To think you should always leave when a new manager takes over your team?

[CleverGreenPeer]

In my experience, whenever a new manager comes in, things always go downhill. They want to “shake things up”, bring in their own people, and suddenly the culture changes - usually for the worse. Even if they seem nice at first, it rarely ends well for the existing team.

AIBU to think that when a new manager takes over, the best move is to start looking for the exit?

You've obviously had bad experiences, but I don't agree. A new manager doesn't automatically, or even usually, mean that things go downhill. SOmetimes new ideas are good.

People don't like change foisted upon them so maybe that's why you feel like leaving

I disagree. I’ve had a few bad new managers but also many great new ones. You have to give it 3-6 months to decide.

My latest line manager is the best I've ever had.

It would seem a bit odd if everyone left just because their manager had decided it was time to move on.

That seems like an odd reaction.

Not at all. New leadership can really shake up the status quo and get some new life and dynamism back into a team. I quite enjoy change though, I get bored easily and struggle when things feel routine.

My managers leaving has always just meant that my manager had found a new opportunity, or was relocating, or had decided to start their own business, or to be a SAHM. And they’ve been replaced by competent people who, yes, may bring their own new ideas or ways of working, which may create some initial friction because change is often hard, but who ultimately also have to fit in with the current business strategy and use existing corporate knowledge to do their job well and meet team objectives.

I agree that if you work in the sort of business where everything is quite uncertain, management and strategy isn’t coherent or aligned, there’s a lot of opaque politics in the background, or your manager has themselves been pushed out to make way for a “shake up” or restructure, having a new manager can be an uncertain time and may mean that looking to move on yourself is to your benefit: but in that case the move would be less about simply a new manager, and more the overall landscape of a poorly functioning business.

Erm, no, my new manager is ace, she has come in like a breath of fresh air and given me room to grow.

Nope! I’ve worked in my current role for over a decade and had many managers, can’t say I’ve ever wanted to leave when a new one joins. Maybe it’s just you OP who struggles with change 🤷🏻‍♀️

Definitely not. We had a manager change in work a few months ago, not my team but a team i work closely with. New manager is brilliant, so supportive of her team and they are all much happier and more settled since she came. I'm genuinely considering seeking a transfer to that team as a result.

Odd thing to say. Surely it completely depends on the new manager in comparison to the old one? In my previous job, a new manager came in and massively improved things and was absolutely lovely. I'd actually been thinking of leaving before he started, and when he arrived I ended up staying for another four years!