Dear Labby,
The previous week was a disastrous mess! My 3-4 days-long assay went kaput and so did my heart. It seems that this long-term relationship with stress is breaking my heart. What am I to do? My PI is breathing down my neck for the past few days already!
Cracked Grad Cylinder
--
My dear CGC, let's try to resolve the immediate problem you're facing right now--get a cease-and-desist order for your PI to not approach your nape within a 25-foot radius. But I suppose you mean that your PI is pressuring you to finish this assay and present your results to him/her. In that case, (wo)man up and tell your boss that this week's work failed because of problems A, B and C, and your plans to resolve them. Be blunt and direct, yet respectful. Your boss will appreciate* your honesty and will see that despite the setbacks, you're independent enough to troubleshoot and redo the experiments.
And as for your LTR with stress, I suggest that you send this to the nasty fella:
Hugs and kisses,
Labby
*Some PIs do the opposite, which will lead to you being yelled at. In such cases, always remember that someday, you'll be a PI and will be given a PhD student to yell at, too.
--
"Dear Labby" is a collaborative effort by this blogger and her fellow PhD students in different fields of research. Got a social (lab office) head-scratcher to share? Use the comment box below!
No comments:
Post a Comment