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@xxxxxxxxx> 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@xxxxxxxxx>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.'