Case Study 2: Can I Be a Rising Star on a Bad Work Team?

"Hi, Margie," Luka called out as he entered the employee dining room carrying his food tray. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Sure!" Margie replied.

Margie had joined the staff of the Uptown Plaza Hotel as a banquet server just a few months earlier. Since Luka is a houseperson who works in the rooms department, and Margie works in the banquet department, they have had little opportunity before now to get to know each other.

"How do you like working here, Margie?" Luka asked as he sat down.

"Well," Margie began cautiously, "in a lot of ways it reminds me of my last job, which was also in a hotel banquet department. But ..."

She paused, wondering whether Luka had just asked the question to be polite. But Luka looked up from his food in mid-bite and nodded to encourage her to continue.

"I was really hoping that this job wouldn'tbe like my last one," Margie explained. "As a single mother, I really want to work for a place that offers a careernot just a job. I've got two kids to provide for. But it's hard to be recognized as a good employee when you're a member of a bad work team."

"What do you mean?" Luka asked.

"It's hard to stand out as a good worker when the people around you are just putting in their time," Margie said. "When your teammates don't pull their weight, you get discouraged. Then your own performance suffers. You can't catch the eye of upper management when the team isn't doing anything good enough to draw anyone's attention." She sighed. "My supervisor isn't very helpful, either. He's not doing a good job with our team. I want to get ahead! But I'm not sure I can here."

"I see your point," Luka said sympathetically.

"That's why I left my last job," Margie continued. "When I interviewed for this job, I really thought the Uptown Plaza was going to be different. The recruiter from the human resources department told me that the managers here really emphasize teamwork. Everyone helps each other out, he said, and there's a good training and education program with lots of opportunities for advancement. After hearing all that, I really got my hopes up. But so far this job reminds me a lot of my last job. I'm pretty discouraged."

"Wow, it sounds like we work at two different hotels!" Luka said. "Because what the recruiter described actually happens in my department. I came to the Uptown Plaza in search of a career, too, and I really think it's possible here, based on my experience. Maybe because you're still new, your supervisor doesn't want to throw everything at you all at once. But I can tell you're a hard worker, and that probably hasn't gone unnoticed."

"Thank you," Margie said, attempting to sound more hopeful.

"Hang in there!" Luka exclaimed, trying to cheer Margie up. "Let's talk again in a few weeks. If it still isn't working out for you, I'll be glad to talk to my supervisor about getting you transferred to my department." Question 1 Howcould Margie's supervisor better manage Margie's work team so that Margie and other career-oriented employees are less frustrated and the team functions better?