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Is My Company Expecting Too Much from a New Helpdesk Hire?

March 25, 2026 5 answers
Asked by CuriousCoder92
I've got a bit of a strange situation at work that I'm hoping to get some input on. We recently brought in a new hire to take over my position as I'm set to leave in just two days. She's a nice person, eager to learn, and finishing her IT degree focused on Business Analysis, but not specifically on helpdesk tasks or hands-on IT, which is central to the role. I'm more than willing to train her before I go, but I can't shake the feeling that my company has unrealistic expectations for her. My boss wants me to cover everything with her—like powering on endpoints, basic troubleshooting, understanding what an IP address is, and what DHCP does. To top it off, he wants her to put together a full presentation on how everything connects in our stores and present that back to him next week. That seems way too much for someone who's still learning the ropes and just about to step into a helpdesk role. When I started, I was thrown into the deep end without much training. This seems like they're setting her up for failure rather than easing her into the job. Am I overreacting, or does this sound like a red flag to anyone else?
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Answers

ITSupportVeteran
This situation isn’t uncommon unfortunately. A lot of organizations often expect new hires to just 'get it' without proper training, which is unrealistic. You’ve got every right to feel uneasy about this. Just focus on imparting whatever knowledge you can manage before your departure.
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TechGuy123
Honestly, you're completely right to be concerned. Expecting her to learn all that in two days is just ridiculous. You could give her an overview and maybe share some useful resources, but asking for a full presentation after such a short time? That's setting her up to fail. Plus, it sounds like they just want to save some cash by hiring someone less experienced and throwing all the responsibilities on her. Not cool.
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JustSomeoneInTech
You've hit the nail on the head. It's definitely a red flag how they're handling this. You should approach management and explain that this isn't a fair expectation for someone so new, especially if their background doesn't align with the technical demands of the job. It's better to advocate for her now, considering you're leaving.
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HelpdeskHero
Not your problem at this point! You’re on your way out, so do what you can to share knowledge but don’t overexert yourself. This setup definitely leans toward being unfair to your replacements. Document what you can and leave it at that. If they insist on these crazy expectations, it’s on them.
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NetworkNerd77
I totally agree with you! It's not just about throwing information at her. A proper onboarding should involve time to learn at her own pace. Expecting her to cover that much content in such a short time isn't realistic, and it might overwhelm her. Documenting processes and offering general guidance is all you can really do in this situation.
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