(July 23rd, 2010) And suddenly you are a postdoc… In this column, Anjana Nityanandam is sharing her experiences, thoughts and feelings about the chapter of a life science research career that many regard as the most decisive one.
It seems to me, in hindsight, that moving to Europe to pursue higher studies was perhaps one of the most crucial decisions of my life. I say 'in hindsight' because it didn’t quite feel so at that time. Although I did realise the enormity of my resolve, I also knew that often in life, it’s easier to take things as they come, one step at a time, than to meticulously plan out your every single move. They say ignorance is bliss - and how true that is!
Life in Germany taught me a lot. I was confronted by a variety of issues, some of which I never imagined could get so deeply on my nerves. This article is about two such issues - the importance of camaraderie in one's working environment and ‘Groupism’ in a multicultural lab.
Before coming to Germany, thanks to my metropolitan upbringing, I didn’t realise how attached people could get to their culture, especially the language they grew up speaking. It was amusing, in the beginning, to notice how all people who spoke the same mother tongue tended to flock together. It was common to find all Spanish- speakers huddled in a corner, all Chinese in another, all Russians in the third and all Germans in the fourth. Finding yourself ignored and outcast within such groups was also a common occurrence. One can only do so much to not feel alienated; and you can only ask someone so many times to switch to English, so you may understand what the conversation is all about. I think in the end, some of us just got used to feeling ignored at the coffee table; so much so that ‘switching off’ became a sort of habit. And I learnt that fanaticism for one’s native language is a characteristic that crosses all barriers and borders; it’s universal, it’s omnipresent.
As I started my PhD and began working full-time in a lab, I started to learn several valuable lessons in life. One of those lessons was the importance of an amiable working environment. I saw, through experiences of friends and colleagues, how a hostile lab could turn your scientific passion into an aversion, and your life into a nightmare. I witnessed what an unpleasant work atmosphere can do to your psyche and how it can devastate your motivation.
We all know what a privilege it is to be able to share a warm camaraderie with colleagues in the lab; to be able to share your joys and sorrows with people you spend most of your waking hours with. Kind and understanding co-workers are everybody’s dream. The happier you are, the higher your productivity and efficiency. It’s an almost exponential relationship, and that’s a no-brainer. Unfortunately, life isn’t a bed of roses. I have seen graduate students trapped in labs filled with animosity. Some fought hard, kept their focus and emerged unscathed, some are still struggling, while others simply caved in and lost the drive to do good science. In research, like in everything else, I guess there are good days, there are bad days and then there are the excruciatingly painful days. And that’s when you need your colleagues to be considerate, helpful and encouraging. Who amongst us hasn’t known a particularly bad day, completely turned around by the kindness of a colleague - a warm greeting with a smile, a glint of concern in the eye (it’s always reassuring to know somebody cares), an unwarranted complement on your dress or a bar of your favourite chocolate from the vending machine down the hall.
In an ideal world, one would share a gentle rapport with one’s co-workers. They wouldn’t talk behind your back or tender complaints to your supervisor without confronting and clarifying the issue with you first. They wouldn’t be indifferent enough to watch you make mistakes and not say a word. They wouldn’t ostracise you just because you are not the boss’s favourite. They wouldn’t ignore your presence by speaking in a language they know you cannot comprehend. They wouldn’t take your generosity for granted or befriend you opportunistically, only to trample all over you when your services are no longer desired.
What can a hostile lab environment do to someone? For starters, it can leave you lonely and depressed. It can kill your motivation to wake up every morning and do your very best work. It can rattle your self- confidence and make you too critical of yourself. It’s not all that difficult to blame yourself for everything that goes wrong around you. I once saw a poster in the lab of a friend. It had the picture of a small boy with tears in his eyes; underneath was written, ‘Be Kind. Everyone’s fighting a hard battle.’
This article is my effort to urge people to be kind, to be tolerant and patient, to be considerate of others. Because I believe what goes around, comes around. Good deeds are reciprocated; acts of kindness are repaid. That’s how the world works, that’s what keeps us human.