More and more companies are eliminating their IT departments, sometimes as a cost saving measure and sometimes because technology is becoming easier to use and people are becoming more computer literate, eliminating the need for the department. One area that an IT team are still useful is during online conferences. Despite its huge growth, many still aren’t used to the software and the uninitiated can still encounter technical glitches. Others, however, may still feel as if they don’t need an IT specialist during these meetings or give them unreasonable demands. Here are four things that IT professionals are sick of hearing during video conferences, or at any other time, and how you can work with them for the benefit of both of you:
‘Can’t you do That Any Faster?’
Gordon Training International lists this as one of the worst things that a boss can say to any team member. ‘Are you done yet?’ is a similar phrase that is equally as annoying. Not only does it increase anxiety, it is actually counter-productive as it will cause the person to make more mistakes, delaying the task even further. We all want our projects to be finished on time and for technical issues to be fixed before an online meeting is scheduled to start, but if it is a serious problem, let your IT team work it out in their own time rather than having them rush through it and doing a poor job. This will cause more technical problems and hold your meeting up even more.
‘That’s Your Job, Not Mine’
Business Insider lists this as a phrase you should never say to your boss, but the same applies to any person in your office. They say that it is unprofessional as it indicates you won’t take additional effort to solve your own problems. It also sounds incredibly rude and passive aggressive and will give others the impression that you are difficult to work with. The IT team has a specialist knowledge that you don’t, but that doesn’t mean you can come to them with every small problem or expect them to take on tasks that you could easily complete yourself. You can make their job easier by taking care of your conferencing equipment, performing regular system checks, and learning how to use it and perform simple troubleshooting, only turning to the IT department when you can’t fix the problem yourself. To make things easier, video conference business suppliers such as BlueJeans typically have a technical support number you can contact with problems, saving your in-house team the trouble. You will save yourself the trouble of waiting for a member of the IT department to answer your problem and you will give them more time to deal with more pressing matters.
‘This Shouldn’t Take you Too Long’
It is always frustrating when your software isn’t working when you need it to and keeping you from working or holding a meeting, but assuming the IT department can magically fix any problem within a time frame that you set is dangerous thinking. Some problems take longer to fix than others and the department may be bogged down by several jobs all at once, so it is unwise to expect your problem to be fixed whenever it is convenient to you or that your job takes priority over all others. Think about how you would react if somebody brought an additional piece of work to you and expected you to complete it quickly on top of all of your other work. You would probably tell them that it’s impossible or that you can’t be expected to work unpaid overtime. Therefore, you should treat your colleagues with the same level of respect that you expect to receive.
‘This is the Right Way to do it’
Sometimes the opposite can happen, people can assume that they know more about their conferencing software than the IT department, despite the fact that they are employed specially to solve computer problems. It may be true that new technology such as video conferencing has made a lot more people computer literate and is much easier to use than the equipment of the past, but it is arrogant to assume you know more than trained professionals as a result. When a problem occurs or an IT member suggests something, listen to their input rather than automatically questioning them, just as you would expect them to listen to your opinions on your specialist area.
Whether it is during a video call or during regular office operations, failure to listen to the suggestions of the IT department or saying the wrong thing to them will provide them with the wrong impression of you. Trust their instincts and listen to their input and your office and video meetings will run smoothly.
