WIBU to 'grass on' this colleague?

[MotherOfBratz]

NC - I'm a long-standing poster, but this is rather outing. I'll try and keep it reasonably brief (and am willing to elaborate if needed):

Due to a recent restructuring initiative at my place of work, I accepted a transfer to a different department that came with a promotion - but of the five teams that used to work for me, I only took two along with me when I moved - which is nothing but sensible in terms of our post-reorganisation org chart.

There's just one small problem: several of the people in the teams no longer managed by myself have approached me in private and have complained about how much they dislike and (worse IMO, I've done good work for bosses I didn't love) disrespect their new manager, have directly asked me if I have jobs for them in my new department or have said that they're job hunting outside. So far as I'm aware, they've done this independently of one another (though if they've covertly organised in order to give that impression and are actually in cahoots with one another, I'd be one proud former boss at having chosen and trained them).

I personally know their new manager and actually quite like him on a personal level - but having had interactions with him regarding projects delivered jointly by my former and my current department, I can see why my former employees might not enjoy working for him. I know I certainly wouldn't (and have the privilege of not having to, so who am I to talk about personal likes?). There is nothing inherently wrong with how he approaches things, IMO - it's just that the way he manages is not particularly compatible with the type of team I have built. Colleague seems to be a 'standardise and industrialise' type of guy - I've always been a 'boutique type delivery of mind-blowingly excellent but correspondingly involved (and expensive) projects' kind of woman and have shaped my teams accordingly. The type of people I have put on these teams don't tend to gel well with the type of manager colleague is.

Here's my dilemma: I could speak up to my (and colleague's - we have the same C-level bosses) higher-ups about my concerns and I'm practically positive I'd 'win' if I did. My unhappy ex-subordinates would love me, as would my bosses (my style of management is much more in line with what the firm aims for these days - that's a purely generational thing). But if I do, colleague may be sanctioned. Colleague is also in his late 50s and his style (the one my former team members complin about) is not en vogue - so he may not have many options elsewhere. I don't think he deserves this. This is not a case of him being wrong - his style and background are just a poor match for the position.

Or I could keep schtum. This may lead to my ex-subordinates leaving one by one and the company I work for getting into dire straits in a critical business area. Much more importantly to me personally, it would mean washing my hands of people I have personally selected, trained and developed, and whom I care about on a personal as much as on a professional level, and leaving them to fend for themselves in a situation they are clearly trying to address by speaking to me. I feel responsible for these people and I'd hate to let them down when they put their trust in me.

So WWYD?

It's not your problem it's really not. Appreciate you are concerned for your colleagues as friends/people, but this is new. You and them need to give it time. If there's an issue it will rear its head with or without your involvement. Bide your time.

I think you have an obligation to your employer to speak in confidence to your line manager tbh. They need to know that his management style is likely to lose the firm some good employees - and even if they don't leave, that they aren't doing their best work.

You can like people personally without liking working with them, and vice versa. It's no reflection on your personality or his or his reports'. But I think it's a bit feeble not to pass on serious feedback because it might hurt his feelings.

How senior are you? If very then yes, speak up. If not very I'd keep it to yourself.

What does “'boutique type delivery of mind-blowingly excellent but correspondingly involved (and expensive) projects” mean...

Oh, this is not looking unanimous so far, is it?

I absolutely get both the 'you left - not your responsibility anymore' as well as the 'you owe it to your firm (and, in my personal perception: the people I've put to work for it)' arguments.

And: I'm just about senior enough to not be entirely clear whether I'm just senior or very senior. Basically, I'm meant to keep the good of the business as a whole in mind in everything I say and do but don't have any corporation-wide responsibilities quite yet (bearing in mind that it's a huge corporation).

Christ. I don't think I'd like to have worked for you with all that jargon prose. Let it be. Think of it like the circle of life.

@PuppyMonkey, it basically means I manage the type of thing that millennial client managers are willing to buy. In a nutshell, I deliver the artisanal Tibetan slippers kind of business. And that's really in right now.

And I'm self-aware meta enough to know it.

Advise them how to deal with it, ie for them to talk to him and then how to raise a grievance if its not dealt with.if theey font have grounds for a grievance then they need to get a grip.
The only issue is if it comes out you knew...

@VladmirsPoutine, point taken - I thought this was rather intelligible in omparison to how my colleagues and I usually speak about my line of work. Clearly, the corporate speak is strong in this one.

I promise I talk like a normal human being about all things not work related.

I have no management experience, so forgive me if this is naive. The only way I can think of it, is that they have been taught in one way, flourished in that and dont like the new teacher's style.

I think asking you if you have job openings in your team is ok, but telling you that theyre going to walk otherwise (be it as individuals or as a secret collective) isnt very fair to you.

If this other manager is your equal then it puts you in an awkward position. If theyre unhappy in their new team and you mentioned it was a large corporation, then they will be aware of the steps needed to be taken to register their dissatisfaction.

Asking you for jobs- grand. Essentially asking you to do their dirty work for them- not ok. Youre in between a rock and a hard place IMO.

I dont think you should be the one doing this for them- can you just say 'look, Im sorry to hear that but this isnt my place, if you are unhappy then you must go through the correct channels'?

You're gone, stay gone. Leave the guy alone to get on with it in his own way.

MotherOfBratz - at some point, everyone has to wake up and realise which side of the bed they are sleeping on. In your case it comes down to a straight shot between are you senior enough to say something and notice will be taken and actioned, or are you not senior enough and if you say something your position may be called to account?

Here's my dilemma: I could speak up to my (and colleague's - we have the same C-level bosses) higher-ups about my concerns and I'm practically positive I'd 'win' if I did. My unhappy ex-subordinates would love me, as would my bosses (my style of management is much more in line with what the firm aims for these days - that's a purely generational thing). But if I do, colleague may be sanctioned. Colleague is also in his late 50s and his style (the one my former team members complin about) is not en vogue - so he may not have many options elsewhere. I don't think he deserves this. This is not a case of him being wrong - his style and background are just a poor match for the position.

What would you "win"?
You admit that he's not doing anything wrong, but that he has different "style" from yours.

Doesn't "grass" mean to tell on someone who is doing something wrong?

I think your OP is weird and that you should stay out of it.

I was in a similar position to your old team members. Excellent manager both personally and professionally was moved sideways. I didn't like the new manager - she had zero understanding of what we actually did and no desire to learn, because she was a manager and it was her job to manage. No respect for the years of accumulated knowledge and experience in the team.

Her incompetence eventually led to some unscrupulous employees defrauding both the business and some customers of significant sums.

I did raise concerns with seniors and HR early on, but as nothing could be fully evidenced at my level of system access or be properly conformed as a grievance, nothing was done, and my concerns were dismissed as a personality clash. I eventually resigned, only to read all the details of the twelve week long fraud trial several years later.

TL;DR Is it dissatisfaction with his style or is it professional incompetence that your old team are reporting? If the former, they have to make their own choice, if it's the latter, you and they need to raise it with your senior.

If not dealing with it will eventually threaten your job security by reducing profits at your company, then deal with it. If you feel like it, maybe come up with some suggestions for a role that would better fit the new manager. Some creative thinking might solve this with a win for your company and not a loss for him

I would be advising your former employees that if they have a genuine grievance then take it to HR. On the other hand if you have any vacancies coming up maybe you could inform your former employees who could apply for transfer. Remember the old adage of teams: forming, storming, norming and reforming. It is difficult to have a new boss who has a very different style but the new boss and new team may norm over time.

I think you should say something.

You have said that you believe your ex team are more critical to the business than their new manager.

A number of them have been to see you with concerns.

Your seniority means you should flag up something, even if only 'A number of my old team have been to see me re Xs style of management. I've told them to get on with it, but some appear to be looking elsewhere. Thought you should have a heads up.'

How long has he been in post?
I would encourage them to give him more of a chance as it can take a while to get comfortable with new management.
In my last job I was mid level and we had 4 general managers in 2 years. It takes time to get used to a new manager, especially when you really liked the one before.
I wouldn't want to run to big bosses, especially if the guy just has a different approach. It doesn't mean he has done anything wrong that they haven't taken to him. You have to think how you would come across in that conversation, it could make you look petty.
I would be feeling a bit cross with the team tbh as they have put you in a very difficult position.
If they can't work with him then they should be going through the proper channel to discuss this eg team meetings if it's the way things are being done they can make suggestions to do things differently and speaking to his manager or using grievance process if they think he is incompetent.
Tbh it sounds like his only flaw is he is not you.
The positive in all this is that they liked working for you so you must be good at your job

What are you "grassing him up" for? I mean, what's he actually done? Your old team don't like his management style, but I'm sure your senior management must be aware of his style by now.

Sounds to me like your old team need to grow up a bit and learn to adapt.

If they are so unhappy why are they not complaining through the approved procedures?

Is it because they know that you are an easy target to get to do their dirty work for them?

What a strange place to ask such a question?

It comes off like you're quite enjoying the vibe of the new guy not being as super duper awesome as you.

When added to the idea of 'winning' if you raise something, I wonder how much your concern also has an element of competitiveness to it?

What would you be complaining about this poor guy for? He’s done nothing wrong apart from having a different approach. If they gave him a chance, they might actually learn something from him. Give your SLT the credit that they actually know this mans strengths and weaknesses already.

It comes off like you're quite enjoying the vibe of the new guy not being as super duper awesome as you.

That's how it sounds to me as well. He probably doesn't speak the jargon
I'll admit that I assumed the OP was a joke at first, that it was someone doing a send-up. But evidently not.

Let your colleagues speak up for themselves. People who think they are irreplaceable are annoying.