Cons at BCIT: A Personal Perspective
The central issue at BCIT lies in poor management practices. While every company has its challenges, BCIT’s approach to leadership and decision-making creates an environment where progress is stifled, and employees are undervalued.
1. Leadership Out of Depth
The management team lacks foundational knowledge in IT, which isn’t inherently an issue. However, their unwillingness to trust or leverage the expertise of IT professionals creates a cycle of failure. Decisions are made in isolation, without consulting the people most qualified to weigh in. Projects fail repeatedly, yet lessons are not learned.
2. Resistance to Employee Growth
BCIT claims to support employee development but takes active steps to hinder it. Training resources like CBTNuggets are mandated, even when alternative tools might be more effective. Employees seeking certifications or classes encounter resistance, whether in securing time off or reimbursement. Even internal initiatives like lunch-and-learns are dismissed as distractions, despite their potential to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
3. Arbitrary Policies
Rules at BCIT seem to appear only when management finds them convenient to justify actions. These policies are inconsistently applied, often used retroactively to punish employees or as a pretext for termination.
4. Hostility Toward Feedback
Management interprets constructive feedback as a deeply personal attack. Any suggestion or disagreement, no matter how well-intentioned or fact-based, is met with hostility. This mindset not only undermines collaboration but also perpetuates poor decision-making.
5. Counterproductive Employee Management
BCIT’s approach to retaining and rewarding employees defies logic. Productive, solution-oriented workers often face unnecessary scrutiny or outright dismissal. Meanwhile, those who are unproductive or display negative attitudes are inexplicably retained, eroding team morale and effectiveness.
Typical BCIT
After voicing concerns about the leadership’s decision-making and suggesting specific improvements, I was terminated the next day. The stated reason for my termination was something I had done months earlier, which had been explicitly authorized at the time. This experience epitomizes BCIT’s management culture: retaliatory, arbitrary, and disconnected from reality.
Personal and Specific Case Studies of Management Missteps
The Con-Artist Engineer
BCIT hired an individual who lacked even basic engineering skills. Despite repeated warnings from multiple employees about this hire, management ignored the concerns. This individual went on to cause widespread damage to critical systems, including Active Directory, Kerberos, and Veeam backups. Even then, management continued to support them, blocking efforts by the IT team to address the fallout.
The Battle Over a Testing Lab
When the IT team proposed creating a testing lab to safely evaluate changes before implementation, management blocked the idea, citing cost and time concerns. The team offered to work on the lab during their personal time and even pooled their resources to cover costs. Despite these concessions, management continued to oppose the project for unclear reasons, stifling an initiative that would have clearly benefited the company.
The Dameware vs. Splashtop Debate
The IT team suggested replacing Dameware with Splashtop for remote support, citing clear advantages. Management initially blocked the change without providing a reason, seemingly to assert control. Only after sustained pressure did management relent, highlighting their tendency to obstruct progress without justification.
C.E.Ooohh...
The CEO is extremely hard to communicate with. Both The CEO and director of operations dont know IT or business so they either cant hear, cant understand you, you or are not interested in what you have to say and choose to ignore you in spite of the fact that you, the expert, are the only one in the conversation who knows IT.
The Current State of BCIT
As BCIT prepares to launch a full-service MSP, the lack of foundational IT staff is alarming. The company is moving forward without a network engineer, systems engineer, or administrator. Instead, it relies on four helpdesk personnel and three managerial staff. This decision reflects the broader pattern of poor planning and prioritization.
Closing Thoughts
BCIT had potential, but its management practices consistently undermine its success. By failing to trust their IT professionals, stifling employee growth, and fostering a culture of arbitrary decision-making, the company creates an environment where talented employees struggle to thrive. Without significant changes in leadership philosophy and operational approach, BCIT will likely continue to face the same challenges.