To wonder why people do this? (Work related)

[LannyLous]

I'm in a new job, and have been there for two months.

Since I started, colleagues have done nothing but bang on about how wonderful the lady who did the job before me was; how funny, how amazing at her job, how much they all liked her, funny stories about her, etc etc. She is literally mentioned many times every single day.

My manager has said I'm doing really well in the job, and I am enjoying it, but it's just not very helpful to just hear them praising her constantly or even just mentioning her constantly.

Why do people do this? If you do it to new people at your workplace, why do you do it? Do you think it's a bit unhelpful and also unwelcoming to the new person? I get on with everyone but I don't think I'll ever measure up to my predecessor in everyone's eyes.

I started my current job last summer and I had this for months - my predecessor was apparently the second coming of Jesus and I constantly heard all about how wonderful she was etc etc.

In a moment of irritation I did tell one of my direct reports it doesn’t come across well, and they stopped (to my face at least!). I think it is incredibly rude. I think they do it where I am because it’s the kind of place people only leave when they die (and even then they’d stay on for another 10 yrs) and they don’t like people coming in from Outside.

nearly a year on and people have stopped taking about how fab she was, not least because I uncovered a load of quite seriously bad things she had been up to and I’ve had to spend a lot of time and resource correcting.

I also put absolutely no effort into trying to impress them beyond doing my job well and professionally - I know I’m a very capable person and I don’t need them to think I “measure up” to anyone. I put the energy into making a good impressions on other people, I’ve made my mark and now everyone will probably bang on about how fab I was if I leave 😉

I'm glad they've finally stopped now! I kind of keep hoping secretly that I'll find mistakes my predecessor made so that it shows she's not as amazing as they all seem to think!

It's just so rude and unnecessary of them, isn't it? If someone new starts at a workplace I'm at I always want to make them feel welcome, not like they're some kind of cuckoo!

I think it's because some people just can't handle change. They're forever harking back to the 'good old days'. I remember starting a new job and being introduced to colleagues as "the new Richard"! A few months down the line I discovered that the "old Richard" was a lazy git who had left paperwork unprocessed for many, many months.

People are weird.

I had this in a previous position, she was a well loved employee, beautiful, kind and good at her job. Turns out I was much better at my job, the workload was huge and I managed it easily and she was forgotten about. I know they went through a lot of staff who couldn't keep up with the workload after I left. I felt quite sorry for them really. It can be a big pressure to live up to the ghost of a predecessor.

In my current role, my predecessor was jailed for embezzlement so a very low bar for me to live up to so I do look like the best employee ever.

I had this at a job I got when I was 20 years old, only my second job. The two ladies were absolute bullies to me for at least 6 months, and used to frequently tell me that the lady before was perfect and so missed and that I was second choice for the position as the one they wanted turned it down. This was in addition to talking over me and leaving me out. I was determined to stick it out and wore them down by never rising to it, smiling and pretending I didn't notice. They gave up eventually and when I left 5 years later to go on maternity (I didn't go back) they saw me as one of them and I'm sure did exactly the same to my replacement. I never liked either of them but played the role for the sake of peace and the one of them even started referring to me as her work daughter! Bizarre. I figured it was defensive -I was the new face, they wanted to keep me in my lane. It was a miserable 6 months but I'm glad I stuck it out. It taught me a lot, especially how to handle difficult people.

I have this at the moment.

My manager still has a weekly zoom with my predecessor.

It makes me feel really insecure.

My predecessor set up our team, our area of work, so all the materials and 'how to' guides were created by her. She did a good job TBF

Then she left for a better paid job elsewhere but everyone keeps talking about her and the things she worked on and the way she did things.

I have had no complaints about my own work but it does make me insecure.

Now, we've been successful in a tender to deliver a piece of work to her organisation and yes, I'm the project lead and yes, she'll be part of the group at the organisatio I've to report to.

I've to deliver a workshop 'launching' our work, detailing how we will be doing it etc with her present and my manager observing me.

I just feel really uncomfortable and super nervous. I feel she will be scrutinising her 'replacement' and my manager will be comparing us the whole time.

I've been in post 6 months.