Severe issues with my role
Posted by Weird_Knowledge_1854@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 34 comments
Hi,
Never posted here but I thought I’d ask for advice. If it’s the wrong place let me know.
Had my first line service desk analyst role for 2 and a half years and I was a very good agent with no problems. It was smooth sailing til 2 months ago. The people who handles ticketed requests were let go. Now, I have extremely elevated permissions now and have to do way more technical tasks in comparison to before. I single handedly have to handle over 40 requests a day + calls with virtually no help - it’s way too stressful for me. I have been off sick in the past and have been bombarded with messages from supervisors saying they need me in, the desk is falling to bits when you’re not in.
Job role has not changed, no promotion - still labelled as a standard agent, no raise. Has anyone had any experience with this in the past at all - or should I just deal with it. I’m very new to all this so any little advice helps.
cbass377@reddit
Show up at 9:01. Leave at 4:59. Take your time, take your full lunch. That building number in the queue is a not a reflection on you, but a reflection on management.
Puzzleheaded_Pen1017@reddit
Start looking and make the jump after the 3 year mark. Learn the most difficult thing you can do at your job right now. You are in a good opportunity area.
phoenix823@reddit
The first thing you should do is make sure that you are taking care of yourself. You can't be a superhero for more than a couple of weeks at a time. So settle yourself down into a good 8 hour day and knock out as much work as you can in that time. Work from the bottom of the queue so you're keeping the SLA impact to a minimum. The fact that the desk falls apart is not your fault, it is not staffed properly. There's no magic amount of money that changes this fact. They could give you a 50% raise and that wouldn't change the workload. If you're stressed now, that will set all the stress in stone. Take your weekends, take your PTO, and ask if they want help interviewing a replacement for the person they let go.
Weird_Knowledge_1854@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the words man. It’s a tough one taking PTO at the moment because of the guilt of the desk not meeting SLAs and management reaching out during my PTO. Anyways man, thanks for the advice I need it.
Mutiny32@reddit
Dude, feeling guilty about that is not the way to be looking at it. They are manipulating you.
Kramaric-27@reddit
You are right about the manipulation. When I run my moving crew, if a guy is sick, he stays home. Period. If the business falls apart because one person is out, that is a failure in management, not the employee. Do not carry that weight for them. You have gained valuable skills with those new permissions, so update your resume tonight and start looking for a place that actually respects your time. You deserve better than this stress.
ohioleprechaun@reddit
It's always tough when the users suffer because IT can't get its collective shit together. However, that is neither your fault nor your problem. That is for management to solve. \u\phoenix823 has the right of it, take your weekends and your PTO. You earned them and you clearly need them. Burning the candle at both ends will do you no favors in the long run.
itskdog@reddit
You are not your job. If you're in a country with a "right to switch off", use it.
jkdjeff@reddit
You need to set some hard boundaries here.
When you are out, you are out. If management reaches out, you ignore it.
The business’s problems are not yours.
justaguyonthebus@reddit
You are thinking about this backwards. It's important that you take PTO because it exposes the business problem to the business. Every time you step up and help them meet SLA, you hide the problem to the business.
So cut your hours back to 40 a week and take a weeks vacation.
NEU_Throwaway1@reddit
This 100% (and I'm still guilty of OP's feelings too, it's something I need to work on.)
Set your boundaries early and be polite but firm that you do not work on PTO. The only time it is appropriate to be recalled on PTO is when it is legally mandated (like a public safety employee during a mass casualty incident), when you own the company, or when there is a mutual agreement with an incentive and no pressure to accept.
A good people manager's job is not just about performance, but to also prevent their good performers from burning out and wanting to leave. If your boss cannot respect this boundary or help you with your work/life balance, then they are simply not a good boss.
My boss and coworkers will text me to "shut the fuck up and go back on vacation" when I send emails or respond to Teams messages while I'm on PTO lmao.
jf-online@reddit
If they call while I'm out of office, I am clawing back PTO hours. And it better be a real urgent issue, not something like "we just have too many tickets and are too busy."
Too many working in sweat shop conditions and accepting it as okay.
phoenix823@reddit
You're welcome, remember you didn't create this problem, don't try and own it. Good luck!
Jawb0nz@reddit
Triage. I'll be given multiple ASAPs by my boss and have to ask him which ASAP is the ASAPest of the ASAPs because initially they're all equally important.
Inbound tasks beyond that are measured against current workload requirements and handled in the order of their actual, not perceived, priority.
The constant scatter reduces efficiency if tasks aren't given the attention they require.
MakeUrBed@reddit
I was at a company that was a 24x7x365 business as a senior sys admin. They had culled headcount on the DBA's, etc... over time and then one day I walked in to a bunch of helpdesk and the folks who manned the DC overnight crying. Find out they were all laid off. Mind you, we had contracts that said all hours coverage. I pulled the VP in and asked her WTF was going on and who was going to pick up the slack? Oh we'll manage the CO data center from Columbus GA. I handed my boss my 2 weeks resignation 20 minutes later along with most of the other sys and net admins. Now, Im a VP and oversee all IT ops for a multi state company. I'd never do this to my people. Sounds like it's time for you to move on.
DeviousFeline@reddit
This happened to me in my last role. Though in my case I was “hired as a new position” (absolute bullshit) they had a chronic staff turnover problem due to the managements bullying habits. I worked very very hard there for two years and then resigned once I realised I was being exploited. After I left they immediately hired at least 3 people to do the job I was doing all on my own.
You should know your worth, know when it’s time to leave and know that if you’re being overworked you’re worth more money elsewhere.
Opposite_Bag_7434@reddit
This really is pretty common. Over time most of the nightmares I’ve experienced do get better. More people are eventually hired, and eventually you might even get a chance to have an actual weekend.
I actually got to use some of my vacation last year. This year is not looking as good but maybe.
willee_@reddit
Happens in every role you’re going to be in ever if you’re a high performer or over achiever. People who are, generally are both.
It’s frustrating man. It’s also the sign that you’re ready for a change.
Look at how much you’ve grown personally. You’re ready for the next role. You’ll grow out of that too.
Keep growing. It only gets better.
Weird_Knowledge_1854@reddit (OP)
Appreciate this man.
DueDisplay2185@reddit
You're about to be burnt out. Reduce your ticket count to half of what you're doing and let the rest build up and ask management when they're replacing the staff they let go. Block out your calendar to action fixes and every new ticket comes in you tell them the earliest time you can see them is in weeks/months in future until management gets the message but ABSOLUTELY APPLY FOR ANOTHER JOB
nousername1244@reddit
Bro, they're quiet quitting you by proxy, work your wage, let the desk burn if it has to, and use those shiny new permissions to beef up your resume and bounce.
Weird_Knowledge_1854@reddit (OP)
Sound advice. Cheers
Made_UpWords@reddit
Hey man. FWIW I do not agree with that commenters' advice lmfao
You are not being overworked to get you to quit. That is not a real thing that happens.
You **are** being overworked in all likelihood though, and that's still a concern. I'm gonna assume here that you're a lot like me and haven't voiced this to your manager strongly enough.
I've got a really hard time to this day talking to my manager when I'm being pulled to pieces. I'm still stuck in that MSP headspace from a decade ago now when tier 3 employees getting pulled apart was essentially the goal of the business, and there was no use complaining about it. When I actually do it, there's a lot of understanding there because my manager values my contributions and will work with me. I've got fridays off comp'd for the next \~2 months because of the shit we've been through the last few weeks. If your permissions keep getting bumped up, they probably value what you do
It sounds like you either need new hands to help you or expectations for these service calls need to change. " u/weird_knowledge_1854 will get to your broken fucking mess of an outlook profile tomorrow or the next day, user, he's busy right now" or they'll have someone else help you with that.
You should always be looking for new jobs, but barring a \~20% pay increase I'd say try to make the best of what you have right now.
lordlionhunter@reddit
Despite the phrasing I didn’t read the comment as saying that the employer hoped OP would quit. I read it as quite low staffing deliberately which is what I read your comment as as well.
Deweyoxberg@reddit
Bluntly, every sysadmin has started in a similar type of experience. You get "promoted" with more work or more interesting work, but the benefits and title etc don't change.
That's like, your #1 fireworks in the sky sign that you're on to your next adventure, and just don't know it yet.
First line SD for almost 3 years? Yeah you've cut your teeth - time for the next frontier!
Happy travels but remember there's no place like 127.0.0.1
showbizusa25@reddit
Getting rewarded with more work is how a lot of good people end up burned out.
NEU_Throwaway1@reddit
I don't know if I have the greatest advice for you, but I feel you. It's such a weird balance between going above and beyond trying to prove your worth and get recognized but also making sure you don't get taken advantage of.
Do you have any written job offer or description from when you were originally hired, or can you look that up in an internal HR system? It sounds like if you can document what you are being asked to do now vs. the responsibility of your role on paper, you should be asking for an audit of your current job and whether or not it calls for a higher salary or level.
Piggybacking off of that, what are your KPIs / metrics / goals? If "over 40 requests a day" isn't part of your job description, then I'd include that in your request for auditing your role too.
If you're not required be on call, then I simply would not even answer. "Sorry I didn't have access to my phone / device." If you taking this as part of legally accrued sick time, then I would also research your local laws on sick time and what protections exist for it.
And if you ARE required to be on call, research your local laws on if they have to pay you for that.
Or block their numbers lol. "Sorry Verizon told me they misclassified you as a scammer, I've called their customer service multiple times but they keep saying they fixed it."
Try to work it out amicably at first but document things in writing. Trust but verify. Don't hint at legal action or make it obvious that you're researching laws because that might put you up for retaliation - so don't use your company computer on company time on the company network.
PDQ_Brockstar@reddit
At a previous employer, I was given extra responsibilities with the promise of a raise and a new title. The responsibilities came, the raise and promotion never did. I'm well past that now and have a much better employer (thanks PDQ), but I remember feeling pretty betrayed and resentful because of that experience.
You obviously gotta do what's right for you, but here are a few thoughts...
It sounds like you're learning new things and growing, and that's always a positive. That'll help you now and in the future. Try to learn as much as you can to unlock future opportunities.
If your boss is a halfway decent human being, have a conversation with them. Just because they can see the extra burden they've put on you, doesn't mean they know how it's impacting you. Ideally they'd bump your pay and give you a new title, but the least they can do is try to reduce the stress and load.
If things continue the way the way they are, don't wait too long to start looking for new opportunities. I know looking for a new job and going through a hiring process is the last thing you want to do after a stressful day at work, but your future self will thank you for doing it.
The_Koplin@reddit
1st you owe the company nothing, they pay you for time and skill. What you just described is a common way to burn people out.
IF you are hourly and they hit you up after hours, STOP responding. IF you are on PTO, that is YOUR time, they are not respecting you or your time. Don't let them contact you on PTO. Stop doing extra work for nothing. If some supervisor says they need you, then they can pay you appropriately, if you need time off, focus on yourself. Don't feel guilty about their problems and the problems managers have created for themselves!
Per your own words "The people who handles ticketed requests were let go." likely by the same "supervisors saying they need me in". If they let others go and kept you and you are kept at the same pay but with more work. What did they lose? Nothing. What did you gain, nothing but more work and stress. SLA's are the companies problem NOT yours personally! Did you promise the customer anything? No the company you work for made those commitments.
You sound like you are doing the job of 2x+ people and getting paid less then 1x.
You also sound like a wonderful person to work with, motivated and sincere, they sound like they are abusing you. Do not feel guilty about taking time for yourself and if tickets pile up, that is a problem for your supervisor, not you. (Perhaps they should not have let 2x staff go.)
If it's getting too bad, start looking for another job, but keep this one and make the change when you can. You can do this it's part of the route most of us take in an IT career and as William Shakespeare once wrote "This above all: to thine own shelf be true." (Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3)
I had my boss start to do things like this. I work after hours on servers so it won't be a problem for users during the day. Then he started pressing me to be in the office 8-5, OK but then when can I reboot the servers? He had to reconcile the fact that I was paid for about 40 or so hours of work. I was putting in 50+ and now he wanted more. I told him I would be in the office but no longer do after hours work. He had to reconcile this issue and now I get to come in later and I do the server work after hours, win, win for both of us. My boss is cool and he understood that his request was unreasonable. In my experience that kind of boss is rare and why I still work with him!
WaldoOU812@reddit
The most important thing I ever learned in IT was setting boundaries. For me, it came down to three things:
- Overcommunicate with the boss. If you're drowning, let them know. If you need help, let them know. If you can't do something before a deadline they've set, for damn sure, let them know as soon as possible and have a good reason (not excuse) why you can't.
- Always try to set realistic expectations. If someone comes to you with something that absolutely needs to be done RIGHT NOW, but you have another thing (or two or three) that also needs to be done right now, push back with your boss and let them know, "I have # things that are high priority. I can only do one at a time. I should be able to do X today. The rest will have to wait. Which one(s) should I prioritize?"
- Always put the phone down at 5pm (or whenever) and do not answer it unless you absolutely have to. For me, my rules are always; if it's someone on my team, I'll answer whenever (we all really like and trust each other, so I know they're not calling unless it's legitimately critical). If it's anyone else and I'm not on-call, forget it. It goes to voicemail and I'll check it when I get in the office the next business day. If I'm on call and it's coming from PagerDuty, I'll answer, but I always pushed back with, "Is this a legitimate emergency or can it wait (until the next business day)." I'm also pretty well known to tell people when it isn't an emergency, even if they think it is.
Given your position, though, I'd say it sounds like you're probably ready to move on to a new position. Set boundaries at the new place. Forget this one. This place sounds horrible.
Beefcrustycurtains@reddit
When your competent you will be overloaded in a lot of companies. Not a lot of people are extremely capable. But it's really bad management for a manager to try and call in his sick employee. If your sick or on vacation those that are working just have to figure it the fuck out.
sysopslab@reddit
In smaller companies it’s totally normal for one sysadmin to do literally everything: onboarding/offboarding, imaging laptops/desktops, building and securing physical/VM servers, deploying apps, running vulnerability scans, doing the patching, managing MDM, fixing printers, dealing with random app failures, and yes… resetting passwords because someone “swears they typed it right.”
The upside is you learn a ridiculous amount. When you’re the “do‑everything” sysadmin, you grab every bit of tech you can and get exposed to the whole stack. That experience makes it easier to step into a bigger company’s specialised teams since you’ve done a bit of everything.
But yes, it is a very stressful situation.
topher358@reddit
You are doing great. Try to set boundaries and do what you can, but allow management to see you can’t do it alone
Slowstang305@reddit
As long as the pay matches the work. I run around with my head chopped off but with decent pay.