Discussion
I currently work as a Project Manager in IT for a medium/large sized legal services business run by a partnership. The IT and facilities department is supposed to consist of 9 people including the IT director. In the 6 years I have been here there has been a high turnover on the helpdesk which is made up of 4 people (3x 1st/2nd line and 1 x helpdesk team leader). The remainder of the team (a mixture of Infrastructure, dba and project managers) always get pulled in to cover the resources. This has proved to be a continuous drain on morale, restricts personal development and stops projects getting completed.
The IT director is very hands off and does not really get involved. His priority is reporting back the partners that is all ok and is very reactive. The helpdesk team leader left over a year ago and hasn't yet been properly replaced. We had someone start and leave in 3 months because they didn't enjoy the role. The helpdesk has suffered because of this and it has started a chain reaction of junior people not being trained or not being experienced enough to cope in the role. The consequence is now the entire helpdesk has left and the IT director is struggling to employ new people.
The upshot now is that all the senior staff are having to yet again cover the junior roles. It's a cycle that seems to have happened every year, but this year it seems to have come to a head. Now the senior staff have also begun to take new jobs and resign. As of next month all that remains of IT department will consist of me, 1x DBA and the IT director. As yet they have not manage to secure any new staff. They are interviewing. Candidates either lack the experience or are not a right fit.
I'm just not sure what to do. A part of me wants to see what happens to the IT director and to see if there is opportunity should he be removed from the business. However, no matter how much of a car crash it seems, he always manages to hang in there. Staying also means having to cover the menial stuff in the hope things will get better. The job itself is not stressful, just frustrating, the money is ok, but the benefits poor. I'm sure if I went to another job, the grass wouldn't always be greener. When do you know when enough is enough? A part of me wonders if they won't just outsource the entire lot.
The IT director is very hands off and does not really get involved. His priority is reporting back the partners that is all ok and is very reactive. The helpdesk team leader left over a year ago and hasn't yet been properly replaced. We had someone start and leave in 3 months because they didn't enjoy the role. The helpdesk has suffered because of this and it has started a chain reaction of junior people not being trained or not being experienced enough to cope in the role. The consequence is now the entire helpdesk has left and the IT director is struggling to employ new people.
The upshot now is that all the senior staff are having to yet again cover the junior roles. It's a cycle that seems to have happened every year, but this year it seems to have come to a head. Now the senior staff have also begun to take new jobs and resign. As of next month all that remains of IT department will consist of me, 1x DBA and the IT director. As yet they have not manage to secure any new staff. They are interviewing. Candidates either lack the experience or are not a right fit.
I'm just not sure what to do. A part of me wants to see what happens to the IT director and to see if there is opportunity should he be removed from the business. However, no matter how much of a car crash it seems, he always manages to hang in there. Staying also means having to cover the menial stuff in the hope things will get better. The job itself is not stressful, just frustrating, the money is ok, but the benefits poor. I'm sure if I went to another job, the grass wouldn't always be greener. When do you know when enough is enough? A part of me wonders if they won't just outsource the entire lot.
Edited by conner85 on Wednesday 29th October 10:54
I'd leave.
If the partners can't see that the department isn't being properly managed due to all the leaving personnel then I don't think I'd want to be a director under them, even in the unlikely situation that the current director leaves and they choose to promote staff within to director level.
If the partners can't see that the department isn't being properly managed due to all the leaving personnel then I don't think I'd want to be a director under them, even in the unlikely situation that the current director leaves and they choose to promote staff within to director level.
In my last company, 65 people, the helpdesk guys never stayed that long. Two years max. If they were any good they would improve their skills and move on. It also appears that if the senior people don't feel any pain themselves from the under-staffing they are less likely to be compelled to fix the problem properly.
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