IT working culture..

Hi, I've just recently started a new job, second week in I'm already questioning the work 'culture'. I know that IT is a mainly male dominated industry. However, the language that IT workers use is quite an eye opener. Even in my previous jobs this has been a reoccurring trend. People talk to each other in a way where you would get reprimanded if a director or someone overheard you. Even the women in the team seem to have this "laddish" behavior. I even witnessed people punching each other. Maybe I'm just being a party pooper, but it's just strange how I've experienced this in all of the companies I've worked for. Has anyone else experienced this sorta thing, or is the area I live in just crap?

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E Double U

LightningxThief wrote: »

I even witnessed people punching each other.

I've been working in this male dominated field since '03 and have not seen this.

N7Valiant

Sounds like it's just you.

mikey88

You haven't worked in the public sector/military then. I was quite surprised by the language and behavior in the workplace.

Basic85

Please explain the punching each other part as I have never seen that before may have heard about it but never seen. Work culture in general is a make or break for me. I can't stand a manager who yells all the time, that just tells me they are not in control of themselves.

NetworkingStudent

LightningxThief wrote: »

Hi, I've just recently started a new job, second week in I'm already questioning the work 'culture'. I know that IT is a mainly male dominated industry. However, the language that IT workers use is quite an eye opener. Even in my previous jobs this has been a reoccurring trend. People talk to each other in a way where you would get reprimanded if a director or someone overheard you. Even the women in the team seem to have this "laddish" behavior. I even witnessed people punching each other. Maybe I'm just being a party pooper, but it's just strange how I've experienced this in all of the companies I've worked for. Has anyone else experienced this sorta thing, or is the area I live in just crap?

I haven’t seen people punching each other in the workplace.

However, I did work at a small MSP were the owner told me she was ok if people gave each other the middle finger. She said walked by an area and this previous employee flicked her off. She said she thought it was funny. She said “as long as no one is offended it’s fine.” I was blown away by the comment, and I disagreed with her. It didn’t seem professional to me to be ok with employees to flicking each other off.

I really think that the way everyone treats each other trickles down from management. Then from the employees this same treatment goes to the customer. Treat each other like garbage, and then you treat your customers like garbage.

Also, I do remember a boss saying” you’re like a F-16 with a lot of F……….(Fword) Fire Power.
Well he was talking about all the tools I had access to(chat,remote control,remote tools,knowledge base articles) that we could use to resolve a customer’s problem. Later on someone was in the room and he asked me what I told him , and I tried to repeat, but I couldn’t do it using the F……..word.

I have religious beliefs in were I don’t think you should swear. I think/believing swearing id an act of contempt.

I’m getting off topic. I think you should stick to your guns and remain professional.

LightningxThief

Sorry, when I say people were punching each other, I meant they were having a "game" of who can punch each other in the arm the hardest. Weren't like punching each other in the face.

Danielm7

LightningxThief wrote: »

Sorry, when I say people were punching each other, I meant they were having a "game" of who can punch each other in the arm the hardest. Weren't like punching each other in the face.

That's a little elementary school, but I find tons of people talk like sailors behind closed doors / out of range of HR.

chmod

That sounds more like that company culture or that group of people culture and not IT culture as a generalization. IMO.

scaredoftests

I have been in the IT field for close to 20 years and never experienced what you have. It is your company in which it was me, I'd leave..

NOVA_USA

Put your nose to the grind stone and get another certification. Then move on.

Dojiscalper

I've worked in a lot of MSP's over the years and "shop talk" ain't only used in car repair shops. To me I don't mind a lot of swearing, in the right context it colors conversation. Now swearing in anger is different and no employee should have to deal with that.

Cisco Inferno

quit being a square. sock your boss right in the nose.

LordQarlyn

I've seen some relaxed work cultures in IT, but nothing like that lol.

JoJoCal19

Depends on the company and the work atmosphere. In the large, global financial firms people didn't swear or have talk about certain things due to the professional and mixed gender atmosphere. In the smaller company I worked at where the security team was in their own "closet" behind closed doors and an all-male environment with three ex-military members, yeah definitely not the place for polite company....

EnderWiggin

I prefer this type of environment. Not because I talk or act like that, which I don't, but if I ever make a comment that is mildly offensive to someone, I can play the "Have you HEARD how everyone else talks? It's way worse than what I said!" card.

Or if I ever feel like quitting because I'm bored of the job, it's an easy excuse to get out of there. If the current boss is upset I'm leaving, I can just say "I'm not comfortable hearing XXXXXXX all the time." Then the boss gets scared of HR issues, etc. SO when they ask if there's anything they can do, I can just say "Give me a good reference."

Make it work to your advantage.

dizzy_kitty

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

quit being a square. sock your boss right in the nose.

Seriously LOL'ed.

ITSec14

My previous jobs culture can be summed up by that scene in Gran Torino when he takes the kid to the barber shop.

Queue

I'm not one that wants to be all professional and uptight all the time so I would enjoy that.

The punching game is weird, they must be friends outside of work. It's an immature thing to do,

I have experienced immature employees when I was in lower level support jobs. Once you make it out of those everyone has tried to get where they are so less immaturity/more advanced personalities. When you are in a higher level role you earned it, this carries over to how you start to act in the work place.

JustFred

I once worked at a place where we used to arm wrestle and had a scoring sheet, created by the boss who loved it as much as we did. The boss left and the team fell apart as the new boss was more like an army general.

NetworkNewb

I'm assuming this is like tier 1 support in a public sector right? Have never seen this myself and can't imagine this happening too much elsewhere. At least that not that much... Swearing happens in most IT places to a degree though.

Ertaz

These behaviors showcase a lack of maturity, focus, and decorum. Punching is adolescent an seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen. In it's worst case, as it seems here, it's a real douche bag boys club.

In the best cases, they also foster direct communication, accountability, inclusiveness, and camaraderie. Criticism is constructive and doesn't cross the line to form a personal attack. Praise is genuine and edifying. If you know that someone is willing to tell you like it is when you're doing well and when you're not, it inspires a lot of trust and builds a sense of team.

Blucodex

IT is known as the "HR Nightmare".

ThePawofRizzo

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

quit being a square. sock your boss right in the nose.

LOL.

Honestly, I think in most work arenas, if you are easily offended, you should probably start your own business and set your own rules for your employees. I try to refrain from cussing in the office simply as my own personal desire to be business like, but sometimes a server keeps crashing and one just let's it fly. I've worked with some men and women who choose to cuss regularly, and it just it what it is. I don't think it specific to IT, and I certainly have seen women aplenty be as saucy mouthed.

beads

IT people in general tend to be a vicious - particularly in packs - like wolves. We do this because it keeps us honest and pushes us to do better or simply outperform the next guy or at least perform as well as our colleagues. IT tends to be HR's next to worst nightmare past the docks or local state prison. Meh, most of this is common save the punching.

Speaking of punching. Is there any chance given your wake up to IT that the punching contest may have been a bit of a skit put on for your displeasure? I mean if its a one time occurrence, I'd let it go. If this is a daily or weekly thing I think reassessing the situation may be in good order.

Here at work I would say we tend to be a bit more free flowing when it comes to verbal commentary and thoughts in general. HR not only avoids our enclave at nearly any cost but generally avoids us outside of the IT office area unless cornered. The two female employees are fairly salty enough to fit in with the general culture but also understand to flourish in this particular environment one must be an exceptional professional or move on to another organization. Funny thing is we are a top 100 workplace, etc. for the area with IT being a bit of a competitive exception. Still we are pretty welcoming and will bend over backward to help you learn but you had better be ready to learn -fast. Let us know if any of this changes you or if the team changes its behavior over time.

Hang in there. I suspect your team is hazing you a bit in somewhat unorthodox IT fashion.

- b/eads

UnixGuy

The IT industry

brad_pitt_fight_club

LeBroke

LightningxThief wrote: »

Sorry, when I say people were punching each other, I meant they were having a "game" of who can punch each other in the arm the hardest. Weren't like punching each other in the face.

Sounds fun and I'd definitely join in!

That said my previous place was a lot like a frat party (well, mostly for non-tech people but I hung out with our PMs, IC, CSRs, and a few of the devs instead of IT). I miss every minute of it

New place everyone is too shy and PC (in the context of too afraid of saying anything that might come off as critical or not 100% nice).

MIME

I'm also a female and as a Gen X'er am, well "seasoned" (aka older). Having been in IT for over 20 years my experience is that salty language is the norm pretty much everywhere. The frat party atmosphere is common but I've found that the average age of the group makes a big difference. Right now I'm working with other people in their 40's-early 50's and it is less of a frat party atmosphere but suspect is really tied to age.

LeBroke

LightningxThief wrote: »

Sorry, when I say people were punching each other, I meant they were having a "game" of who can punch each other in the arm the hardest. Weren't like punching each other in the face.

New place everyone is too shy and PC (in the context of too afraid of saying anything that might come off as critical or not 100% nice).

Fulcrum45

I guess for me it depends on the atmosphere. When I was in the military or working a contract for the military I expected F-Bombs to be used in place of commas. However when I get to the civilian/ private sector I'm usually taken aback when I hear language like that. Not because it offends me but it surprises me mostly. If it's friendly and not over the top then I don't mind but it can teeter on being unprofessional real quick. I'll take a f-bomb laced butt chewing from the military (you kinda have to) but I won't accept it from a civilian. Even when I would deserve it I cant.

knownhero

I love that atmosphere. Friends inside and outside work, I'd hate to be stuck in an office with a bunch of boring people