I think, therefore I write. (我思,所以我写。)

Cogito ergo scribo

Friday, April 01, 2011

Frustration at work

I'm very busy at work and have been rather lethargic, but one will never be short of time and energy to rant.

And today, i am gonna rant about people.

I am getting frustrated with stupid people, or more specifically, stupid users. You may probably want to read my old posts on stupid users and being an IT person to understand how i felt about them. And i still feel the same about them, if not worse.

People always say that we will be more patient and more mild-tempered as we grow older. I doubt this is true. Why then do i still get frustrated with stupid users after so many years of dealing with them?

(This reminds me of a quote i saw recently: "Just when you think your software is idiot proof, somebody comes up with a better idiot.")

I'm taking care of a mini project lately for the branch office in SG. Since it is not cost effective in sending my consultants from KL down to SG for the project, i will have to conduct the training and UAT personally. I am actually not required to do these tasks anymore, but then i gotta say these users are very lucky because they get to be trained by the Project Manager personally, who is also the best trainer in the team (yes, i am blowing my own trumpet here, rightfully so).

Well, lucky them but unlucky me. Besides utilising my time that could have been spent on other work (that is piling up each day), i also gotta put up with the frustration of training people who simply can't be trained, or at least their behaviours manifested so.

You see, if i have to repeat the same thing more than five times, in different ways, using analogies and demo, and with guided documents right in front of them some more, but they still do not know what to do next and need to ask me again and again, i can't help but label them "stupid".

Yes, of course there is a possibility that the problem lies in me for not having the ability to teach, but people who know me well or who have attended my training or presentation before know that this is not the case. So i will dismiss this possibility for now.

I think the real issue here is with the person being trained. Some people just do not like to think, or words just don't get registered into their brains. They are suited to be in a role whereby the work does not require them to think and act differently in different situations or scenarios; they just want to work like robots everyday, expecting that they will always open the same screens in same sequence, and fill in the same fields with the same information, EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Sorry, honey, that ain't gonna happen. Nuh-uh.

The business world is dynamic. I would expect human brains to be too. In fact, the only thing that is "dead" here is the system. Yes, technologies change everyday, but an IT system is actually written by human and it is only performing the actions predefined by the programmers - if A happens, do B, else do C. All it does is just processing predefined actions or calculations faster than human can. Other than that, it is actually stupid and does not THINK. It is the human brains that do the thinking.

Sadly, a lot of people forget about this and expect the computer to sing and dance for them.

A few years back, i was gathering some user requirements for a system design. The person demanded that when certain figures get too low, the system should automatically alert him and print out a report highlighting the issue at various places. He even asked for some very complicated things on the report that i can't remember anymore, but what i remember is that i got quite fed-up and asked him sarcastically, "do you want the words on the report in red and blinking, and with a beeping sound too?" He looked surprised and asked me, "oh, the report can do that?"

I wanted to hang myself there and then.

And i digress, as always.

Anyway, the UAT continues tomorrow. I guess i gotta pray for lots of patience, or to be more understanding towards different capability of people. If five times do not work, then do it ten times. If it still doesn't work, pray some more and do it another ten more times. If it still won't get through to them, then i can tell them to throw their computers into the sea and go back to working manually, because no super system in this world can ever help them anymore.

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sorry friend, can't help to ask--r they from Finance? We can be quite square sometimes oh! ^-^

wahahahaha...I am glad that finally someone is experiencing this too.... this reminds me of my experience in training in the insurance coy on Financial Calculator...somehow some brains are not design for technologies or science!

But, never know that you can be so sarcastic in front of people! I thought only I do that!

geez, put it in this way that if customers are not stupid, how do we to keep our job then, and make good profit from it. so, gotta control your temper lor and don't get agitated till to call them stupid aloud. Just keep in mind that you are doing fine in your job and it's their loss for not paying good attention and putting effort in absorbing the training. you've already done your best. like your friend mentioned, some people are just not into technology, and paranoid against errors especially in handling financial figures. some people are just stuck in robotic position, and not everyone's equal in intelligence and ability.

you really don't need to hang yourself (gosh, don't even think that!) for person being sarcastic back to you after you did it first. you sure have a bad bad temper. perhaps you should ask your mum to cook nice nutritious food to reduce anger, increase patience. hmm, i might being sarcastic here ... importantly, don't over stress yourself in work and get enough of sleep!

last one, sometimes stupidity does produce creativity. wish you had a good training, with the keywords - CONTROL, PATIENCE. geez, this message is overdue le. cheers!

Angel, no no, the person wasn't being sarcastic with his answer. He actually didn't get my sarcasm and believed that we can make the report blinking and beeping!

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Monday, March 28, 2011 @ 4:52 am: Simple happiness
Thursday, March 24, 2011 @ 4:16 am: Debt-free but sad
Monday, March 21, 2011 @ 4:45 am: To buy or not to buy
Friday, March 18, 2011 @ 5:32 am: Kindness
Friday, March 18, 2011 @ 4:54 am: Richer yet poorer
Monday, March 14, 2011 @ 6:16 am: Calamity
Monday, March 14, 2011 @ 5:46 am: Back in SG
Monday, March 07, 2011 @ 10:13 pm: At Bali
Monday, March 07, 2011 @ 5:24 am: Luggage packed
Friday, March 04, 2011 @ 1:42 am: Stressful week