Foreign Lab Staff: Setting the Ground Rules for Positive Team Interaction

Reader question: Most of my lab team is from the US and they seem to "shun" their foreign teammate. They will all go out for drinks after work, but they don't invite the foreign student. They'll use American lingo excessively in the lab, knowing that their foreign teammate won't understand. How do I address these discriminatory behaviors, even though they aren't "overt?"

Expert comments:

Your U.S. lab staffers may not be "discriminating against" the foreign researcher in a legal or HR sense, but they are creating a somewhat hostile environment that's not exactly a teamwork atmosphere. And perhaps this is the manner in which you should address these issues.

Most PIs know that you can't force your team to get along. But what you can do is set the ground rules for how your staffers interact with one another in the lab. The easiest way to do this is to simply lead by example, meaning don't dole out preferential treatment to any one student, and certainly don't treat a particular student more harshly than the others. Don't dote on the foreign post-doc, even if you feel sorry for her because of the rest of the team's treatment of her. Likewise, don't ignore the issue either.

Tip: Institute your own "non-discrimination policy" for your lab. You can pull the language -- or even the entire text -- from your university's policies. Make all your staffers sign the policy.

Also, be specific with your team about exactly how you expect them to behave in the lab. Talk about respect, equality and teamwork. You don't have to address the situation with the foreign student specifically, but instead talk about these issues in a more general, formal sense.

Finally, don't try to reinvent the wheel -- and don't go it alone. Talk with your department head or dean about what's going on in your lab. Get advice and resources from your university's office of student affairs or HR department.

Expert comments from Pat McMannus , of HRC Consulting, a firm providing solutions for preventing discrimination and promoting equality in a wide variety of workplaces and institutions.