ASK US
You Asked. We Answer.

---

Thanks for your Ask Us questions. After a backlog, we are back with a slightly new format. Some of the questions we receive can be grouped together with a single response.

We also encourage you to pose questions first to your supervisors, when possible. They have more understanding of specifics within your department.

---

Q: I had previously asked a question about contacting IT. I feel as though my question wasn't answered and if possible, would like some more clarification on what I should be doing and/or telling those that I am supervising for the evening.

Here is what was said:
"Q: If we call all the IT numbers (extensions and 24-hour hotline) and there is no answer, but an IT-related question is needing to be addressed, what should we do for our next step? This has happened to me on several occasions, and to those who I work with, but don’t directly supervise. I want to be able to give them the correct answer when they tell me what their next step should be. Thank you!

A: Thanks for submitting the question. IT offers an on-call service for after-hours and weekend support. The on-call phone is carried by CHS IT staff. The number to reach the on-call phone is 605-400-4113. Please reach out to IT staff if there are any critical outages, such as power outages or services affecting your ability to continue day-to-day functions."

I understand that there is an on-call IT number, but I am asking what I should do if IT does not answer this phone. I primarily work evenings and some weekends, and there have been a few instances where someone whom I am supervising for the evening, or I have attempted to call the on-call phone and there hasn't been an answer. It is hard at the shelter too, because we use the computers more consistently throughout the day than they do in the evenings in residential.

I know there probably aren't very many other options, but I am just reaching out to see what I can do when there is no answer from the on-call IT. Thank you!

A: Thanks for clarifying your question. We were not aware that the on-call number was not answered. That said, the IT department is working on identifying and installing a tool that will accept and forward after-hours help calls to IT staff. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact your location’s IT representative or IT Director Austin Winter at austin.winter@chssd.org or 605-965-3169 during business hours. Please leave a voicemail message for Austin if your call is not answered, including your name, phone number and IT issue.

---

Q: Why did admin staff stop shadowing on the units? I think that it would be incredibly beneficial for administrative staff to experience what a day-to-day work experience is like for floor staff.

A: Thanks for your question. The Executive Team loves to round/shadow and we have tried to do this on Monday afternoons, rotating between locations and within various departments. Last week we discussed this with our director teams, and they asked that we round/shadow individually because the presence of the full team was disruptive to employee work. We fully intend to continue this practice, although it will be “one at a time,” and completely agree that it is one of the most beneficial things we can do to truly experience the work that our frontline employees perform so admirably. So glad you reached out to express your interest in our continued presence!

---

Are you looking for another Q&A? Find them all listed here!

More Q&A's