are needed for a conference (which has been delayed by Sandy), which she needs to have transferred into a transportable format (i.e., burned onto a CD or similar) to have moved from SecNetA to SecNetB. I explain to LME that data transfers need to be handled by a TDP, so she'll need to submit her request via the TDP Database. LME says she doesn't have time for that, she needs this handled now.
Already I decide I don't like LME, for trying to circumvent the system, but I explain I can submit a ticket to have this handled, explaining the situation-- but she cuts me off and says again she "doesn't have time for a ticket." I rephrase and explain I'll need to put in a ticket for her call as it is (we submit a ticket for every call we answer, even if the tickets are submitted in a "resolved" status), and I'll ask my managers and supervisors if there's any way we can get this taken care of fast. This seems to mollify LME, so I put her on hold and go to talk to Gobber.
I explain to Gobber what's going on, and he pretty much confirms what I thought-- there's no TDPs around, and no one around from LME's CST either, due to the SOE situation and the CST/TDPs being considered "non-essential." Callie, who's nearby, overhears this and suggests I ask LME if there's anyone else there in her office right then who is a TDP who can take care of this for her.
So I go back to LME, regretfully informing her that there's not really anything we can do to assist her, but I relay Callie's suggestion. LME tells me she's the only one there. When I again explain that the TDPs and CSTs are considered "non-essential personnel," LME drops the bombshell of "Well, that's unacceptable," and then asks to speak to my manager.
So I call over Callie, who takes the headset and speaks with LME. Callie calmly restates what I had told LME-- adding that the TDPs and CSTs can't come in because they can't charge the hours to the contract if they do-- but then comes up with a solution. Callie used to work with the CSTs who support LME's division, she'll reach out to them and send the details of LME's needs to the CSTs, so it can be taken care of first thing in the morning. This satisfies LME, who hangs up.
As Callie heads back to her desk, she rolls her eyes at me and says something on the lines of "People who wait till the last minute..."
For the record, no, I don't know why LME was at work that day either, since what she was doing really didn't seem to be "essential" work. But then, I don't know the details, and won't speculate.
Thus, the parking lot and garage at The Client are both pretty barren, and there aren't a lot of people around. We're there to take what few calls come in and get them taken care of, or assign them to whatever support team will handle it. Thing is, all of the support teams (with the exception of the core server teams and one or two others) are considered "non-essential," and thus they cannot come in.
IMPORTANT-- LET ME RE-STATE THAT-- It's not that they "won't" come in, it's that they CANNOT come in. Due to the general "state of emergency" declared by The Client, non-essential personnel are NOT ALLOWED to charge their hours worked during the SOE to the contract, and thus, they CANNOT come in to work.
This is important, kids. There may be a quiz later.
So, into all this comes Little Miss Entitled.
Dramatis Personae
J2K - Jay 2K Winger - Yours Truly [Rating: Awesome]
LME - Little Miss Entitled - The Sucktomer [Rating: 0]
Gobber - My supervisor, ITSD Tier 1.5 [Rating: Quasi Awesome]
Callie - My manager [Rating: Spinally Proficient]
Glossary
ITSD - IT Service Desk
CST - Close Support Team - Quasi-tier 2 technicians, who handle specific The Client divisions or buildings
SecNetA - Secure Network A - The primary secure network used by The Client
SecNetB - Secure Network B - A different secure network, used more by other businesses with which The Client works
TDP - Transfer of Data Professional - The technicians who have the access & authority to transfer data between networks for The Client
LME rings in to the ITSD and gets Yours Truly. It transpires that LME has some files that are needed for a conference (which has been delayed by Sandy), which she needs to have transferred into a transportable format (i.e., burned onto a CD or similar) to have moved from SecNetA to SecNetB. I explain to LME that data transfers need to be handled by a TDP, so she'll need to submit her request via the TDP Database. LME says she doesn't have time for that, she needs this handled now.
Already I decide I don't like LME, for trying to circumvent the system, but I explain I can submit a ticket to have this handled, explaining the situation-- but she cuts me off and says again she "doesn't have time for a ticket." I rephrase and explain I'll need to put in a ticket for her call as it is (we submit a ticket for every call we answer, even if the tickets are submitted in a "resolved" status), and I'll ask my managers and supervisors if there's any way we can get this taken care of fast. This seems to mollify LME, so I put her on hold and go to talk to Gobber.
I explain to Gobber what's going on, and he pretty much confirms what I thought-- there's no TDPs around, and no one around from LME's CST either, due to the SOE situation and the CST/TDPs being considered "non-essential." Callie, who's nearby, overhears this and suggests I ask LME if there's anyone else there in her office right then who is a TDP who can take care of this for her.
So I go back to LME, regretfully informing her that there's not really anything we can do to assist her, but I relay Callie's suggestion. LME tells me she's the only one there. When I again explain that the TDPs and CSTs are considered "non-essential personnel," LME drops the bombshell of "Well, that's unacceptable," and then asks to speak to my manager.
So I call over Callie, who takes the headset and speaks with LME. Callie calmly restates what I had told LME-- adding that the TDPs and CSTs can't come in because they can't charge the hours to the contract if they do-- but then comes up with a solution. Callie used to work with the CSTs who support LME's division, she'll reach out to them and send the details of LME's needs to the CSTs, so it can be taken care of first thing in the morning. This satisfies LME, who hangs up.
As Callie heads back to her desk, she rolls her eyes at me and says something on the lines of "People who wait till the last minute..."
For the record, no, I don't know why LME was at work that day either, since what she was doing really didn't seem to be "essential" work. But then, I don't know the details, and won't speculate.
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