Why it matters
Managers account for about 70% of the difference in engagement between teams (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace, 2025). And Google's research on its own teams found that psychological safety (whether people feel safe to speak up and take risks) mattered more than who was on the team (Google re:Work).
When credit goes to the wrong person, roles are blurred and complaints are judged by who is closest to the boss, good people stop speaking and start leaving. The cost shows up in delivery long before it shows up in a survey.
What team members can do, calmly and safely
1. Get requests in writing. When someone you don't report to pushes work on you, ask for the request by email or in the task tool, and check the priority with your own manager first.
2. Make your work visible. Keep a short weekly log of what you delivered, share progress in team channels, and send handovers with your name and a summary to everyone concerned.
3. Describe facts, not people. Write down dates, what happened and the effect on the work. A concern framed around the work is harder to dismiss as a personality clash or as laziness.
4. Ask for one specific change. In a private conversation, propose the change you need, for example that requests come through your manager.
5. Use the written route. If nothing changes, follow your organisation's grievance or HR procedure, keep copies, and stay courteous in every message.
6. Protect your options. Know your contract and policies, keep a mentor and allies outside the situation, and keep your skills current. If internal routes fail, a labour complaint in Saudi Arabia starts with the Ministry of Human Resources' amicable-settlement stage before any court (Saudi Gazette). Speak to a qualified lawyer before acting; this article is general information, not legal advice.
What leaders must do
1. Decide on evidence. Hear each side separately, ask for dated examples and compare delivery against agreed goals, not against who reports to you most often or whom you know personally.
2. One manager per person. Make clear who assigns each person's work; seniors who need help from another team ask that team's manager.
3. Give credit by name. Name the people who did the work in updates and presentations, and stop anyone presenting others' work as their own or passing it to juniors or outsiders without agreement.
4. Deal early with people who stop delivering: a private conversation, written expectations and support, a review date, and fair follow-through.
5. Make speaking up safe. Thank people who raise problems, act on what they say, and make sure neither managers nor HR treat anyone worse for a concern raised in good faith.
Where to start
For team members: start the weekly log and move requests into writing this week. For leaders: map who assigns work to whom and where credit is given; most conflicts sit where those two are unclear. An organisation-design review clarifies roles, decision rights and escalation routes so fewer of these situations arise.
Where to start: Organisation Design & Operating Model