TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Did ya ever wonder?? From:Chris Hamilton <caxdj -at- EARTHLINK -dot- NET> Date:Tue, 4 May 1999 15:58:48 -0400
John Posada wrote:
>
> Why "should" you? Is it automatic that only an
> employee, by simply being an employee, has the "right"
> to equipment that will do the task assigned to them?
> Why not base it on the criticality/visibility/urgency
> of the project.
Here's why: if I'm the leader of the doc department and I've got X
permanent employees and I have X SuperPCs and 1 CrappyPC, and I hire a
contractor, here's what I have to do:
1. Shoot my credibility with my permanent staff by giving the contractor
one of their PCs.
2. Wait for the chosen perm to get all the crap he or she needs off the
SuperPC and onto the CrappyPC. Considering the fact that he or she has a
severely out-of-joint nose, it's not likely to be an efficient transfer.
3. Justify myself after the CrappyPC perm goes and complains to my boss.
Take that opportunity to try to get another SuperPC. Hear for the
43,216th time that I only have X people so I only get X SuperPCs. Use
the you-save-money argument and get told to give the CrappyPC to one of
my people and deal with the consequences, 'cause my boss doesn't want to
hear about it any more.
4. Assure the CrappyPC person that I'm not going to make a staff change,
I just needed to give the contractor the SuperPC because of money
constraints. Listen to how Kelly should have gotten the CrappyPC because
Kelly doesn't do any work anyway.
5. Start a job search because CrappyPC person has left in a huff and the
contractor, seeing the political upheaval tells me that he'd rather dive
into a swimming pool filled with double-edged razor blades than to be
permanent with me.
6. Endure an inquisition of upper management as to why I irritated an
employee to the point where that employee felt is was necessary to
delete all the documentation off the server and place a magnet in the
drawer with the backups before leaving.
7. Find a job as a contractor. Get a job where I'm given a CrappyPC
while all the permanent writers get SuperPCs...
Okay. Maybe I exaggerate, but you get the point.
--
Chris Hamilton
Technical Writer
Tampa, FL
caxdj -at- earthlink -dot- net