'IT for this company are not the brightest': IT ignores print company's problem orders

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Mar 21, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

Problems don't solve themselves! That certainly was the case at this Print Hub after a change in the production process caused over 500 problematic orders. Since the production office was quite frankly under-compensated and since it wasn't within their job descriptions to work around the issue, they reported all the problem orders to IT. 

 

Let's just say that IT certainly underestimated the workload here because after a long stretch of ignoring the problem, by the time they finally addressed it, we're pretty sure they wished they had listened to the production office's request to have the problem fixed sooner. Keep scrolling below for this epic tale of malicious compliance and shout out to Dee, who genuinely seems like a great manager. 

 

For more work-related stories like this, here's one about a horrendously honest job advertisement, and here's another one about an entitled hotel guest who got caught in a lie.

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  • 01
    Font - Bleeding IT Dry. MC in the Print Hub. L OC I currently work in a Print Hub and mentioned in a previous post that Malicious Compliance kind of just comes with the job. Here is another one that I just learned the outcome for this week. I had been on medical leave for quite some time. During that time, a number of systems and programs we used changed. In particular our online systems for business cards and similar products had changed. The way the system was before my leave was that when a c
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 02
    Font - For those not in the know, a bleed on a print file is an excess of the image in the design that is meant to be cut off. Most business cards have colored blocking for style, and this ensures that there is no ugly, uneven white edge on the finished product. Essentially, it allows the customer to get what they envision.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 03
    Font - Astute readers would realize our old system could cause issues however, especially when writing or images are close to borders. Information could be cut off due to being over the bleed line after the image was stretched. As such we as workers knew that a change was going to happen.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 04
    Font - This change happened during my medical leave, as the online system was updated to allow more customizations. When customers uploaded files they were presented with a digital canvas where they could change their text and images on their file. Two boxes were presented on this canvas, one box showing the finished size of the product, and one showing the bleed we needed to ensure a proper cut.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 05
    Font - The problem is, the system no longer automatically stretched the provided file to the finished size, and certainly not to the bleed size. The new system allows customers to properly fit themselves, but rarely do they size it to bleed.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 06
    Font - As such, when we print and cut the finished product, there is often this ugly white band on two of the sides. As the cutting system is all automated, and without those bleeds there were always problems. Additionally, our large Guillotine Cutter is constantly in use for orders that need it, and to reprogram it and interrupt orders to trim a millimeter off every order was unreasonable.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 07
    Font - My manager, who will be named Dee, brought this to the attention of the system admins and IT, but was pretty much dismissed. He was told to push those orders that did not have bleed into problem status, and they would take a look at the problem. Also to send a list of problem orders still not handled at the end of each week.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 08
    Font - When I returned to work three months ago, I was given a run down of everything that was new, including this new problem. I followed this Malicious Compliance currently in progress, none the wiser to what Dee was doing, pushing the orders without bleed into problem status, which was quite a fair amount to be honest. I didn't really think much about it however.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 09
    Font - Towards the beginning of this month, Dee had asked me to scan in February's problem orders, easily 500 orders, ensure each problem was its own separate file then file them in a filing cabinet out back. (I have read/listened to horror stories about office scanning, but I don't really have an issue where I am as we have a high capacity, automated scanner, so this was no issue) I did as I was told, in the folder they told me to put it in on the shared computer and then went to file it.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 10
    Font - There were over thousands of problem orders stuck in limbo due this bleed issue in this filing cabinet. Not only did this likely make us look bad to Head Office, but the customers were probably pissed. When I asked Dee what was going on with this issue, he explained everything, and informed me of his plan.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 11
    Font - It turned out IT intended to do nothing about this bleed problem. They wanted us as Production to fix the problem, which meant designing. The Design Team gets paid a lot more than we in production though, and as we weren't being paid that wage, Dee was having none of it.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 12
    Font - He was told each week to send in all orders that haven't been fixed as of yet, so he was. Dee and the supervisor created a program that would submit each problem order as a ticket to IT, one at a time, at the end of the week. Previously, they had sent everything in as one ticket. This is why they had me scan each problem order as its own file, rather than just a single PDF with everything in it.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 13
    Font - This program ran on Friday, late afternoon, just before IT's weekend started. Dee knew IT needed to acknowledge all problem tickets before they left the office. Every 15 seconds a new problem ticket popped up and they needed to acknowledge it, all 500 files, before they left. I don't know exactly how well it worked, but it certainly worked. Two hours, five minutes after hours at least, depending how fast their PCs are. I did the math, and that's only the stuff that I scanned myself.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 14
    Font - From my understanding, Dee and Supervisor had also decompiled the files they had already submitted and resubmitted them as well. After the first week the Regional Manager (who is a really cool guy, we'll call him Ray) stopped by to check in and asked why IT was cursing Dee's name and Dee explained it. Ray said, in no uncertain terms. "If they haven't done anything about the jobs by the end of the week, you should follow up. Wink"
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 15
    Font - At the end of last week, Dee set up the program to ask for updates on each of the problem jobs, as well as the program to submit new problem jobs from last week, and set it to run. When we came in this Monday we got an update from IT that the system has been adjusted, and customers should not be able to submit jobs anymore that "Do not have borders meeting the Bleed Line." We still have some issues as reorders can override this fix, but it's been a lot better now and this week has been ex
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 16
    Font - Dee, meanwhile, came into his email having over 20 unread messages, and over 500 junk mail as the spam filter kicked in. Each message was the program's response asking for an update, with the first few responses from IT being "We are still looking into it." and the later responses simply being the letter A. There is still the matter of the orders still stuck in Limbo, so there may be an update, but the main Compliance has been settled.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 17
    Font - Edit 1: The reason why this problem was not fixed before was all the other locations were doing work arounds to fix the problems thereselves. We were the only location making a stink about the issue as the work around was outside the scope of our paycheck, so it was considered low priority. Still does not excuse them, but they changed their tune in the end.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 18
    Human body - Lo_tessa 21 hr. ago . Yes, so satisfying!! Dee is my hero
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 19
    Font - kolecarmot OP 21 hr. ago. edited 3 hr. ago There are horror stories about people coming off leave to new managers and staff, but I am extremely fortunate that all the problem staff ended up leaving my place of work and replaced by a really close knit crew. Although I am sad my previous manager is gone, Dee and Ray are absolutely fantastic. There motto is "No one wants to work in a dull place. As long as your work is done and done correctly. Do what you want.' Moral is at an all time high
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 20
    Font - CoderJoel 21 hr. ago So those white edges on my cards mean I'm on the bleeding edge of my field?
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 21
    Font - dsdvbguutres · 20 hr. ago Your workload moving forward will also be lighter as some of the customers who got their time wasted will go somewhere else.
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 22
    Font - kolecarmot OP 20 hr. ago I am willing to bet that a lot of those orders in the system were already complete or cancelled. By this story, I am sure you can tell IT for this company are not the brightest. In addition to this issue, they also don't properly clear there tickets on their end. When they get new files or fix the issue, a new job ticket is submitted, rather then the current job ticket being altered. Then they would need to link the new job ticket and the problem. When the new job
    via u/kolecarmot
  • 23
    Font - I am processing upwards to 100 jobs a day so I can't recognize all orders pushed into problem, but as we have not recieved any consequences or word from Head Office I am assuming we were still running the orders at some point and customers recieving their orders, even if they weren't clearing from the system.
    via u/kolecarmot

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