:: career changes
As a writer and poet on standby (long story), a career in IT Support is paying the bills. Well, when I say career.. I mean a succession of jobs. I've worked as a first line analyst for six years now, the last two at an oil giant's internal support desk in Wythenshawe. Which is a personal record of time spent at a single employer.. It's come to an end last Monday, because they decided to outsource to EDS, who are moving it all to Belgium. Though Belgian beer and chocolate are excellent, I'd rather remain with my Lottie in England. Or move us both to Scotland, if at all possible. And as a result, I've been job hunting around these parts. A recruiter contacted me for a job in Westhoughton near Bolton, and it's where I ended up, since last Tuesday.
This web log might mainly be for personal reference, because I can't bother with a paper diary any more. As it's on the internet however, therefore public, I have to remain diplomatic. Quite a struggle, in trying to describe my new job and how I feel about it.
From the interview, the company appeared a decent enough outfit, and their base on an industrial estate between Bolton and Wigan is a shorter commute. From setting out from home though, everything is worse than I've been accustomed too. The scooter ride to work is scary, as it includes massive roundabouts and 40 mph roads, all with slippery manholes, waving asphalt and potholes where you least expect them. It doesn't matter too much to drivers, cars easily get right up my airse, but on a scooter it's frightening. On the A6 over the tundra between Walkden and Westhoughton, there's always a strong wind from the side, which chills me to the core as I'm trying to remain upright and going in a straight line. Not easy when it's dark and there's a risk of black ice as well. At work, there's no secure parking nor any cover, so I'm forced to bring a heavy lock with me as well and let my scooter rust away. There's nowhere to store my helmet either, other than under my desk. And if I choose to dress warm for the ride, I can't change anywhere other than in the toilets, which remind me of a cheap backpackers hostel. I might be spoilt, but I'm infuriated before I even log on to the phone and computer.
It gets worse. The company I work for supply tills to shops, then have a dedicated team per shop to support any software issues and log hardware calls. At the interview I was made aware of this, and how they are planning to move to generic help desks instead, with first and second line support. I assumed they meant to move to an ITIL based operation. In other words: structure. I was wrong. I've never been involved in an operation as amateurish as this. Where can I begin.. Well, I begin tomorrow, taking calls on my own, logging them and putting them in a queue. If I feel I can solve them, I can check a newly created 'knowledge base' for solutions. I never feel I can solve anything because I've had no product training whatsoever, let alone time to go through the knowledge base. Instead, I've been listening in on calls on the first day, and getting used to an ancient (1997) Unix based piece of software to log them in. It takes time to get used to it too, as every single operation requires a keyboard short cut, and pressing a wrong key means you can start all over again. It's pathetic, to be fair. On the second day, I was already expected to log calls, while a colleague did the talking. By the third day, I was taking the calls.
"Help desk here, good morning, I haven't a clue what I can help you with. Right. What was your name, sorry? Right. Your store code? No I don't know either. Post code then? Right, give me a second. Found it, I think. Sorry, lost it, what was your post code again? Okay, okay, thanks for your patience. Don't call me slow, I just work here okay.. Can you describe the issue? Okay, till one PED gives an error code and an HHT stopped scanning? No I haven't an inkling what you're on about, but it's written down, and a colleague of mine will supposedly call you back. I think. No I don't know when, or if we have Service Levels. Probably not. Sorry. Yeah, I know, again, I just work here, that's all. They don't tell me either. Oh bollocks. I just lost your details in my system, have to start again. Err, what was your store code?. ... Right, fine, hang up then."
There is no training department. There is no call coaching. There is no one concerned with Health & Safety, especially the fire officers who are assigned. There is no option to change desk height or get a decent chair for my problem-prone back. No ergonomic keyboards or mice, no physiotherapy. Hardly any windows, no natural light. Though there's air conditioning, the air is often so dry my contact lenses become very uncomfortable. There is no public transport anywhere near, yet the car parking is below par as well. No cycling or motorbike facilities whatsoever, no showers, no lockers, no lockable drawers. One coat hanger for a few managers, the others can keep the lot on their chairs. No canteen, no socialising, just a work and lunch rota devised to keep the phones manned with insufficient staff numbers. Lonely pub lunches then. Nowhere for smokers to go, apart from out the door and into whatever weather they find. So there's people smoking in their parked cars..
I realise it still compares very well to sweat shops in India, and it just about complies with UK regulations.. So I've asked myself if I'm spoilt perhaps, and certainly I need the salary, though £14k is a massive third less than what I earned at Wythenshawe, and less than I've earned since 2002. I'm back on the job market.
This web log might mainly be for personal reference, because I can't bother with a paper diary any more. As it's on the internet however, therefore public, I have to remain diplomatic. Quite a struggle, in trying to describe my new job and how I feel about it.
From the interview, the company appeared a decent enough outfit, and their base on an industrial estate between Bolton and Wigan is a shorter commute. From setting out from home though, everything is worse than I've been accustomed too. The scooter ride to work is scary, as it includes massive roundabouts and 40 mph roads, all with slippery manholes, waving asphalt and potholes where you least expect them. It doesn't matter too much to drivers, cars easily get right up my airse, but on a scooter it's frightening. On the A6 over the tundra between Walkden and Westhoughton, there's always a strong wind from the side, which chills me to the core as I'm trying to remain upright and going in a straight line. Not easy when it's dark and there's a risk of black ice as well. At work, there's no secure parking nor any cover, so I'm forced to bring a heavy lock with me as well and let my scooter rust away. There's nowhere to store my helmet either, other than under my desk. And if I choose to dress warm for the ride, I can't change anywhere other than in the toilets, which remind me of a cheap backpackers hostel. I might be spoilt, but I'm infuriated before I even log on to the phone and computer.
It gets worse. The company I work for supply tills to shops, then have a dedicated team per shop to support any software issues and log hardware calls. At the interview I was made aware of this, and how they are planning to move to generic help desks instead, with first and second line support. I assumed they meant to move to an ITIL based operation. In other words: structure. I was wrong. I've never been involved in an operation as amateurish as this. Where can I begin.. Well, I begin tomorrow, taking calls on my own, logging them and putting them in a queue. If I feel I can solve them, I can check a newly created 'knowledge base' for solutions. I never feel I can solve anything because I've had no product training whatsoever, let alone time to go through the knowledge base. Instead, I've been listening in on calls on the first day, and getting used to an ancient (1997) Unix based piece of software to log them in. It takes time to get used to it too, as every single operation requires a keyboard short cut, and pressing a wrong key means you can start all over again. It's pathetic, to be fair. On the second day, I was already expected to log calls, while a colleague did the talking. By the third day, I was taking the calls.
"Help desk here, good morning, I haven't a clue what I can help you with. Right. What was your name, sorry? Right. Your store code? No I don't know either. Post code then? Right, give me a second. Found it, I think. Sorry, lost it, what was your post code again? Okay, okay, thanks for your patience. Don't call me slow, I just work here okay.. Can you describe the issue? Okay, till one PED gives an error code and an HHT stopped scanning? No I haven't an inkling what you're on about, but it's written down, and a colleague of mine will supposedly call you back. I think. No I don't know when, or if we have Service Levels. Probably not. Sorry. Yeah, I know, again, I just work here, that's all. They don't tell me either. Oh bollocks. I just lost your details in my system, have to start again. Err, what was your store code?. ... Right, fine, hang up then."
There is no training department. There is no call coaching. There is no one concerned with Health & Safety, especially the fire officers who are assigned. There is no option to change desk height or get a decent chair for my problem-prone back. No ergonomic keyboards or mice, no physiotherapy. Hardly any windows, no natural light. Though there's air conditioning, the air is often so dry my contact lenses become very uncomfortable. There is no public transport anywhere near, yet the car parking is below par as well. No cycling or motorbike facilities whatsoever, no showers, no lockers, no lockable drawers. One coat hanger for a few managers, the others can keep the lot on their chairs. No canteen, no socialising, just a work and lunch rota devised to keep the phones manned with insufficient staff numbers. Lonely pub lunches then. Nowhere for smokers to go, apart from out the door and into whatever weather they find. So there's people smoking in their parked cars..
I realise it still compares very well to sweat shops in India, and it just about complies with UK regulations.. So I've asked myself if I'm spoilt perhaps, and certainly I need the salary, though £14k is a massive third less than what I earned at Wythenshawe, and less than I've earned since 2002. I'm back on the job market.