Dear Eric: A year ago, I took over as a supervisor at a municipal agency. I replaced an individual who was retiring and who is a friend of mine. The department has a number of employees who are retirees working part-time. They were very loyal to the former supervisor, and he let them do what they wanted as long as the work got done. There was no structure.
I tried to implement small things while starting out, and, each time, I would get the response that that’s not how we have done it before. I didn’t want to make it like it was my way only, but things needed to change. If I complained to my supervisors, then they would think I was doing the complaining and that I could not get along with anyone.
It’s to the point where every time I ask to get something done, the employees do the exact opposite. It’s embarrassing. I enjoy the job, but my staff does not respect me.
I am at a loss for what I should do. Do you have any suggestions or ideas?
Eric says: It can be very difficult to inherit someone else’s workplace culture. And, when you’re in a supervisory role, a lot of the negotiation becomes about what you need to adjust to and what you need to change. That’s a dance that goes on for a while.
Respect from the employees you supervise is important, and I don’t want to dismiss that, but it’s also crucial to think about the expectations that are being placed on you, the expectations that you’re placing on yourself and the expectations you have for the workplace.
To that end, see if you can get clarity from your supervisors about what success looks like for you, how they measure it and what systems are in place to encourage growth. This information could help you to modify your expectations of yourself and, in turn, take some of the frustration out of the working relationships you have with the employees.
You also might want to talk to your friend. He created this imperfect system, and, while you clearly don’t want to perpetuate it, he might be able to give insight. Ask him, “How do I deal with these people?”
