What is the Most Challenging Thing About My Job?
In a recent Time Management course, I learned the importance of managing interruptions, saying NO, and delegating tasks when appropriate. However, this is not always straightforward in my field.
Imagine facing a colleague who needs urgent help to submit a report to headquarters within the hour. This assistance could take more than 30 minutes, while you're working on another critical task. What should you do when a colleague is in a tight spot, requiring immediate support that pulls you away from your planned duties?
As an IT Associate and the sole IT staff for an entire UNHCR Kananga sub-office, I've found that saying NO is not always an option.
My job includes providing technical support and assistance to colleagues in need, often beyond regular working hours. I set daily goals and meticulously plan my work, but reality often disrupts my plans. Some days, I accomplish only 20% of what I intended, with the remaining 80% devoted to various interventions.
I often find myself grappling with questions -- should I first assist a section chief with a keyboard shortcut issue or help an assistant update ERP Cloud and approve requests?
A typical day in my work starts before I even enter my office. I may have a colleague urgently needing help with formatting a presentation for a workshop starting in 20 minutes.
As I rush to assist, two other colleagues are waiting to have their passwords reset. Once back at my desk, I am immediately called to another emergency. After handling these tasks, another colleague needs help recovering unsaved work after an automatic update while another colleague needs help with configuring their printing settings.
Afterwards, I receive partner colleagues who are facing technical difficulties with a new tool and system that was just launched.
As everyone heads out for their lunch break, I can finally begin my planned tasks. However, I already anticipate a hectic afternoon with numerous online meetings.
Being the sole IT support for an entire office is undeniably challenging, with constant interruptions and urgent requests. Yet, despite the chaos, the satisfaction of helping my colleagues keeps me going.
This story illustrates the daily challenges faced by IT professionals in humanitarian sector and highlights the importance of balancing immediate support needs with planned tasks. Managing these interruptions effectively is a crucial skill in maintaining productivity and providing timely assistance to colleagues.
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4dMore yearest passed UNCR has become father and mother.because it was care much more refugees including me, suppose some sheets for shelter and foods for hungry without forgot about medical and also schools,The country we run fo.r UNCR was stronger to make them guard the refugees security. I can not forget to thanking UNCR