Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the the H in HLMGTFY mean?

It's actually LMGTFY. So the H is confusing.

Sorry, didn't meant to add the H! It just comes out that way when I say it. -OP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the the H in HLMGTFY mean?

It's actually LMGTFY. So the H is confusing.

is it "let me google this for you"? just my guess.

Anonymous wrote:What the the H in HLMGTFY mean?

It's actually LMGTFY. So the H is confusing.

Here,

What the the H in HLMGTFY mean?

GenXer here. Because there was no Google when I was younger and trying to find things out, I continue to be happily amazed every single day by the great things I can find out just by Googling...

And likewise, practically every day, I am incredulous that people younger than me, who've grown up with Google, do NOT use Google first. I so hear you, OP.

I am the go-to person for questions on my team of about 50 people. I totally know what you're talking about. Some otherwise intelligent people just are not very resourceful.

#1. I let those emails sit for awhile, or let them leave a voicemail when I see the people who are notorious offenders. It's amazing how people start to find a solution when they don't get an immediate answer. This was hard for me, because I am a freak about keeping my inbox under control and being responsive, but it is not good for them to be so dependent on someone else to find simple information. Inbox rot, baby.

#2. For the responses I do reply to, I also give them an explanation of how I found this. "The answer is XYZ. I found it on the Intranet under HR > Benefits > Insurance." Or "I didn't know the answer to this, but I googled 'blah blah blah' and the first response said XYZ. If you think that might not be right, you may want to look at some of the other google hits." If someone else (not a boss necessarily, but maybe an influential peer) is copied, all the better. I'm extremely polite and it definitely comes across as just wanting to teach them, but most people get it. Usually I get "Oh, duh, why didn't I think of that" back.

#3. When I can send them a video on Youtube of how to do something (Excel/Word/PPT tutorials) - EXCELLENT. I'm helping them but also teaching them without taking a ton of my time.

#4. When people ask the same things over and over again (for me, it is usually around Excel), I ask when we can schedule 30 minutes to do a screen share so I can teach them how to do it. "Because it would be so much faster for you if you knew these few steps, and I hate being the person holding you up."

It has helped a ton. But it has taken several years to sink in, and I've got 2 or 3 who are still bad about it.

Just a vent. I've been experiencing a lot of the work equivalent of HLMGTFY lately. Mostly from people at the same level as I am. Do people even attempt to try to find an answer to their questions before asking someone else? The majority of the answers can literally be found by Googling. It's driving me batty.