After being told that, yes we would respond to residents,  CB decided that the only way employees should contact the IT department was via the help desk ticketing system.  This means either by sending an email or calling an unattended voice mail box.  We were explicitly instructed to not answer the help desk phone when it rings, forcing the caller to leave a voicemail.  The first day this was put into practice, the dietary department called the help desk phone twice, then my phone, then another office phone, all without leaving a message.  Early the next morning, it was discovered that diet orders were not getting to the kitchen, which is why they were calling.  I argued that had we answered the phone, we would have known about the issue earlier.  I was told, no, had they left a voicemail, we would have known.  Much discussion was held about the process to be followed with the outcome being if anyone contacts us other than putting in a help desk ticket, we are to instruct them to put in a ticket and it will be assigned.  We are not to answer the helpdesk phone, even if we are sitting there.

We were also instructed to not monitor the queue for helpdesk tickets if it is not our week to be "helpdesk"  This is what happened today because we followed this new rule:

A Nurse Manager submitted a helpdesk ticket before 8 am saying she needed her email password reset.  This same Nurse Manager called my phone directly at 8:30 am, asking for her password to be reset.  I explained I could not help her, that she had to wait until the ticket was assigned to someone.  She thought I was joking at first, but I explained that due to the new procedures in the IT Department, I needed to have the ticket assigned to me before I could help her.  Previously, I would have already pulled the ticket before she called me and had the password reset already.  I explained that if she had concerns about the new policy, she should address them with the Assistant Director. 

At 3 pm, she put in another helpdesk ticket, saying she had not heard from anyone.  I do not know why the ticket was never assigned.  I saw it sitting there all day.  I did hear the help desk person try to phone her about 3:30, but she was gone for the day.  She has gone without email the entire day, totally unacceptable. 

I received an email from Medical Administration, asking for a password reset for the EMR.  According to the new policy, I responding, saying "due to changes in the IT Department, you will need to submit a helpdesk ticket for this concern. I apologize for any inconvenience."  That response took me longer to type than changing the actual password would have taken.  The original requester did not submit a helpdesk ticket, that I am aware of , so the password has not been reset. 

Late morning I received an email from the Pharmacy department, referencing an issue that happened while I was on vacation.  I responded saying I could not help them without a helpdesk ticket.  The pharmacist argued that he had put in a ticket several weeks ago, but it was closed and he was told I would contact him.  I did not have any knowledge of this conversation and again told him I could not help him without a helpdesk ticket  He then emailed CB to complain that I wouldn't help him, as well as asking if there were menu items that would help him perform his job in the EMR  CB responded by repeating the new procedure, and adding that, unfortunately, the IT Department cannot help people with things they don't know. 

 

What does a helpdesk do if not help people with things they don't know how to do?????

 

 

And lastly, CB has decided that we will need 3-5 days to put a phone in a resident's room, when the whole process takes about 10 minutes to complete.  I do not know why he has said it will be 3-5 days but lets think about this for a minute.  You are admitting your loved one to The Hospital.  You tell the social worker you would like a phone in their room.  You kiss your loved one good bye and say I will call you later.  Only you CAN'T because it will be 3-5 days before they have a phone in their room.  This, I am sure, can only end badly.  

 

Tomorrow is our staff meeting.  I can hardly wait to see what dumb decision or unnecessary change awaits us....

 

The next change was how, and if we would respond to resident requests for computer help.  We are a LTC facility, we exist only to serve the residents that live there.  CB determined that we should not and would not respond to resident requests for computer help.  I argued against this and was told I was too caring, "to a fault".  I took my concern to the Assistant Director of The Hospital and she agreed that we can and should respond to the residents.  CB was struck down again. 

The second change he wanted to make was how quickly we will respond to certain types of help desk requests.  He has determined it will now take up to 3 weeks to respond to a request to move offices.  This was put to the test when a department requested on Monday to move on that Friday.  A mere 4 days notice.  CB initially said we need up to 3 weeks, but soon found out that other departments are involved in moving offices, and the IT department needs to work within the availability of the other departments. 

Since CB has been working at The Hospital, he has attempted to make many changes.  Changes in work flow, changes in policy, changes in procedures. 

The first change he wanted to make was to get rid of the helpdesk software that we have used for the past several years.  There is no reason to get rid of this, it works just fine.  I and the others in the department pushed back and he agreed to not change the software, for now.

I have to go back a couple months to when CB was hired.  After serving as the Interim IT Director for nearly 4 months and having 2 interviews for the permanent position, I was informed that an outside candidate had been chosen.  The only reasons I was giving for not selecting me was I was too good at my former position and that they wanted "Fresh Eyes".

Welcome to my little blog.  Here you will find my rantings, sometimes daily, of the stupid stuff I have to endure because of my new boss. 

First some background.  My former boss (let's call him Former Boss, or FB for short)left my place of employment (simply called The Hospital from here on) in February of 2016.  I stepped up to be the interim IT Director.  At first I wasn't sure I wanted to be the permanent director because it is a big job.  But after a few weeks, I decided that yes, I would throw my hat into the ring for consideration.  I had the support of many employees at The Hospital, from department heads on down.  I also had the support of the Assistant Director, until she chose to hire someone from outside.  This person (let's call him Current Boss, or CB for short) has no management experience, no networking knowledge and is basically a programmer. Things have not been going well since he was hired.  This blog will attempt to document the things that make me shake my head and ask WHY??