Need some ideas...new employees (budget-related)

[blanq]

I am a supervisor working in human services. Our department has 250 employees working in a variety of functions like: social services, veterans services, public assistance, child support, and workforce support. I have been a supervisor for 13 years, and just recently was asked to supervisor another program, with a staff of 13, in an area I am not familiar with at all and have no technical expertise in. It will be a temporary assignment for 6 months, until a permanent replacement is hired next March, and I will continue to have some supervisory responsibilities involving my existing staff in the program area I am familiar with. I am excited about this opportunity, but know I have a long road due to my lack of technical knowledge. I was chosen to take this on because of my operational and supervisory skills.

I understand that my new staff will be skeptical of me, due to my lack of program knowledge, and I am thinking about ways to start off on the right foot. I will be making personal connections (meetings, conferences, etc) and have ideas about that but I am thinking one thing I would like to do, before my assignment begins, late next month, is to send each a small token of some kind (maybe an office related item?) with a card/note that I am very excited to begin my work with them. Anyone have any good ideas that would be thoughtful and not too expensive? Is this a bad idea altogether? It is very important to me that what I do is perceived as sincere.

 

[fairygirl]

I think it is excellent you are so concerned about your relationship with your new employees. This puts you wayyyyy ahead of many supervisors.

That being said, don't try too hard. Depending on the crowd, you can easily be viewed as desperate for people to like you or that you lack authority...and some employees take advantage of that. Don't get me wrong here - it is a very nice thought. It is important that you build a relationship with them based on work first and foremost. You can be their friend after you've established you are their boss. A gift would perhaps be overdoing it a bit. Maybe host a lunch during your first week and discuss with them what they need from you as a temporary boss. It's important that they realize you are putting their work needs first and you are someone that they can respect.

I have been in human resources for many years...much of my job has involved training managers to be better managers. I've made many observations over the years and one of them is to never be an extreme. Don't go too far either way...in being way too buddy-buddy or way too distant and unapproachable. Find a balance.

 

[blanq]

I think it is excellent you are so concerned about your relationship with your new employees. This puts you wayyyyy ahead of many supervisors.

That being said, don't try too hard. Depending on the crowd, you can easily be viewed as desperate for people to like you or that you lack authority...and some employees take advantage of that. Don't get me wrong here - it is a very nice thought. It is important that you build a relationship with them based on work first and foremost. You can be their friend after you've established you are their boss. A gift would perhaps be overdoing it a bit. Maybe host a lunch during your first week and discuss with them what they need from you as a temporary boss. It's important that they realize you are putting their work needs first and you are someone that they can respect.

I have been in human resources for many years...much of my job has involved training managers to be better managers. I've made many observations over the years and one of them is to never be an extreme. Don't go too far either way...in being way too buddy-buddy or way too distant and unapproachable. Find a balance.

Oh, you have some great points! Since I have been a supervisor for quite some time, I actually have the boundaries thing down pat. I have no desire to be "friends" or "buddy buddy" with my new staff, just as I don't have that kind of relationship with my existing staff.

I did find some cute notepads at baudville.com that show a fishbowl with a fish, and state "Think outside the bowl". This might be a good option, given the circumstances.

 

[Bren's Mom]

I don't know about the gift...gifts of any kind in a work environment are always tricky. For starters...might your current employees feel slighted that THEY didn't get a gift? I might reconsider that idea.

One thing that I like about people who have supervised me is when they respect that *I* do know what I'm doing AND I like to know how to work with them best. Maybe meet with everyone when you start, be upfront with your lack of technical knowledge in this area, let them know you'll be relying on THEIR expertise, make it clear that you're approachable if a problem exists, explain your management style and any peculiarities you might have (like if you only want day off requests in writing or you don't like to be interrupted on the phone).

Good luck!

 

[bettymae1121]

Two things my DH hates about supervisors who aren't familure with the work he does are:

1) Acting like they know how things work when they have no clue, and thus giving instructions that make no sense/can't work

2) Changing things around just for the sake of changing things in order to make it look like they're "doing something".

Learn how things work over there and learn how people work over there. Only once you have a handle on things should you start to make any changes, if necessary. Do those two things and you'll be doing fine! Good luck!

 

[quentina]

HR manager here.....I would not buy any gifts or tokens.

I do think it is fair to send a meeting request, for your first meeting, and say..can't wait to work with all of you, I will bring the coffee and donuts. As you eat the donuts, you can spend a few minutes doing basic introductions and then get down to business.

 

[sam_gordon]

Agreed. No "gifts". I like the idea of a group meeting with donuts. Start off by introducing yourself and quickly through your background. Acknowledge your lack of knowledge. Let them know you'll rely on them until you get your feet under you. Tell them you're interested in learning how that department operates, and you'll talk to them individually later. Take questions.

 

[Kate and Pete]

I agree with the others - no gifts. BUT, coffee and donuts at the first meeting are a great idea!

 

[SandrA9810]

Food is always good in my book. Maybe after a week, send a thank you card to every one saying how much you appreciate their insight on how the jobs are preformed, and making you feel welcomed and part of their team.

 

[Cooky]

.

 

[kchughes]

Being a nurse in a corporate world where there are only 6 other people who have any idea what I do, the one thing I appreciated was a personal phone call from my new manager 9who is not a medical professional0 welcoming me and letting me know that I was appreciated and she looked forward to working with me.

 

[Gigi22]

Can you meet with the previous supervisor, or are they no longer around? I would take him/her to coffee if at all possible to get a quick orientation. Has your boss given you any general directions for these employees for the next 6 months? I am certain your new employees would love to hear what they can expect from you, and what your expectations of them will be. I suggest a quick meet and greet with your new employees, with coffee and doughnuts. Also, quickly and informally tell them what will be going on in the near and mid future, "I intend to meet one on one with each of you for 30 min. in the next week. I will be contacting you each by email to arrange a time."
These people have lost some structure at work, they no longer have the supervisor they were used to, and will be in a kind of limbo until the new permanent supervisor is hired. It will be to you to provide a professional structure for them in the interim. The more professional you are with them, the more reassurance they will draw from you. So, no little gifts.

 

[blanq]

Can you meet with the previous supervisor, or are they no longer around? I would take him/her to coffee if at all possible to get a quick orientation. Has your boss given you any general directions for these employees for the next 6 months? I am certain your new employees would love to hear what they can expect from you, and what your expectations of them will be. I suggest a quick meet and greet with your new employees, with coffee and doughnuts. Also, quickly and informally tell them what will be going on in the near and mid future, "I intend to meet one on one with each of you for 30 min. in the next week. I will be contacting you each by email to arrange a time."
These people have lost some structure at work, they no longer have the supervisor they were used to, and will be in a kind of limbo until the new permanent supervisor is hired. It will be to you to provide a professional structure for them in the interim. The more professional you are with them, the more reassurance they will draw from you. So, no little gifts.

Okay. The person who supervises these staff has not retired yet. She will not leave for 5 weeks. I have known about my new "assignment" for the last 2 weeks. I have been meeting with the retiring supervisor and will meet with her a number of times before she departs. She has a lead worker who I also am meeting with. I know all of the "new" staff by name and they know me; in fact, one of them used to work in the area I currently oversee. I pass many of them everyday in the course of working in the department, but a couple of them work in satellite office locations so I don't see them. The changes have been "announced" I just feel there is this kind of awkward, long chunk of time for everyone to know this change is coming with no real communication from me. I have come up with a couple of other ideas (not involving a small office gift based on feedback here) to make my intro before their supervisor retires. It does not involve donuts though.

The donut thing that many suggested is just too cliche for me, especially because it is a stereotype that govenment workers sit around all day and eat donuts. I can't tell you how many times in the 20 years I have worked in my field that a client from the public has left me a voicemail telling me to get off my lazy *** and pull away from the donuts to call them back.

Thanks everyone.

 

[dancin Disney style]

HR manager here.....I would not buy any gifts or tokens.

I do think it is fair to send a meeting request, for your first meeting, and say..can't wait to work with all of you, I will bring the coffee and donuts. As you eat the donuts, you can spend a few minutes doing basic introductions and then get down to business.

That was my first thought also.....coffee and an informal meet & greet is great.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I did find some cute notepads at baudville.com that show a fishbowl with a fish, and state "Think outside the bowl". This might be a good option, given the circumstances.

Frankly if I received this I would be pretty upset because it would make me think that you were planning to make big changes. And the out of the box/bowl would lead me to think you were going to change the ways that we do things whether they need to be changed or not.

 

[blanq]

Frankly if I received this I would be pretty upset because it would make me think that you were planning to make big changes. And the out of the box/bowl would lead me to think you were going to change the ways that we do things whether they need to be changed or not.

Like I said in a previous post, I have decided I will not be buying/giving anything.