Promotion but potential new team member doesn’t want me as her manager

[stabbypokey]

Ive worked with her in various working groups over the past 10 months. It’s not that she wants my role, reading between the lines,she simply doesn’t like me. The role is being created (for me) at a period of intense change. I can’t chat with her because HR are dealing with it at the moment. What rights does she have in this situation? She is really good at her job, no one else seems to be objecting to my promotion.

She needs to be professional an knuckle down. It's not the playground anymore. If she won't work with you the firm is within its rights to tell her: there's the job - do it or leave.

You seem to assume that she'll want to block your promotion whereas it's more likely that she would ask to change teams. How did you get on in the working groups, did you clash? Is she likely to raise any issues with your management style of working?

Need more details. What are HR dealing with, has she made a complaint? How long have you both worked there?

Strategically it makes sense she is in this newly created team. You are right I’m sure she wouldn’t block the promotion but one of the reasons for the new role is that the teams work more closely together. Hearing this third hand, she says I have no experience in what she does. That’s factually wrong. I don’t think she likes my style of working. I’m a bit hurt as I thought we got on. I’m much older than her and I’ve only ever got good feedback from people I manage and I’ve worked in lots of sectors. So She sees me pushing stuff through and changing how people work, so I assume she thinks I’m like that every minute of every day.

I’ve been there 10 months.when the new team structure was floated with her, she said she didn’t want to report into me.

If you are only hearing this third hand, I would (a) take it with a pinch of salt and (b) wonder what the third party got out of telling you this

The other thing I would ask is if you have a tendency to bulldoze these new systems and procedures into place! That does cause issues with staff because they feel ignored.

Third party is my boss who wants to make these changes, she can only tell me so much. Yes, the organisation had aggressive ambitions and we couldn’t have achieved them without everyone doing their part, and they did. Totally get that she might have felt bulldozed, if she can’t block the promotion, are her only options legally to lump it or leave? That would be grim.

i'd say you are being a little deluded if you really think she is not after some sort of boost

it might not be YOUR exact job she is after, but she has seen the company create a position for you and I would say that she thinks she IS better than you and is wangling to have something made to suit her.

Also, and sorry to say this but if your boss has not already told her to get the hell on with it, team work and all in it together, shape up or ship out, I reckon she is going to get her way....I would keep my ear to the ground and be as observant a possible.

blimey..mixing my metaphors there! :o Watch allllll the things!

Idk about that. Management tend to look after their own, and if there are any rumbles of discontent from the lower orders, they rapidly get squashed. This woman probably hasn't got any particular criticisms of you, so it's likely to be "shape up or ship out"

Molly Coddle needs to learn that you get paid for work because it isnt always fun. unless she is having sex with higher management , it is indeed shape up or ship out.

OK. I hope working with me won’t be the disaster she thinks. Thanks everyone.