New Manager Making Big Changes

January 23, 2005 9:51 AM

So they hired a new manager at work. In the past, this position has Always been someone promoted from within, but this time someone from outside was hired. After only three weeks with the company, the new manager is beginning to institute drastic policy changes. For example, a new schedule for all of us has been proposed, despite the fact that the new manager has never even worked the late shift, the morning shift, the swing shift, or the weekend shift. What is the best way to handle this type of situation? (Without "leave the job" as an option.)
posted by anonymous to work & money (19 comments total)

Go with the flow? When companies hire from outside, they're generally doing it precisely to bring in new ideas and changes. The likelihood is there will be a lot of new changes at first, slowing down gradually, with some things changing back to the way they were before and some things turning out to be better the new way.

If you have specific, business oriented reasons why a new idea won't work, or hasn't worked in the past, then bring them to the manager, but with a tone of 'how can we make this work better', not 'your idea sucks, and here's why'.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:55 AM on January 23, 2005

Is there someone higher up in the company you trust enough to go with your concerns?

If not, you all could let productivity slip so low that those same higher ups will be forced to take notice. I'm not kidding. There's also always the threat of unionization. I tried it once, and the only thing it ultimately accomplished in our case was ridding us of a lousy boss.
posted by jonmc at 10:18 AM on January 23, 2005

Your new manager is feeling his oats. It is very important you do not complain and do as asked. Otherwise, he'll blame any policy that's not working on your attitude. Try and get as much advantage as you can from the new policies.
posted by xammerboy at 10:20 AM on January 23, 2005

Remember that it's in your new manager's best interest to have you both succeed. His/her job depends on his/her ability to manage you and your team. So if you can help your manager do that by educating them on what has or hasn't worked in the past, what you're looking to try in the future, where you'd like some flexibility or opportunity and what you think you can do to help the whole group succeed, that would probably be welcomed. Good luck.
posted by judith at 10:58 AM on January 23, 2005

New-from-outside managers always make a lot of changes. If they suck too much, leave. If you don't want to leave, adjust.

His/her job depends on his/her ability to manage you and your team.
What planet are you writing to us from?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:33 AM on January 23, 2005

Having the guts to respectfully bring concerns to a new manager is the only way to learn if this person is a good manager or just a petty tyrant who won't listen. Plus, any higher-up worth a shit will send you back to the manager once it's clear you haven't bothered to talk with that person first.

Going over someone's head - even anonymously - before talking with that person first about a problem is not only cowardly, it's also a great way to send the person down the path of mistrust and petty tyranny. Don't do it. The very least you can do is find a way to meet with the person and respectfully present a brief list of concerns that have recently arisen, along with specific suggestions for addressing each concern you mention, plus those the manager has raised (if any). Then, having given the person a perfect chance to show what kind of manager they are, anyone unsatisfied has a legit reason go over the idiot's head.

This isn't rocket science; it's basic humanity.
posted by mediareport at 11:34 AM on January 23, 2005

what if it was his higher-ups who are making him change the schedules? i think you don't have enough info about this change or any others that may be coming your way. Sit tight for a while, and see how things shake out.
posted by amberglow at 11:46 AM on January 23, 2005

Fair point, amberglow, but that's why you approach respectfully, and with clear suggestions for fixing the perceived problems. I'm really surprised at the utter passivity some folks are suggesting here, and at simplistic suggestions to leave that don't at least include an attempt to work *with* the manager first.

How can you tell if it's time to leave without at least testing your ability to alter obnoxious procedures in your workplace? Seems to me that once you've accepted the role of passive drone with no options other than to leave, you're through.
posted by mediareport at 12:14 PM on January 23, 2005

Cesar Chavez and Mother Jones are twirling in their graves.
posted by sageleaf at 12:42 PM on January 23, 2005

How can you tell if it's time to leave without at least testing your ability to alter obnoxious procedures in your workplace? Seems to me that once you've accepted the role of passive drone with no options other than to leave, you're through.
Best general advice in this thread so far.

Don't forget to state your issues with the suggested improvements objectively and to take into account the manager's past experience. Have facts and concrete, objective evidence. "We tried this in 1979 and it didn't work." is not good evidence.
posted by SpecialK at 12:46 PM on January 23, 2005

The new manager may or may not be an asshole.
he may or may not be a jerk.
he may or may not get rid of people who immediately question his decisions, especially if he's new.
unless anonymous has a new job lined up, or is confident he can get one without running into financial problems, sitting tight and shutting up--at least for a little while til the new manager settles in--is his only option.
posted by amberglow at 1:38 PM on January 23, 2005

Amberglow and xammerboy have it, I think. Keep in mind that the new guy might be unsure of himself in his new role at a new company, and might therefore be a bit defensive, especially if he sees an established person questioning what he's doing right off the bat -- and ESPECIALLY if he knows that there was internal competition for the position he now holds.

If you MUST raise an objection to a new policy, be prepared to present an alternative that sounds close enough to the original to be palatable, and also be prepared to back down immediately if you get the vibe that the guy isn't receptive to challenges from staff just yet. Under no circumstances should you attempt an "end run" outside the management chain. If he finds out, you're cooked.

My advice: give it some time. As the new guy gets his "sea legs", he'll probably be more open to collaboration -- but right now, he's trying to assert some authority over a group that's been there much longer than he is and still views him as an outsider.

Of course, I'm just another slimy corporate tentacle, so do with this advice what you will.
posted by aberrant at 2:37 PM on January 23, 2005

Call the union. They don't have to get involved, but if they do, sooner is better than later.
posted by Ritchie at 3:19 PM on January 23, 2005

a union isn't going to be much help with scheduling ... they'd want to do it by seniority ... those who have been there a long time get their pick ... those who haven't get bounced around like pinballs

i work at a union shop ... i know
posted by pyramid termite at 3:26 PM on January 23, 2005

pyramid - What's larger than the union's help with scheduling is the threat of unionization as it's perceived by management. Unionization means one major thing to an employer: You have such a horrible disconnect between management and line workers or management that formal lines of communication backed by a powerful external organization are required to make things work again.

I'm not saying it's a good idea to unionize in this particular case, but I am saying that union drives can have many purposes, and the suggestion of unionization (which is typically very expensive for employers) is a pretty sure way to catch someone's attention.
Of course, life for the rank & file typically sucks just as much under a union, it just sucks in different ways.
posted by SpecialK at 3:44 PM on January 23, 2005

I should elaborate on what I said earlier.

Your new manager's opinion of you is going to be based almost entirely on their first impression.

Right now, if that manager asks you to do something dumb, do it. Give him the impression you are a good and loyal worker.

If you don't. Then every question / problem you have later will seem tainted to him. If you bring up your concerns after a month or two you have a much better chance of being listened to. Try and remember that your manager is more nervous and defensive than he seems right now.
posted by xammerboy at 7:41 PM on January 23, 2005

yup.
posted by amberglow at 7:43 PM on January 23, 2005

Waiting a month or two seems fair; it certainly sounds better than "sit tight for a while" or "If you don't want to leave, adjust." And it has been three weeks already for the original poster.

My point: it isn't difficult to present concerns to a new manager in a helpful, respectful way - without debasing yourself via ass-kissing. Anyone with half a brain should be able to read a new manager after a few weeks and figure out the most useful approach. Doing nothing at all seems very cowardly.
posted by mediareport at 8:30 PM on January 23, 2005

"a union isn't going to be much help with scheduling ... they'd want to do it by seniority ..." - pyramid termite

Ah, I didn't know this. Seniority isn't used so much in Australia. I used to be a shop steward and if anyone had suggested to me they deserved some special perk merely because they'd been employed longer, they would have gotten a dressing-down: most collective bargaining agreements already incorporate benefits which accrue to long-term employees, as a way of reducing turnover.

Disregard my earlier advice (unless seniority actually plays in your favour).
posted by Ritchie at 9:21 PM on January 23, 2005