Sandra is an engineer at a technology company, where she collaborates with the research and development team. Despite her feelings that she is meeting and even exceeding expectations, her colleague Mark has repeatedly made comments during team meetings that Sandra requires extra support. Sandra has confronted Mark about these comments, and he responded that he was concerned she would eventually be overwhelmed by the work. Sandra assured Mark that she felt her workload was manageable. However, on their next project, Mark again made comments about Sandra possibly needing assistance. Sandra is frustrated and wonders what to do next. She also feels that Mark’s comments may be motivated by a bias towards her as a woman.
Sandra is an engineer in product development for a technology company, where she has been working for the past four years. Part of the role requires her to work closely with the research and development departments, and her support during their meetings means that she is considered part of their team. The research and development team members provide significant input to Sandra’s manager regarding her performance and her effort to meet project goals.
Sandra has lately experienced a few instances of the lead engineer of the research and development team, Mark, undermining her professionalism and dedication to their shared projects. Often, when work gets busy and deadlines are upcoming, Mark has told their manager, Ravi, that Sandra will be overwhelmed and needs more resources to support her. Mark does not do this discreetly, either: he brings up Sandra’s performance during large team meetings, which include supervisors and other engineers.
Sandra is routinely embarrassed and insulted by Mark’s comments. She feels that Mark is trying to cast doubt on her abilities deliberately. More importantly, Mark’s remarks are not accurate: Sandra considers herself a high performer who can be counted on to meet deadlines.
The last time Mark made comments about Sandra being overwhelmed on a project, Sandra confronted him by requesting a one-on-one meeting to discuss his statements. She asked him if he thought she was holding up their shared projects or if he was worried about her performance. Mark replied that he was worried that she would eventually be overwhelmed, and he wants to make sure that she is supported so that the work isn’t delayed as a result. She assured him that, while she appreciated the sentiment of ensuring that she was supported, she was not currently experiencing any sense that her work was overwhelming. Sandra assured Mark that, if she needed any help in future, she would be sure to ask for it herself.
Sandra thought it was strange for him to be so worried about her stress levels when she has always met her deadlines and was actively responding that she did not need extra support. Sandra decided not to pursue her concerns further and hoped that Mark would stop telling Ravi that she needed extra support after their confrontation.
Unfortunately, on the next project, Mark once again made the same remarks about Sandra, saying that Ravi needed to ensure that Sandra would be provided with extra resources or would be overwhelmed by the project’s tasks.
Sandra is frustrated with the situation. Mark’s comments make it seem like she can’t manage her workload, and she worries that her professional reputation will suffer as a result. She also can’t help but feel like his remarks are, at least in part, rooted in sexism. Sandra is the only woman on her team in a field traditionally dominated by men, and she wonders if the comments Mark has made are a reflection of his biases towards her as a woman.
Who might Sandra turn to in order to help her resolve this situation? How could Sandra make it clear to Mark that his comments and behaviors are unnecessary and have impacted her negatively?