QUESTION: I feel like a second-class citizen on this project.
FACT: This might be a case of a bad work culture; or it could be that you are not ready to take up critical work.
An employee who recently joined a team complained to his manager: ‘I’ve come here with lots of expectations. This project is very dear to me and working on this develops my skills and helps in making my resume attractive. But on joining the team, I discovered there is a core team which controls most of the interesting work and new members like me are working on the peripheral topics. It was not an issue to start with, as this is a complex project and it takes time to learn about it. However, after some months of working- with the core team, it is evident they do not discuss the complex issue outside their coterie.’
Sometimes, a significant number of people join a company from one particular organization and they form a clique. So, those who are not part of this clique start feeling like second class citizens. The company is at fault when new team members are not inducted well and when work is not properly distributed or described to them.
Then there’s a situation where a team member shirks taking up critic& portions of work as he needs more ramp-up time. Usually, in such cases, despite the employee’s best efforts, he cannot make the cut as he does not have the skills to execute independently critical-work components.
A good manager has to ensure a fair environment in his team—an environment where work is distributed based on skills. ‘Senior’ versus ‘junior’; ‘old versus ‘new’; ‘familiar’ versus ‘unfamiliar’—these debates should find no place in a team. A good manager encourages a new hire and provides him with all the support required so that he ramps up quickly. Good management practice would have it that an experienced person from a core area is attached to a new person so that the former can mentor and groom the latter. This will also provide an opportunity for the new hire to get to know the core area and then slowly start working in this area. In the case of a coterie formation in the team, the new recruit should be’ patient, as it does take time to join in regardless of any help extended by the manager. A quick learner with good interpersonal skills can quickly break into the coterie and go on to work in the core area. That said, the manager plays a key role in helping an employee find his feet when squeezed by his peers.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE EMPLOYEE? It will be a struggle if you land up in such a work environment. You should take It as a challenge and prove that you, too, can be a primary citizen. You should learn quickly and be confident that you are ready to take up a role in the core area. Approach your manager with conviction and ask for specific work. Two kinds of situation can arise: it could that the very little good work on the table has been taken up, and there isn’t enough to share around; or it could be that the manager does not think you are cut out for the task as yet, In the former case, it is Up to you to continue or else opt for a change_ of team or company. But if it’s the latter, then you should take up specific items to improve upon; you could also ask your manager to pair you with a knowledgeable team member so that you can learn on the job, Leaving is always an option, but first you should try out all possibilities in order to gain the respect of the team members as well as the manager..
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE MANAGER? If the feeling of being a second-class citizen is widespread among the team, then you need to take steps to foster a performance-based culture where people realize their shortcomings on their own and work towards improvement. However, you should be direct with your employees. If you feel they are not ready to take up core items, then do let them know. You should also help in their learning process so’tfiat they will be fit to work on core areas in the future. Do not fail into the trap of giving critical work to the same set of people. These people, too, have- ambition, and they would also like to work on different challenges rather than on the same one. If you have not groomed other people, then you will also be faced with the problem of back-up if your key workers decide to quit.
