So I have a new head of dept arriving in the next few weeks. After seeing some decent advice for the chap who was facing dismissal I thought I’d see what you suggest?

Bascially I’m not particularly happy with the position I find myself in.
1. I am in a new role created to move the dept in a new direction and basically I’m be swamped in general management bs which I can’t seem to shift or delegate (civil service…).
2. There are a couple of posionous people about who could do with being put in a role that suits their personalities more (ie away from people decisions)
3. Pay is particularly bad and to replace me they would have to offer a lot more, I took the role on the promise of a rise in the future. Stupidly did not get this in writing.
4. I think the dept needs a radical restructure to evolve and survive but keep getting stalled until the new guy starts.

Other useful info… I want to stay there for work-life balance and in case of little DTs in the near future. My field is generic but the same level job probably means relocation, most likely London.

Thoughts on how to approach the new guy? Let them settle in, or both barrels?

(civil service…).

Go off with stress for two years and then get promoted.

Whatever your opinion you need to swallow your pride, smile, and make your self indispensable. Its often not pleasant, but being on the front foot with a ream of powerpoint presentations about what you and the team have achieved will stand you in good stead. Any other course of action is practically career suicide.

Seems to be the same in all civil service departments.
Wife has a meeting with some guy from London tomorrow. He thinks he can get her department to roll over and do what he/his dept wants hers to do. Unfortunately this could cost the country quite a few millions 🙄
She left her previous post due to the reluctance to move with the times. That job no longer exists, she got out a year before the axe fell ❗

Thoughts on how to approach the new guy? Let them settle in, or both barrels?

Be positive, honest and indispensable.
I would not start a new boss relationship with any kind of strop or overly strong view – wait for the right time to speak up about issues, and pick which one(s) are the key. Sounds like you getting rid of issues that clog your time up are the issue.

Be positive, honest and indispensable.

This.

You need a to build a good relationship with him. There might be lots wrong but you’ll be perceived as a whinger if you go in with all of the above. What’s good about the place? What works well?

Put all your ideas and findings together and arrange a meeting with your new boss.

At the moment carry on as normal

I’ve had several new bosses recently (as our now ex-CEO was addicted to firing his management team). Anyway, getting a new boss is a great way for you to redefine your role as you want it to be. For each new boss, I put together a short presentation on my department, role and responsibilities (as I wanted it to be). In all cases it was received well and accepted. The way I see it, you can either wait for the new boss to decide what he thinks you should be doing, or explain what it is you currently do and think you should be doing and then put the onus on him to come up with a decent reason to redefine your role. As it is, it actually made no difference as they were all fired within 6 months and I’m now on boss #4 (in 18 months) and still doing exactly the same thing…..

Thanks for the advice guys, I’d had a bit of a bad day yesterday…!

I think seeing this as an opportunity to redefine the role is a fantastic way of looking at it. As is putting together a briefing of what it is my portfolio does, as it has only existed 6 months it will be useful for raising its profile.

I’m guessing you haven’t worked in the CS very long? Genuinely friendly advice coming up…steer clear of discussing work issues on a public forum, even if you don’t name individuals or department.

the new boss is going to have thier own ideas/ adgenda/ strenghs and weaknesses.
you dont know what his/her brief is or the targets they ve been asked to achieve..

i ve been that new boss many times and the very best way to be sidelined is to start by moaning because whatever your non positive input is it ll be mosning.

a cheery hi, im xyz when they arrive always helps. i’d offer a resume of who i am and what i do but frankly any decent boss will just ask you to fulfill your role for the first 7 days whilst they clarify who does what and how.

+1 especially when personal info can be obtained via the user profile details.

If you want to cyber spy yes you can probably work out who I am and where I work. But really? There is nothing sensitive in my note, just a request for how best to handle it.

Anyway it was a white lie, it’s not me in the situation, but a friend of a friend…..honest….

As a Crown employee, publicly voicing views, concerns and criticisms of the Civil Service tramples over the principles and standards of behaviour that Civil Servants operate under.

You, sorry, your friend is a public servant, there to serve the public, who are here, reading information you are publishing referring to colleagues and the work of your employer in disparaging terms.

It’s also a direct contravention of Civil Service Code of Conduct/Standards of Behaviour and CS Management Guide, the former the basis of your employment contract.

If the things you want to do are useful to your new boss and will help him achieve his own aims then a constructive chat with him might prove very useful to you.

Present your ideas in a positive way and don’t do any moaning until he asks “why haven’t you done this already?”

Oh well this didn’t turn out to be the useful helpful thread my friend had hoped for.

As Simon & Garfunkel once sang…

A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest

Powerful laxatives + Coffee

As a Crown employee, publicly voicing views, concerns and criticisms of the Civil Service tramples over the principles and standards of behaviour that Civil Servants operate under.

Hardly a big deal. Also, if a body bans criticism of itself, it’s a pretty good indication it’s pretty badly run and just doesn’t care.

don’t kiss arse tell it like it is but be positive about the future and have some good ideas.

In my last pseudo civil service job I was in the room when there was the new boss heading up the project introduction. End of the meeting there was a few people I needed to catch up with so was chatting to them. Kiss Ass wandered over to new boss and laid out his plan for the team, laughed down mostly then the boss came over and chatted to me (as we spent the previous night getting smashed on expenses) leaving kiss ass floating off.

I miss government expenses….

I work in the private sector in a tech firm that was fairly recently bought by a major multinational. Change is underway in lots of areas, mostly for the better.

We have now got a new director that has been “parachuted in” by the parent – first thing I did was identify that he is key to my long term progression so I need him as an ally if I am to fulfill my own objectives in the medium to long term.

As a result, I asked for a meeting with him in the first week, pitched to him as finding out how I (as a department head) can help him achieve the things he needs to do, so that we can work together to meet mutual objectives.

See this as a great opportunity to define your role and gain a ally.