Re: how to prevent DBA burnout?

From: Andrew Kerber <andrew.kerber_at_gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:36:45 -0500
Message-ID: <ad3aa4c90903300736o75921381kf3c3d4ed672e60c6_at_mail.gmail.com>

have at least two dba's, if not, reasonable up-time expectations. Nothing burns out a dba quicker than being on call 24x7, with no one else to take the load.

On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 9:24 AM, Robyn <robyn.sands_at_gmail.com> wrote:

> Opportunities to learn ... classes, conferences and the chance to share
> ideas with others dealing with similar problems and environments.
> Conferences and symposiums are beneficial on multiple levels - cutting
> training budgets is penny wise and pound foolish.
> Burnout and boredom go hand in hand. Doing the same thing the same way
> over and over again burns people out, as does dealing with the same problems
> day after day.
>
> Today's card on indexed is perfect for this question:
>
> http://thisisindexed.com/2009/03/ask-more-questions-youll-feel-better/
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 9:44 AM, Jerry Cunningham <jerry59grp_at_gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Hi all...
>>
>> I came across this question on twitter (http://twitter.com/Michael_Corey).
>> How do you prevent DBA burnout?
>>
>> I know there are a lot of smart people on this list - any thoughts? I
>> replied via my blog (more than 140 chars!)... here are my 2 cents:
>>
>> ===
>>
>> 1) Communicate with them regularly. Forget business/corporate formality -
>> everybody you work with *is simply a person*. From the security guard at
>> the front desk to the CEO. How is life? Are you happy? What is stressing you
>> out? If there are problems, what can I do to help?
>>
>> 2) Don’t forget how hard it is to find good people. At a previous job,
>> when interviewing for a vacancy, I had interviewed for weeks without a
>> promising candidate. This made me realize how good the people we had were,
>> and I told them so. I told them, that while they were working harder due to
>> the staffing shortage, I was not going to settle for less than the high
>> standard they had set.
>>
>> 3) If somebody resigns (and you value them) - make them a counter offer
>> immediately. It amazes me how often this does not happen. Or, the employee
>> is asked “what can I do to keep you?”. Too vague - make a concrete offer.
>> ===
>>
>>
>> Jerry
>> http://jerrycunningham.wordpress.com
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up
> where I needed to be.
> Douglas Adams
>

-- 
Andrew W. Kerber

'If at first you dont succeed, dont take up skydiving.'

--
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l

Received on Mon Mar 30 2009 - 09:36:45 CDT