Changed departments at work - hate it and want to move back

[hadenoughh]

I changed departments at work recently, a voluntary move to a department I thought would be more rewarding.

I hate it. I haven't been properly trained yet and have been criticised by my new manager for mistakes when I am not yet trained.

I was well regarded in my old department and I feel like I have ruined my reputation by how bad my performance has been in my new department.

Do you think I could ask to move back? I don't know what to do

I agree with saying it's not a good fit and putting the emphasis on you and not the job and I'd email old manager on Monday. You seem to know that you will never be happy in the new dept regardless of training and changes so why prolong the misery? If a move back is not on the cards then look for another job and chalk it up to experience. You need to be happy at work!

Maybe Speak to your old manager first? No point in saying anything to new manger if old manager tells you he can't actually have you back.

I know there is a place for me in the old department as they are currently recruiting people at my level. They are understaffed but not as understaffed as my new department. They are understaffed to the point where I had to go back and work in my old department for one afternoon to help them out.

My new manager keeps stressing how I am now part of this new department and not the old department anymore. I think she will refuse to allow me to move back. I think she will see it as unprofessional and admitting weakness.

I moved to a new role a few years ago but my ‘buddy’ was leaving for a new job a week later. When she went, nobody trained me at all and I fell further and further behind because it was such a fast paced role. I was told ‘okay, do this task now’ but I had no context so I didn’t know what deadlines were coming up or how the task impacted the next step. My awful manager wouldn’t listen to me and kept pulling me into her office to berate me for mistakes/missed tasks.

Thankfully I was hoping to move to a new city anyway as I was in a long-distance relationship with now DH, so I found a job and moved away after 8 months in that job.

If you can go back to your old department, do it.

This is my first proper job so I'm not sure how this kind of thing works. Can you just move back between different departments, like is it even an option? Can they say no?

I'm worried if they say no it'll make things even more awkward. I'm also worried that asking to move so soon after starting will come across poorly and unprofessional?

Ah OK, so being your first proper job, is there any chance that you might just be struggling with the change and normal hit to confidence moving would bring anyone? I appreciate this is on top of poor training etc. Can you make a list of benefits of trying to ride this out 6 months and challenge yourself? Just an idea.

Just ask to be moved back. Say it isnt working anybody. If they say try it a bit longer you could agree to that but with a time limit. But if your place in the old department has been filled it might not be possible. I'd act sooner rather than later.,

This is very quick op, and you’ve not given it a chance, if I was your manager I’d be appalled. I can’t soften that for you. If you’d given it a few months, explored all your training options and tried, it would be different, but three days? I’d think you were a flake.

Anyway you need to speak to your new manager first.

Are you hating it because you’ve gone from a department where you knew what you were doing and this new one is made harder because you are are lacking training?

@Bluntness100

This is very quick op, and you’ve not given it a chance, if I was your manager I’d be appalled. I can’t soften that for you. If you’d given it a few months, explored all your training options and tried, it would be different, but three days? I’d think you were a flake.

Anyway you need to speak to your new manager first.

Your reply made me burst into tears. Is it really that bad to ask to move back so soon?

I was starting to feel hopeful that it would be ok to ask to move back but now I think you're right and it won't look good. If that's the case I will hand my notice in.

It's not a normal hit to confidence I don't think. There are genuine issues in this department that I am not happy with. There were lots of teething problems when I first started in my old department, but there were clear protocols and training in place.

I don't appreciate being given one day of training and then the next day my manager is having serious discussions implying my job is on the line because of the mistakes being made by my colleagues and I. I don't like my new team, I don't trust them as they are the ones who keep making mistakes that reflect poorly on me too.

@hadenoughh I work in HR and I really feel for you. It would be a huge shame to hand your notice in, especially as a week ago you loved working there. Do you feel up to having a proper 1 to 1 with your line manager and explaining what you’ve put here? A good line manager will pay attention and work with you to fix these issues. If you get nowhere, then I would speak to HR in the next instance - as you have an excellent work history and are not being give adequate support. They should help you either get that support or help facilitate a move back if this is possible. Good luck and hopefully this is resolved quickly for you