Q. Dear Help Desk Coach:

My supervisor just reprimanded me for generating tickets after I’ve provided IT support for co-workers. Usually the problem was simple and didn’t require much time to fix, and my co-worker would have been inconvenienced by waiting a lot longer by starting a ticket. Since I filled out a ticket for them, my supervisor wrote me up.

A. Dear Helpful in New Jersey:

Please review my response to Paul Popular. This is a scenario common with internal help desks. Well meaning agents have inadvertently “trained” co-workers to circumvent the system. By entering the ticket after the fact, you’ve at least documented the issue and your activities. However the ticket never enters the queue, and other users wait longer than is fair. It is time to turn over a new leaf. When friends ask for your help, tell them you’re complimented they keep coming to you, however they need to initiate a ticket from now on. Tell them your supervisor has reminded you about this policy, and is expecting you to comply.