The Good News: Reassignments Can Work for Everyone!
By Ann Modlin Boehm, August 12, 2024
Quick facts:
- Most people end up in a job they don’t like at some point in their careers.
- Many of those people are afraid of change and typically choose to just stick it out in the unhappy job situation. This can sometimes lead to performance and attitude problems.
- Reassigning an employee doesn’t have to mean dumping a problem on another manager.
Have you ever been in a job you do not like? I hope the answer is not, “Yes, my current one.” But it could be. If you have ever been in a bad job, you know it is not a fun situation.
Being in the wrong job makes for very long days. The work can be daunting and exhausting. Very often, your performance suffers.
During my career, I had a few jobs I really did not like. Sometimes, I did not like the duties of the job, and sometimes, I did not like my supervisor. (I wonder if any of my former supervisors are reading this and wondering if they fell into that last category.)
I am not afraid of change. When I was unhappy in a job, I started looking for a new one. I searched dutifully on USAJOBS for new opportunities. And sometimes, I searched for a detail or reassignment opportunity within my agency.
Those efforts worked for me, but many people are afraid of change. People who do not like change typically choose to stick it out in their unhappy job situation rather than look for another opportunity.
Supervisors know when an employee is performing poorly or when their bad attitude is creating toxicity in the workplace. What supervisors often miss in those situations is that the root cause of the performance and attitude problems is that the employee just does not like the job.
Too often, supervisors tend to believe this kind of employee will not succeed in any job. That belief may keep them from helping the employee find a reassignment within the agency. There is a fear that they will be dumping a problem on someone else, but that should not be a foregone conclusion.
During my Federal career, I observed several “problem” employees in one environment end up thriving in another environment. Very often, a supervisor with a different personality made all the difference. Or the employee found a job better suited to their skillset.
I encourage supervisors and advisors to think about a reassignment as an option for an unhappy employee. As a first step, it is a good idea to talk to the employee and find out if they like their job, and if not, what other agency jobs might interest them. Then, look around and ask around and see if there is a job opening within the agency.
To avoid dumping a problem, explore a detail. Make it clear to the employee and the receiving supervisor that if the detail is not a success, the employee will return to the original position. If the employee thrives, the reassignment can be permanent. If they fail, you now have an indication that this employee may just be a poor employee. And yes, then the original supervisor will have to deal with that situation.
If a reassignment works, you can go from an unhappy supervisor and unhappy employee to two happy supervisors and happy employee. And that’s Good News! boehm@feltg.com
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