IT manager workload, small company
I'm curious to find out what y'all have to say on this… what is the upper threshold of company size for one IT person before they need help?
Our company has grown from 5 people to 45 people, most of it in the past 3 years. I started with it, designed all the systems, and did extensive coding in those early years as well (for our local VB based order management app, as well as PHP and MySQL stuff for our website). Now, it seems like it’s all I can do to keep up with everybody’s constant IT-related needs, and have no time for anything other than just actual IT stuff. If so, that’s fine, but I will have to have a talk with The Man to get him to stop adding stuff to my plate like it was 4 years ago, OR to get me some help with administration and maintenance of all the IT / systems stuff.
Jeez, I used to love all this, but nowadays it just feels like I’m scared all the time because something’s constantly breaking. If 5 people shared a single car, the wear and tear on that car would be somewhat reasonable, or at least predictable and manageable. With 45 people in that same car, it’s like those old VW ads where they cram in as many college kids as possible and see what the thing will do - except in this scenario the car is a daily driver. That car would be in need of constant fixing, tweaking, etc., and the mechanic would have no time for anything else. For me, the fun has always been designing and building and implementing the various systems… now, it feels like I have no time for anything other than being a high-tech janitor.
Is there actually a formula for figuring this stuff out based on number of employees? Am I just whining? Am I turning into the guy in the back room that just wants everyone to leave him alone? I hope not, because I helped build this company and I love it, but something has to shift.
Our company has grown from 5 people to 45 people, most of it in the past 3 years. I started with it, designed all the systems, and did extensive coding in those early years as well (for our local VB based order management app, as well as PHP and MySQL stuff for our website). Now, it seems like it’s all I can do to keep up with everybody’s constant IT-related needs, and have no time for anything other than just actual IT stuff. If so, that’s fine, but I will have to have a talk with The Man to get him to stop adding stuff to my plate like it was 4 years ago, OR to get me some help with administration and maintenance of all the IT / systems stuff.
Jeez, I used to love all this, but nowadays it just feels like I’m scared all the time because something’s constantly breaking. If 5 people shared a single car, the wear and tear on that car would be somewhat reasonable, or at least predictable and manageable. With 45 people in that same car, it’s like those old VW ads where they cram in as many college kids as possible and see what the thing will do - except in this scenario the car is a daily driver. That car would be in need of constant fixing, tweaking, etc., and the mechanic would have no time for anything else. For me, the fun has always been designing and building and implementing the various systems… now, it feels like I have no time for anything other than being a high-tech janitor.
Is there actually a formula for figuring this stuff out based on number of employees? Am I just whining? Am I turning into the guy in the back room that just wants everyone to leave him alone? I hope not, because I helped build this company and I love it, but something has to shift.
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As for not feeling like you can get away, that's where you might want to look into getting some support from an MSP or consultancy. But like I said, I'm a consultant, so :D
Sometimes IT here is barely 50% tasked. Sometimes we're 100% tasked. But "SLA" expectations for IT are extremely high. Network or Desktop Downtime = Unacceptable. So we're kind of an insurance policy.
haha what's a vacation? I think I remember them from a previous life. even when I do find a break, I have to have laptop with wireless internet capability for me, and at least 2 people that also have 3g or better devices and laptops so that if worse come to worse they can pull me into a remote session and facetime the screen to me :)
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What brought this to a head is the fact that I can no longer be away from work, whether it’s vacation or a day off or anything else… if I’m gone and something needs to be tweaked or there’s an actual crisis, nobody else here can deal with it. There are 2 people who can handle small things, but even then it’s just a patch until I get to the real issue.
I feel like I’m responsible for keeping the company alive just like the owners are, and the stress is getting to me I guess. It would be one thing if I got paid more, but even with that, I would still feel the stress so I don’t think that’s what I want. It’s not about the money, it’s about the ability to have a life where I’m not on call 24/7 365. If I wanted that, I would have went to med school, become a doctor, and learned how to play golf.