(no subject)

[rwmidl.livejournal.com]

I work help desk for a company and came across a situation I wanted to see if anyone else came across.
Last week our local sales manager came up to me and told me she gave my name to the President of another company/organization here in town because he is having problems with his computer (note I only do support for our company - not for anyone else). Anyway, being kind I gave him a call and did some quick troubleshooting (unable to access internet, unable to download email but can ping url's - so internet connection is good and dns is working he just can't do anything). I've been busy with work and my own life and haven't been able to get back with him.

Yesterday the manager came up to me and asked if he called me. I said yes, explained I did some troubleshooting but with everything else going on I haven't had the time. Now she wants me to go down to his office on Thursday during my working hours to work on his pc. I don't mind working on the equipment, but honestly it's not a priority for me. But, is it just me or does this sound wrong and unethical. I'm pretty sure our HR guide prevents me from "moonlighting" during work hours. Has anyone else been "jobbed" to another company by your managers as a favor to someone? How did you handle it?

Comments

[inahandbasket]

that's BS. It's totally wrong and unethical.

Can you go over your boss's head about it?
You're not responsible for touching anything but your company's hardware, and you could literally be sued if you slip and toast something on that guy's machine. $DIETY forbid you accidentally delete their payroll spreadsheet while trying to clean spyware of his machine or something...

[anivair.livejournal.com]

I've only been outsourced to teh president of my own company. I've had to go to his house a few times durring work to fix his personal PC. My thought on that is. . . I'm still on the clock and I'm still getting paid, so I can't say i care. it's more pleasant than sitting at my desk.

[jacobine.livejournal.com]

I had that happen once -- I was covering for the tech at the corporate bigwig office and got called to install a cd burner for one of the Sr VPS. I only realized it was his damn /personal/ PC after I got it back to the tech bench. I installed it, but told the normal tech, and he bitched them out for me.

I wouldn't have minded except it was passed off as a work PC.

[xdownfornowx.livejournal.com]

I see this more as a growth from the friends/family support. we all have been whored by friends/family to help someone they know. You should try to do it off hours and try for a consultanting fee. Its not really that unethical or aweful of a request. I have now become our company CEO's bitch. I have to sync his pocket pc, download tracks from iTunes music store to his iPod, connect his wireless keyboard/mouse when it disconnects, and setup his home network. Out of a company of a 150 only 3-4 people are actually computer literate. Guess who continuously gets fucked PCs showing up to his office every week? And every time I walk down the hall get some PC related question. Its almost like doing phone support with Gateway again, minus the head set and mute button. I actually envy your situation.

[tadiera.livejournal.com]

On the one hand, it is a bit weird and yeah, may seem unethical, but are you still getting paid? If so, go for it. Are you getting in trouble? If not, stick with it. If you ever get laid off from this job, imagine how happy that other guy might be to hire you. ;)

[jacobine.livejournal.com]

Is this /your/ manager, or just a sales manager? If it's not your direct boss, I'd report it to them and ask.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Personal preference.

If you're cool with it, and your direct boss is cool with it, and you're still getting paid (plus travel etc if applicable), then eh. It's a change of scenery. See if you can get something extra out of it - personal contracting fees from the other CEO, free food, that kind of thing. They're overstepping the boundaries of your contract, so now's the time to demonstrate why that is going to be very, very expensive for them.

If the whole situation seems dodgy, tell your boss that the sales manager has been attempting to reassign your time to noncompany work without consultation. Or tell HR, mentioning the legal implications.

If the sales manager is genuinely nice, just clueless, gently remind her of the potential legal issues - liability, insurance, contracting boundaries etc. If she persists, but you still don't want to fry her, ask her to sign a statement saying that she personally takes all responsibility for any issues arising as a result of asking you to perform noncompany work. If she won't sign it, tell her you can't perform the external work without appropriate authorization, as it's not covered in your current contract. Refer her to HR.

[infy.livejournal.com]

Especially the liability issues, because if you accidently screw something up or its not to their liking, you could be in a world of hurt really quick.

[phierce921.livejournal.com]

Personally, I would say "im getting paid" so I wouldnt care. I would maybe ask the Sales manager to write you an email or formal request just to CYA...

Plus you make a good impression with the other person in this company, then your company has layoffs or what not, you can use this other person as a refrence and/or contact.

[normal1.livejournal.com]

I would probably talk to HR first to find out how this affects your job because the last thing you want to happen to you is to get fired over one stupid person, thats your livelyhood so I personally wouldnt mess with it. If I find out from HR its cool then go for it, wether during or after work. If its not OK I would relay it to HR and have them deal with it. Its better to have a good steady job than be a pc whore for one person.

Just my 2 cents