My Lab Coordinator Is Making Staff Miserable: What Should I Do?

Reader question: For the past few months, my lab coordinator has been stressed out and disgruntled. And her bad attitude is affecting the lab team’s morale. Is there any way I can nip this in the bud? She’s great at her job, but her negativity is bringing everyone down. What should I do?

Expert comments:

The lab coordinator plays a key role in day-to-day operations and maintaining harmony in the lab. Thus, this individual’s attitude can have a ripple effect throughout your team.

You must address the situation immediately. The longer you ignore the lab coordinator’s actions, the more your workers’ morale will deteriorate. Additionally, ignoring the situation may further polarize the lab into a “manager vs. research team” situation.

When you speak to the lab coordinator, focus on solving the problem without pointing fingers. Tell her she seems overloaded, and lab harmony appears to be skewed. Then, ask what you can do to make her life easier.

Consider the possibility that personal problems may be responsible for your lab coordinator’s negative attitude. If she alludes to such issues, be flexible in allowing her time off to rest and recharge.

But don’t expect the coordinator to open up about her personal life. Your goal is to begin establishing a relationship in which she feels you value her input.

For the future, schedule weekly meetings with the coordinator, if possible, and stick to them. This will keep the lines of communication open and go a long way toward changing the lab’s dynamic.

If you try the aforementioned suggestions and the lab coordinator’s behavior doesn’t change, you will have to be more direct. Tell her if she wants to continue working in the lab, she must change her behavior.

Expert comments from Bryan Helwig, PhD, a PI within the Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, MA.