Dr Anjali Chhabria, Psychiatrist and founder of Mindtemple, Mumbai, answers queries related to problems faced at work place like rude boss, ineffective team leader among others
Feeling exploited
So when a person joins an organization he has to work with the existing members. For the first few days the other employees were nice, but as time passed, the people working there started taking advantage of the moment as they knew we were new and they were much more senior. They would end up giving some of their work to us as well, but I being a fresher had to do it as I could not raise my voice. If this is how the working environment is, consult me on how I can start again as I left that organization now and I am looking for a new opportunity. However, the thought of being exploited comes back and thus I don’t feel like looking for a new job.
Ans: If you feel that you are being taken for granted, then you should stand up for it. however before jumping to any conclusion first ponder over the situation, is it that you are pushed over or is it the perks of being senior that they are just enjoying and you as a fresher needs to fulfill to climb the ladder till you make a mark. In many felids, fresher are required to do more work then senior for two reasons, one is that they have to learn all aspects of work and then they prove what they excel in and eventually become an expert in that, and another reason is that they need to know your ability to cope with multi-tasking. Once you do well as a fresher then you can be secured and minimize your role a little and delegate to other fresher. If you think this is just a part of growing in your career, then you will face this in most offices and it’s better that you stick to one place and get acquainted with that work environment then job hopping, but if you feel its crossing your line of dignity then you can take a call to quit.
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Not effective Team Leader
I am heading a team of 20 people and I was really enthusiastic about being the team leader. I believe in a democratic style of working and that everyone should be given the space to grow. My bosses had high expectations from me before I began. However, I haven’t been able to be the best team leader as my team is not performing well. There is no team work and no effective communication. We are not delivering our best and now my confidence level has dipped. My previous team leader did a splendid job, but somewhere I am lacking as a team leader and hence failing as an individual.
Ans: May be as a team leader your style of leading the team did not help to gain the required results and hence you will have to do some kind of thinking there. If you wish to you can sit with your head supervisor and ask for the feedback, someone who will help you and not try to just critically evaluate you. Analyze where you went wrong and how you can mend it. You can also have motivational sessions with your team so that they are encouraged to achieve the goals as much as you are, and said that, you also need to make sure that the project is equally important for all and that equally all are delegated with vital roles. This will help the project to be crucial for all and thus the likely hood of the success will increase. It was an attempt that you made and it is alright if you didn’t do well, learn from your past mistakes and stay passionate about to handle it better the next time.
I am interning at one of the most renowned media houses. I have been asked to write four articles per day and I thought that after I deliver the same, I can leave for the day. However, whenever I finish my work earlier, I am swamped with more work and whenever I ask for permission to leave earlier, I am never granted. I was very enthusiastic when I first got the internship, but now it all seems forced, I am not motivated to go to work anymore.
Ans: Internship is a period of learning and making a mark for you in the field you have selected. If you stick to the work assigned for you are not broadening your horizon to explore other aspects and learning new things. Restricting yourself from variety of work can be a missed opportunity for you to learn on-job aspect. You need to get an insight on what’s exactly causing the sudden lack of interest, is it because something was confirmed with you and now they are going back on their words or whether you do not like any other form of work that they assign to you beside writing articles. Either ways you can probably speak to your supervisor as share what your concern is or he/she can help you out with you issues. At times it’s the mere sharing of feeling that can help you resolve the problem instead of thinking about it and feeling upset about it.
Rude boss
I have been working in this company for the past 10 months and now most of the employees are leaving as my boss is really rude to everybody and he also seems to be against increasing our salaries. I suddenly feel that I should leave too as the work environment is very negative at the moment. However, if I leave the job then there would be no income and I have to take care of my parents, wife and children. I have EMIs to pay and even a home loan that is a major chunk of my salary. I am paranoid that I want be able to get a job soon and meanwhile I will utilize all my savings which is not a good thing. What should I do?
Ans: You need to plan your career in a way that you get your step ahead and but also feel the financial safety at the same time. It makes no sense that you keep up with unjust at work only for financial security but at the same time there is not monitory growth here. Begin with searching for another job first that is better paying and a progressing step ahead for you. You do not need to quit before you get another better option in your work. You can confirm with the new company and the give in your papers here, this way you will not feel uneasy to quit as your finances are secured as well as you’ll get a break out from your stuck up job. It may take little long for you to find the suitable job and meanwhile you can either be ignorant about the unfair means in the office or if you can manage try to alter the situation as much as possible to suit you, but do not go on a guilt trip that just because other are leaving and you can’t yourself worth is anything less than theirs. Everyone has different priorities in life and you cannot always follow the crowd you have to plan your life ahead in a way that is comfortable for you.
