Uncomfortable with new manager but colleague disagrees

[MManchesterrain]

We’re getting a new manager next week. I’m a manager myself, working alongside 7/8 others, and we will be reporting in to him.

He is moving across from another part of the business. There is always gossip in our company and it’s a fairly small town we work in so lots of people know each other.

Anyway, it’s known that he went through a disciplinary process recently during which he was suspended, and people were surprised he kept his job. What happened is something people are aware of, and he is being moved across not through his choice.

4 of us are women and would feel uncomfortable being managed by him. 3 of us want to speak to our senior manager to see explain this and that we are uncomfortable being managed by him, but the other is strongly against this and thinks it will mark our cards and make us appear difficult.

Would it be wrong to proceed against her wishes?

But like... you still haven't even said what your actual issue is? Very hard to agree with you with zero context

It all sounds a bit unsavoury but he hasn't broken any laws and he's kept his job. I can't imagine you've heard the details of the disciplinary via HR/any official channels; you'll look petty and unprofessional if you complain to management on the basis of gossip/hearsay.

It didn't involve you so I would say nothing . It's 2026 and affairs happen all the time . You seem to have a narrow view .

I think complaining that you don’t want to work with someone when you have no experience of what they are like as a boss and your concerns are based around your knowledge of confidential disciplinary procedures (unsubstantiated or otherwise) is unprofessional and will not reflect well on you as a manager.

Good point.

OP’s approach to confidential procedures is unprofessional. It reflects how badly she would handle such matters as a line manager herself.

She’s someone who’s supposed to uphold confidentiality standards, but her engagement in gossiping about those procedures indicates she’s not taking the corporate line.

So it’s ironic to that she’s jumping on her new manager for having a spotty history when her own closet has skeletons.

I do think realistically OP’s new manager is going to find it hard to manage OP’s team as presumably they’ll throw these confidential matters in his face if he ever attempts normal line manager actions. So overall I do think it’s not going to end well as we aren’t dealing with professionals here.

Yes, it’s hard to follow OP’s posts.

Obviously the male colleague doesn’t sound professional, but is OP’s concern that he’s going to attempt to have an inappropriate relationship with colleagues in future? Plus there’s a difference between a consensual relationship vs harassment at work, it seems OP is suggesting future harassment is likely.

Exactly.

It could be that the OP just doesn't want to work with this manager because of his morals... or because she has a legitimate concern for sexual harassment but it's not clear at all.

Well the three of you can proceed with it if you want but you need to be very clear that your other colleague is not a part of it .
I don't understand the issue to be honest.

If it was me, I'd wait and see what he was like as a manager first before acting.