Encouraged to ask certain employee for help

Question

I got a new manager just beginning of this year and he replacing my old boss who got promoted to a different department in same company. So I still talk to my old boss but he is no longer my manager. My new manager has this thing where he likes it when I ask a certain employee (someone he hired) for help instead of the coworker I usually ask.

This is also my feeling so it is not concrete, but he likes to brag to management about employees he hired and give them more visible projects since his job is to hire people. He actually got mad at me for asking the coworker I usually ask a few times saying I should figure it out and stop mentioning his name so much (maybe a valid criticism?).

Should I just go with what he wants and try to direct questions to the coworker what he likes me to ask? This coworker does have a lot of knowledge but sometimes he doesn't know as much about the business since he is new. Also, should I be concerned for any reason in this situation?

Answer 1

Your new manager is practicing an interesting form of "Thumbprint". Thumbprint is where a new manager changes something for the sake of change to make it their own.

In this case, they want their team member to be the "Helpful One" as their change to the team.

Does this go in the face of logic and team building - HECK YES.

Is thumbprint a waste of resources and time that could and should be spent elsewhere.

Your choice is to pander to the manager or hide your productivity from the manager. The other options are hopefully the manager backs off of this behavior or find a way to remove yourself from this situation.

Answer 2

Navigating new managerial dynamics can be challenging. It's beneficial to align with your manager's preferences when possible, so consider asking the recommended coworker for assistance. However, maintain a balance and seek guidance from other knowledgeable colleagues when necessary. If you feel this situation impacts your work or professional growth, it might be worth discussing your concerns with your manager directly, ensuring the conversation is constructive and focused on your desire to contribute effectively to the team.

Answer 3

stop mentioning his name so much

This seems to be the issue. Your new boss is the opposite of self-assured and wants to be validated by things. So stop doing the things they don't like. I'm not sure why a person you asked for help needs to mentioned at all, just take the help and move on.

Yes, you should be concerned, your new manager is an idiot who is working on their own agenda, not the agenda of helping the company (this is technically known as the management agency issue). Keep your resume up to date and be ready to jump at an opportunity.

Answer 4

He has this thing where he likes it when I ask a certain employee (someone he hired) for help instead of the coworker I usually ask.

Did you ask them why do they prefer so?

He actually got mad at me for asking the coworker I usually ask a few times saying I should figure it out and stop mentioning his name so much (maybe a valid criticism?).

Yes, you should not be talking about people, especially your boss, behind their backs.

It's in bad taste and it easily can be seen as directly undermining them, when they just started. If someone came here and mentioned that they get tons of back talk from employees, part of my answer would be "employee doing so needs to be addressed as this is not really acceptable". Some gossiping etc is inevitable, joys of management, but excess needs addressing.

Should I just go with what he wants and try to direct questions to the coworker what he likes me to ask?

Yes. You could also ask why exactly they are asking this of you, raising concerns and asking questions is good. But you definitely should be doing the work as directed.

This coworker does have a lot of knowledge but sometimes he doesn't know as much about the business since he is new.

Honestly this is what I think is happening exactly - they want you to help bring the new employee up to speed on the business side of things, and maybe even help ingrain the new person into the team.

On top of that you were gossiping about office people with coworker X, many managers will then seek to how to make you spend less time with X, as gossiping and cliques are rarely good for the team (and company) as a whole. But this is based on just my feeling, I don't know the entire circumstances in your specific situation, just something to be aware of.

Answer 5

I'm going to preface with saying this is a relatively feelings-based question, there's no way for us to know the true dynamics going on here, so take this more as a fresh perspective than true advice. Now there's several things that could be going on here that I will try to address.

The first is your concern that your manager is intentionally putting his finger on the scale to boost the perceived value of the people he hired over the people he didn't. That is pretty uncool, but ultimately not your problem unless you feel like you are starting to lose out on opportunities because of this, in which case try to gather hard proof or compile a list of instances and then bring it to HR.

The second is your actual question: yes, you should just start going to this coworker instead. I see no reason not to (actually I see one reason not to but we'll get there), if he knows the answers than great, if not you can go to your other coworker. And no, I don't see any reason your should be concerned EXCEPT...

The final thing, which interestingly no one has brought up, is your relationship with the coworker you used to go to. It sounds like you have a good working relationship so if they all of a sudden see that you're going to someone else, especially if that person starts getting publicly praised by your manager for it, then your relationship with this coworker may begin to deteriorate. On the other hand, maybe this coworker asked your manager to point you towards other resources because their work was getting interrupted by helping you. I couldn't say myself, but I think this point only may be worth bringing up to your manager. Express willingness to follow their directives but ask for their input or assistance in navigating how that may change existing relationships.

Answer 6

Try to be self-reliant when possible. This is difficult, I was asking a colleague about something just today.

However, try to obey your manager in this instance. Asking the new employee may help both the new employee, and you.

What's key in this situation is how the other employee (you usually asked before) is doing under this situation. If this employee is under job pressure, this would be a bad sign for you too.