How does the IT Service Desk team work under coronavirus conditions? During the walk, Daniel Drews, IT specialist for system integration, talks about his new everyday life and what he personally enjoys about his work.
Mr Drews, we usually meet in the canteen for such conversations. That's not possible at the moment. Do you like going for walks?
Yes, for example in the forest with my dog, a mini Australian Shepherd.
What does the IT Service Desk team's work from home look like?
Two of us are on site on Tuesdays and Thursdays to deal with enquiries that can't be dealt with from home. One person deals with telephone enquiries all day, while the others handle ticket enquiries and their own projects. The tasks are rotated throughout the week.
Which enquiries are the most frequent?
Most are from students who have forgotten their password (laughs). At the moment, we are often dealing with connection problems that occur in the home office. But our tasks are so varied that I can't list them all.
Has your work changed as a result of the coronavirus situation?
In the beginning, the workload was immense, especially for our colleagues in the Infrastructure department. We first had to expand the options for all employees to work from home. We are now well-rehearsed.
You often have to listen to complaints or rectify errors ...
That's inevitable, but I'm a patient person. Now during the pandemic, users are actually thanking us more often that everything is going well. That makes us happy, of course.
Does it frustrate you to always answer the same questions?
Not if they come from ten different people.
Can you answer all enquiries immediately?
No, you can't know everything. We at the Service Desk tend to be generalists, but we can always ask our colleagues, including the specialists, and our boss.
What do you enjoy about your work?
IT people often just sit at their computers. But I like the interpersonal aspect. That's why I find my job very good: I have a lot of contact with users and constantly have to adapt to new situations. At the same time, I work on small projects where I can realise my own potential.
What makes you laugh?
User enquiries (laughs). Some things are pretty funny ...
What do you do to balance things out?
I like to be out in nature and do a lot of sport. I'm also a hobby photographer. That helps me to focus on other things.
Interview: Constanze Böttcher
