Four
years ago, at mid-sized product manufaturing company Symphony Services,
a vice president was asked to leave because he took credit for his
juniors’ work, and when they reported the matter, he started harassing
them. “Stealing credit is a habit one can be coached out of, but he hit
back at those who spoke up. That is unacceptable,” says VP and CFO, C
Mahalingam. Parading the laurels that belong to others is a common
problem, but employees can protect themselves, as Devina Sengupta shows.
1 Cultivate Mentors For those who are plagued by their department heads taking all the credit, a senior mentor can spread the good word, says Mahalingam. The employee should also talk about his work and drop in details now and then to colleagues and other seniors as subtly as possible.
2 Approach Seniors There have to be go-to people with whom the employee can air grievances. “A team of seniors accessible to employees where reviews are done often, and where everyone can access the work done, will close the trap on these gaps,” says Hitesh Dhingra, founder and CEO of startup Letsbuy.
3 Play Smart After a conversation with the boss on a task, send an email to him thanking him for his time, the feedback and his appreciation, if there is any. These records if needed can be used later on. Also, during feedback sessions, politely slip in the efforts you put in, and keep the seniors posted as well.
4 Train the Boss Heads of online startup Redbus insist that managers name team members behind a successful project. “The manager needs to be trained and explained that for him to rise and gain respect he needs to be appreciative of his juniors and give them a much credit as possible,” says Shankar Prasad, COO, who insists on being told by the manager the feedback they gave to their team on performing well and also asks for emails on these.
5 Advertise your Work “Beat your own drum as no one else will do that for you,” says Prasad. To make others aware of the work done, drawing references to it helps. However, one should not do this incessantly, as it can boomerang.
1 Cultivate Mentors For those who are plagued by their department heads taking all the credit, a senior mentor can spread the good word, says Mahalingam. The employee should also talk about his work and drop in details now and then to colleagues and other seniors as subtly as possible.
2 Approach Seniors There have to be go-to people with whom the employee can air grievances. “A team of seniors accessible to employees where reviews are done often, and where everyone can access the work done, will close the trap on these gaps,” says Hitesh Dhingra, founder and CEO of startup Letsbuy.
3 Play Smart After a conversation with the boss on a task, send an email to him thanking him for his time, the feedback and his appreciation, if there is any. These records if needed can be used later on. Also, during feedback sessions, politely slip in the efforts you put in, and keep the seniors posted as well.
4 Train the Boss Heads of online startup Redbus insist that managers name team members behind a successful project. “The manager needs to be trained and explained that for him to rise and gain respect he needs to be appreciative of his juniors and give them a much credit as possible,” says Shankar Prasad, COO, who insists on being told by the manager the feedback they gave to their team on performing well and also asks for emails on these.
5 Advertise your Work “Beat your own drum as no one else will do that for you,” says Prasad. To make others aware of the work done, drawing references to it helps. However, one should not do this incessantly, as it can boomerang.
(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 03-04-2012)
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