Dear Bob: I'm working in an IT department at a major healthcare facility. My duties are to: 1. Support all end user calls. This means anything from my computer is unplugged to my hard disk needs reloading. 2. Support a 15 server network with Windows, Novell, a bunch of databases, and the full Microsoft suite. The problem is the users number over 450. We have a trouble ticket system that generates user orig Dear Bob:I’m working in an IT department at a major healthcare facility. My duties are to:1. Support all end user calls. This means anything from my computer is unplugged to my hard disk needs reloading. 2. Support a 15 server network with Windows, Novell, a bunch of databases, and the full Microsoft suite.The problem is the users number over 450. We have a trouble ticket system that generates user originated work orders and as I said ranging from the really simple to the time consuming. I don’t have any help inside the department since the other members are all programmers, and when I ask for help they say, “that’s not my job.” The man handling the front-end calls can help a little, but has few technical skills and is basically a secretary.My boss thinks I’m “over-reacting” to the work load and stress level. He also thinks that we (that’s me) should NEVER let an end user know that I’m ever frustrated. That’s even when an end user doesn’t even remember what their user name even is. I spend at least 4 to 6 hours a day running from desk to desk. I also never have a chance to do the network administration that is also a major part of my duties. My boss is very end user-centric and really doesn’t seem to understand how long some things take to do. I handed him a project list with time estimates (which were realistic) and he nearly flipped.It’s always “please the customer” but sometimes this is at the expense of the entire network.My predecessor left out of frustration, but I suspect my current boss doesn’t know that. When I mentioned the work load he indicated that it was here to stay and I’d better deal with the stress level. He also thinks that the user to support person ratio is just fine. Needless to say I’m looking, but also need to survive where I am right now. I inherited a rats nest and am trying to straighten it out, but I am now just a worker and no longer management (which I was in my last job with a staff of five to help).I don’t have any staff to delegate to. My boss says I need to go to him more, but I’m not really sure he means it. Is this situation abnormal? My boss is trying to say its not and that any issues are mine. Reality check please. Is the sky really green?– Slightly stressed tech.Dear Stressed … Your situation is completely normal. You have a boss who believes what’s convenient, not what’s realistic, and figures that if he simply asserts that this is how things are enough times he can bend reality to his will. And apparently he can, because one way or another you’re getting it all done.Except, of course, that you aren’t. It’s just that the work that isn’t getting done isn’t visible to the Reality Bender you work for.You don’t need my advice – you already know what you have to do, which is to get out of this poisonous environment. The only question is how fast you can do it. How should you survive in the meantime? A couple of suggestions:First, find articles in the trade press about normal support ratios for users in a Windows environment. I’ve seen numbers as low as 25:1, although between 50:1 and 75:1 seems more realistic to me in a well-run situation. 450:1 is excessive even if that was the full scope of your responsibilities. Anyway, find the articles, arrange a meeting with the head of your organization’s HR department, point out the discrepency between the experience of the industry and your boss’s expectations, and ask for advice on what to do next.Don’t expect too much – many HR departments are nothing more than keep-the-company-out-of-court departments – but there are quite a few fine HR directors out there who really are interested in creating an environment in which employees can succeed. If yours is one of them you might find an ally. Another possibility: Same collection of articles; also keep a detailed time log for a few weeks. Then meet with your boss one more time to explain that the issue isn’t your stress level, it’s that important work isn’t getting done because there aren’t enough hours in a day to do it, and there still wouldn’t be even if you had no life and needed no sleep. Show him the evidence. If he remains firm, tell him, politely but firmly, that you’re going to take advantage of your company’s open-door policy, (or if it doesn’t have one, find an alternative way to let him know you’re escalating the issue to his boss).In this conversation, also make no reference to your excessive workload or the stress level. This is a healthcare facility, after all – it’s the health of the patients that matters, not the staff!Sorry. Back to the advice. Point to the industry-expert estimates, show that the number of users you’re able to support is consistent with those estimates or even better, and that the organization is at risk because your area is understaffed. And if that doesn’t work, change your attitude: Get done what you can get done, let the rest fall on the floor, and continue to keep careful track of where your time is going. With luck you’ll find a new job before everything falls so badly apart that you get called on the carpet. If not, there’s at least a decent chance you’ll be able to make your case to someone who cares.But basically … from your description, you have a bad boss. There’s no way to fix this, other than to change bosses.Which leaves you with only two solutions, which differ only by which of the two of you departs. – Bob ——– Technology Industry