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Subject:RE: TWs and their work tools! From:"Carnall, Jane" <Jane -dot- Carnall -at- compaq -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 29 Jan 2001 13:27:53 -0000
Mark Emson wrote:
>The company has never had a full time writer and it seems that I am a bit
of
>a trial. I've ended up with an old slow PC and a mix-match of software that
>is made up in layers of upgrades. These seem to contribute to the hours
>spent each week trying to recover crashes and lost files.
Been there, done that... My first company, it took me six months to convince
them that I needed a dedicated printer. They already had two printers: one
in reception (one floor above me) one on the sales/training floor (two
floors above me). The one in reception was slow, the one in sales/training
was busy. If I wanted to print out an entire manual I had to do it
overnight. If I wanted to proofread changes to a single chapter, I had to
print it in the lunch-hour. With two printers in the building, why would I
need another one?
You just keep asking.
>I have two obstacles to overcome but I can only see one real solution.
>1) The IT dept thinks that as the new-boy I am just whinging and hence
don't
>take any interest in my problems.
Yeah, that happens. (Does anyone have any suggestions here about doughnuts?)
>2) The boss thinks about equipment and software and can see £s being
flushed
>down the pan.
Yeah, that happens. Read Dilbert... <g>
>My solution: I have started using my own laptop and software to get
the
>job done.
>Q1) Does any one else, other than teleworkerkes or home based contractors,
>find this sort of practice necessary?
I have found it necessary in the past, but have never done it. Instead I
used to make the point, as often as possible, whenever anyone in authority
was in room, that the equipment I had been given was inadequate, and this
was why. (Took an hour to process a manual in Doc2Help, for example.) *Keep
asking*. Persistence wins.
>Q3) What is the legal aspect of all this.What happens if my PC looses
files,
>gets stolen or breaks down before a full backup had been made?
Ask their legal rep. Ask publicly and politely - Explain that you just can't
use the equipment provided, the only way you can do an adequate job is with
your own laptop, but you're a bit worried about the legal concerns, is the
company covered if your laptop is stolen? See if you can ask this in front
of the CEO, by random happenstance or something.
Jane Carnall
Technical Writer, Compaq, UK
Unless stated otherwise, these opinions are mine, and mine alone.
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