The favor is a beautiful thing. It is defined as, “A gracious, friendly, or obliging act that is freely granted”. We do favors for people all the time, be it a neighbor, a friend or a family member. It can become quite common in busy offices for a colleague to ask, “Can you do me a favor?” Generally, we are giving people and happy or not we acquiesce to the request and help someone out.
As an IT guy, you are a fairly hot commodity. Doing a favor for someone becomes more commonplace because so many people that own computers don’t know how to operate them. I am asked frequently to help someone out with a computer problem, I get paid for this at work, but at home they are favors. I never expect payment, nor do I want it. I am generally happy to help someone out, as long as I have the time.
Time, that’s a hot commodity itself in the world today. So many different things eat away at this precious object. When I have the time I am more than happy to do someone a favor. I enjoy helping others and serving their needs. This tends to be the problem with the favor though, that the person asking is now at the mercy of the person giving’s time schedule.
We have a boss asking his employee, an IT guy, to do some work on a personal home computer because it is broken. This IT guy originally helped his boss purchase the computer. However, his boss wants him to fix the computer while at work. This IT guy is quite busy with many other projects, puts the computer in his workshop with plans to look at it when he gets a chance. This is the set-up for doing someone a favor, which may be an inappropriate favor but it is a favor.
Now when the IT guy doesn’t get to working on the computer right away, he gets to hear complaints about his boss’s wife wanting to know when it will be ready. After hearing this for about a week, the IT guy sets aside other important projects to look at the computer. Apparently, there are all kinds of problems and this becomes a very time consuming process. Yet still, the litany of complaints about the status of the computer, the wife’s need to have it back soon and where is certain other information said boss needs from IT guy continue. This is what I call an unfavorable reaction to a favor.
Now we have a friend asking an IT friend to take a look at a computer that he has built. The friend has been working with other friends to try to build a computer and has ended up with nothing more than a pretty light show so far. The IT friend is more than happy to take a look at the light show to try to make it a bit more functional. He is unable to determine what the problem is, but offers to do some research. Because of time, he has not been able to complete this research but there have been no complaints from the friend. In fact, he expressed much gratitude at the IT friend at least taking a look at the computer in the first place and appreciated the efforts. This is what I call a favorable reaction to a favor.
So the question is; “Is it better to cause an unfavorable reaction to a favor, thus eliminating the possibility of future favors and get the job done OR is it better to cause a favorable reaction to favor ensuring access to future favors and waiting a bit to get the job done?” I would consider it a FAVOR to receive some answers to this question that is plaguing my thoughts right now and making me not want to come to work!
Posted by price at January 21, 2005 12:06 PMUm, I have to say, I'm a little confused, in spite of your obvious attempts to make this simple for feeble minded brains like mine.
But my reaction is that it's always best to just be upfront about how long it would take to do the favor, otherwise the person who asked for it in the first place might start to get irritated that you agreed to help when really you're not helping at all. Of course, it's always nice to offer to help! You just want to make sure you're actually being helpful when there's the possibility that they could have taken their problem elsewhere and gotten it fixed faster.
I don't know if that answers your question. I don't really know what you mean by "Is it better to cause an unfavorable reaction to a favor, thus eliminating the possibility of future favors and get the job done", since if you get the job done, why do you get an unfavorable reaction? Is it because it takes longer? So confused... But anyway, I think I've said what I think you were asking about...
Posted by: seadragon at January 21, 2005 12:49 PMIt seems the problem lies with the favor giver not the favor asker. When someone asks a favor it is right and good to offer aid, but it is most important to communicate clearly what that aid might be. "Sure, I will be glad to look at your computer, but I am very busy with some time intensive projects right now and may not get to yours until next week or later." Being sure to set a time frame outside of known hinderances. If anything else interfers then communicate quickly and clearly with the favor asker what has occured and why there might be a delay. The secret to all relations with others is good communication and absolutely no assumptions.
Neither of the scenarios you present need exist. Communicate what you can do and when you can do it and remember that it is also a good idea sometimes to say, "No, I can't right now."