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How do I handle being reassigned to a different position at my job? I had absolutely no warning.

Unexpected work reassignments can cause stress and uncertainty for employees. Elaine Varelas provides guidance on how best to navigate a reassignment at work and make the transition smoother.

Boston.com

September 13, 2023

3 minutes to read

Q. I was recently reassigned to a different role at my company. This was NOT a promotion and the department I was transferred to isn’t one that I would ever choose to work in. While I’m relieved to still have a job, I’m also disappointed that I wasn’t given any say in this move. Do I have any recourse in this situation?

A. Not having a conversation with you manager about a pending change in your role at work can instill fear in any employee. You question the message the company is trying to give you. Your circumstance is even more painful since it is a different department, different colleagues, and work that you have no interest in doing. Many people would be content to continue to keep their job until they realize that their everyday work is now making them miserable. When employees have no control over their daily work activities, this can often lead to anger and frustration, not the employee engagement most organizations say they want. Unfortunately, your company has put you in this position.

The most important thing that you can do is to have a conversation with either the manager who moved you, your new manager, or Human Resources to seek clarification about the new work assignment. Find out what the situation is and what message they are sending you. It’s important to stay positive and professional during any of these conversations. Is the message that you are an important person, and the organization is trying to retain you? Is the message that you’re a challenging employee and moving you into this kind of a role makes it easier for the organization to not feel any kind of negative impact that you may be giving to others? Or is this just a temporary situation until another opportunity becomes available?

Any of these might be the case. You need to be prepared to ask all these questions of management or HR and be prepared to listen to the answers. That’s your first recourse.

Once you get some answers to those questions, you will then have to make some decisions. You should take the time to consider any positive benefits to the new role and how it may help your career in the long term. You might decide to quietly start a job search recognizing that whatever clues the organization has given you, you won’t be happy continuing in your current work situation. You might also look for other internal opportunities within the company if you have enough seniority, positive relationships at the company, or can add value to other departments that may have an opportunity. Or you can do what many employees have started to do when they’re unhappy.
Quiet quitting is doing barely what’s expected of you on the job and just getting by. And quiet cutting is what may have happened to you.

If you feel that this move is because of some specific managers and not part of your entire reputation, you may decide to wait it out. People change, managers change, reputations change, and you may find that there are others within the organization who value the contributions you make.
One of the challenges companies frequently have is providing direct feedback to employees. If you’ve been a challenging employee and your organization is not good at giving feedback, you may have been moved multiple times throughout the organization in the hopes that others would find you easier to work with.

Typically, if people aren’t having direct conversations with you, look at whether it’s easy to have those conversations with you or if your response to everything is aggressive or not received well. Some people are very good at providing direct feedback and are not worried about potential employment lawsuits. Strong managers who provide direct feedback are vital to the success of any organization, whether it’s a group, a department, or a company at large. And every professional development experience tells you personal insight and the ability to seek and take feedback well is the only way to be successful.