Just like many before me, I have asked the question before. From what I gather, there are 3 situations that influence what Service Desk professionals should wear. The 3 situations are:

1. Corporate Culture – If your organisation requires everyone to be dressed in uniforms, then it is a no-brainer that your Service Desk professional should dressed in that. With free uniforms and possibly free laundry, I do not foresee any problems for your subordinates to be dressed in them. If your organisation does not provide uniforms but expects everyone to be dressed in suit and tie, you can either follow suit or beg to change (read next point)
2. Customer Facing – My rule of thumb for dressing is simple, if your Service Desk professional faces the customer; i.e. allow walk-ins or performs desk-side support, then the said professional should be dressed appropriately. Yes, I would expect a long sleeve shirt and tie to begin with. Either that or a nicely pressed tee-shirt with corporate logo for branding.
3. Non-customer Facing – If your Service Desk professional does not leave their seat for 8 hours; and they do not accept walk-ins; chances are that it does not matter what they are dressed in as long as it is decent. After all, we live, work and interact in a community. Broadly speaking, uncontrolled dressing allows your team members to dress in what they are most comfortable in (pajamas not allowed). Comfortable clothings in turn allow your Service Desk professionals to work longer and at ease. It might even raise their productivity and efficiency.

I guess the above pretty sums it all up. The next time you hear someone raise this question, do point them to ServiceDeskCenter.com

Given the high dynamic forces of incidents at attack you and your team, day and night, relentless as the sun rises and sets, human beings on Service Desk experiences burnouts. Wikipedia defines burnout as “a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest (depersonalization or cynicism), usually in the work context” and further suggests that it is a “result of a period of expending too much effort at work while having too little recovery“. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Of course it does; it’s referring to your working environment. It is said that the average lifespan of a Service Desk professional is 18 months. That’s a short 1.5 years. Based on my experience, this assumption seems to be holding water.

So far, I have been assuming that Service Desk professional may leave you because of a highly stressed environment but that doesn’t discount the fact that people may leave the organisation for better pay, better benefits, career advancement, current bitchy boss, horrible clientele and a whole lot of other reasons.

When a key staff resigns, it is most attributed to burnouts. The longest key staff I had is 3 years and she’s leaving for a same pay, less stressful work. I can’t blame her because my team is truly the global lightning rod for my organisation. We always get hit the hardest. In this kind of situation, what would you have done? The first response that any manager would make is to counteroffer whatever she is getting elsewhere. In my humble opinion, that would only prolong her for a little while longer. It’s not a permanent solution and you will continue to face such situations.

This is where foundation of your Service Desk is important. It’s a long road to the illusive perfection; a long road to have your team work like a clock. Things that need to be done are:

1. Be process oriented – like a clock, have your team move at their own gears’ pace; everyone share the same goal, the same function, the same rotation and everyone knows when to chime. This can only happen when you have standard operating procedures and standard methodologies.
2. Document documents – for everything that your staff does, have it documented and verified. Verification is simple; have a layman do what the document says. If the layman is able to obtain the expected results, the document should pass with flying colours.
3. Identify alternates – no one should be the sole custodian to a process. Make sure there is at least another person who is able to perform the same function.
4. Panic – If you do not have 1, 2 & 3, offer your resigning staff and start working on 1, 2 & 3.

When you have the necessary in place, you should not fear when a key staff resigns. It’s part of life and you are prepared for such a change.