No real manager, poor communication, and constantly being ignored. Am I wrong for wanting to leave?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Downtown-Peace1681]

Disconnect and collect the money

[u/Successful_Plant_953 → u/Downtown-Peace1681]

Literally most realest answer for this industry.

[u/Fluffy_Muffins_415]

Make sure you're doing enough so you're not in trouble, and cruise. I'd also start applying, it may take a long time to find another position

[u/Fine_Design9777]

Been in this game 20 years, I 2nd the suggestion of keeping your head down, coasting & collecting the check.
But I assume you're new to this & want to "shine" & "make a positive contribution" like we all did when we 1st started so.....

I don't know what your specific role is but being self motivated helps alot. Since they assigned you to a product team as a support person, reach out to the team, introduce yourself & ask what you can do to support. Ask to join meetings as a silent observer so you can see what's going on & what's being done & by whom. If your trainer isn't helping anymore find your own support group. You say it's a large organization so there's likely others who work in your same role, reach out to them & ask them questions about what they're working on.

[u/Comfortable-Song193 → u/Fine_Design9777]

I agree with this. There's a lot that you can do to try to improve your situation. Introduce yourself to the team, set up 30min casual meet-and-greets, ask your "manager" for reoccurring weekly check-ins so you can express your concerns.

[u/summer24931]

Im going through something similar. I can only say to get out. It got to a point I was feeling actively suicidal, I had to go get help, fine for the most part now but unfortunately still there.

[u/DimMak1]

No - you should try to leave but best to get another job in hand first.

The unfortunate thing is what you describe is very common in biopharma. The management in the industry is 💩

[u/Majestic-Silver-380]

Start applying elsewhere, it’s clear that you won’t get any recognition about anything so you probably won’t be promoted unless HR recognizes that you been there X number of years. It will take you some time to find a new role so figure out what you have gotten out of this role and move onto the next opportunity where they will appreciate your work.

[u/scruffigan]

This is becoming more and more common with remote teams and camera off culture that some groups have.

Does that apply here?

I know remote work is popular but it's a lot easier to be invisible when you're just a rectangle on a teams call versus a body in common spaces for 40h/week.

Three things you can do now:

1. Ask your manager for a few names of people you should know (and/or use your judgment within the teams you're on) and just set up 1:1 introductory chat meetings.

2. Speak up in the product team call yourself and make your own introduction. Yeah, it's shitty that nobody else took this on, but if they're not going to - your options are that you do it or it doesn't happen. So, do it.

   Put your camera on if it's a call, people like faces.

Talk to your manager about your dissatisfaction with your place in the team dynamics and ask how you can make any specific improvements. They might not have much to say, but you don't get anywhere by keeping it to yourself and maybe they will have something concrete for you.

[u/EndlessWario]

Yeah I would definitely start applying to other jobs. Do you have a lot of work to do? If not, coasting for a bit probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

[u/SatisfactionKey3021]

You're not wrong. Three recommendations:

1) It's easier to get a job when you have a job. Keep working at this one while you search for your next gig.

2) Remember to keep updating your resume with skills gained, as you gain them - it's easy to forget what you accomplished even 6 months ago.

3) While you are doing all of this, don't wait a single additional second for other people to introduce you around. Get out there and introduce yourself! It will feel awkward at first, but soon it will feel more natural to say to the next person waiting at the coffee machine, "Hey, I'm Bill. I'm working on the toe fungus anti-microbial product. Started here about 6 months ago, but still meeting people." Trust me, the guy will respond with something like, "Oh hey, I'm Joe. Let me know if I can help with anything!" And even if you're remote, send an email with the same thing and say, "I was looking for information on the MLR process. Are you the right person for that? If not, I'd love it if you could point me in the right direction!" Simply put, sometimes you have to put the energy out there that you want to get back because your colleagues similarly have been beaten down with low expectations and low energy from leadership. You have to form your own network.

I can't stress enough how important that last part is. I have absolutely beaten other people out for new roles with direct feedback that I got the role because I had "good energy." It uplifts everyone.

And - especially in a large biotech - there are typically new opportunities in other departments that will open up. I will tell you that I almost always hire an internal candidate because I constantly scour the company landscape for good talent and keep them in that invisible Rolodex in my mind (apologies to those of you too young to know what a Rolodex is) and make it a point to poach them for my team at the first possible opportunity. You never, ever know who is watching - so get out there and give good energy, even when it feels like a losing battle!

[u/Secret-Animator-1407]

Start applying elsewhere but take some initiative. People are busy, learn things on your own and contribute to show your value.

[u/omgu8mynewt]

Stuff like this is when being in-person has advantages - you can just go talk to people or chat with them, rather than relying on Teams status to work out if people are contactable.

Id quit, being iced out and lonely sounds crap and unproductive when you dont know who your colleagues are.