Dear Landa
Another installment of advice to the joblorn, where questions are sometimes real, sometimes not – but try to imagine the ones we can’t print.
Dear Landa:
I need some advice. My first day of my new job was yesterday. When I arrived, the receptionist looked really nervous, made a hushed call to someone else in the office, then led me to an adjoining conference room with instructions to wait for my new supervisor. Several minutes later I hear a commotion in the hallway and see my new boss escorting a seemingly very angry young man out of the office. He left a trail of expletives as he was ushered out the door. A moment later, my new boss comes in, smiling, welcoming me aboard and telling me she was sorry I had to witness the little scene in the hallway. “But,” she added with an uncomfortable laugh, “you can see why we hired you to replace him.”
Am I wrong to be worried?
Signed,
Totally Freaked Out
Dear Freaked,
Wow! That’s not quite the way to start a new job, for sure. Employers often face difficult timing decisions when replacing an employee—balancing the needs of work needing to get done with the need to move in new directions. That said, the lack of planning demonstrated by this incident tells me you do have reason to be concerned.
Keep your head down and your efforts up and see how it goes. No employer is perfect, as no employee is perfect. Pay attention to how you’re treated and give them your best.
Signed,
Landa