Team lead promised to help, but did not

Question

I am working at a startup in the service-based IT sector (1.2 years). I am working in two projects, one is almost complete, and another is just starting.

Since the project was to be submitted in a month, I told my team lead that it is not possible, with me alone being in the team to complete the development process, and that I will require one more person. Since the company wasn't willing to recruit, the team lead assured me to help with some tasks.

I was asked by the client of Project 1 to make some changes, so I did, after informing the team lead of Project 2. However, Project 2 was not even touched during this time. When I went back to Project 2, it was exactly the way I left it. When I asked if there were any changes, he said no. The reason he gave me was that he was busy with another project. But, soon, he took a vacation of 15 days to Dubai. He didn't even inform me about this. I had to hop between the two projects as per client requirements. Naturally, Project 2 got delayed. Now, the manager started pressuring me to complete Project 2. He didn't even consider the quality and security of the project, even though he is the manager cum CMD of the company.

What I find is that this is mostly the case with most senior members. They only mean to complete the work, irrespective of how it's done, while loading all the work onto the newer employees. Only a very handful of senior members of our company do work with the team.

I am getting utterly stressed. I love my work, but I am beginning to hate my company. What can I do to handle the situation?

Answer 1

"I am getting utterely stressed. I love my work, but I am beginning to hate my company."

Don't stress yourself over their failure to plan, arrange and schedule the development of said projects.

In my opinion you did everything you could to meet the deadlines - you realized that the workload can't be only done by one dev in that timeframe and even informed the company that another dev would be required.

When that was declined, you asked your team-lead to help you which he didn't, even going on a 2 weeks holiday when the deadlines came closer.

Assuming you have a paper-trail (i.E. e-mail) of your requests for another dev and the tasks to be done by your team-lead, you can always point to those if your manager or team-lead start pressuring you or trying to blame you.

"What I find is that this is mostly the case with most senior members. They only mean to complete the work, irrespective of how it's done, while loading all the work onto the newer employees. Only a very handful of senior members of our company do work with the team."

I wouldn't tend to generalize that only a handful of senior-devs are teamplayers that are helpful and not just load of the work to the junior devs.

That depends on the person, their character, their additional responsibilities (management, communication, planning architecture etc. ) and also very much of how the team and the company is structured and organized.

Having said that I also have no doubt that there are senior devs out there that behave in the way you described - unfortunately..

"What can I do to handle the situation?"

Don't get stressed out about this, continue to put in your best effort and also continue to communicate your views and opinions when you feel that the workload is exceeding your capacity - if your teamlead is irresponsible and unreasonable you might also want to take this communication a level higher up.

If things won't change for the better in a foreseeable timeperiod, you can ask to be moved to another team (provided that there is another dev-team) or polish up your CV and start looking for a gig with a better environment.

There is no reason and need to burn or stress yourself out over this for an extended period of time..

Answer 2

What you are describing is a very typical situation. You will find managers or leads not doing the work which would help you and you are not in position to order them. This happens in start-ups as well as in big MNCs. People are not perfect and neither are organizations.

You can do best you can and in this situation you seem to have. There is no need to hate the company or get stressed over it. This is exactly what work experience is like. Next project or next company will be better and the one after that may be worse!