Is this management reorg a demotion?

Question

Yesterday in my regularly scheduled "one on one" meeting with my manager I was ambushed not only by my manager but his manager (a member of the executive team) and an human resources person. This was quite out of the ordinary to say the least.

The first thought that popped into my head was "Oh no is the company downsizing? And/Or Am I being let go for some reason?"

I was immediately reassured that was not the case and not to panic. But what followed never the less did incite some stress/anxiety/panic.

I was told my manager was moving on to a new position in a different company - which was a little unexpected given how (relatively) new my manager was to his position (less than 2 years). On one hand I was happy for him, but on the other hand I was a little upset - maybe even angry. (We've had a great working relationship which I am sad to lose).

At the same time I was told we were undergoing an re-organization. Two of my colleagues who were formerly peers were being promoted. One of them would now be my direct manager. Effectively I would no longer report to my manager's successor but an intermediary who was formerly a peer.

As if that wasn't enough I was next told, that two people that formerly reported to me would be now reporting directly to my new supervisor. Effectively cutting my team in half.

This was framed in a way such that I was told this was not a demotion but rather an effort to redistribute work and alleviate some of the workload that had been placed on me.

To be fair my workload has been unreasonable and my work/life balance has suffered as a result. But I can't help but feel like I have been demoted by this intermediary management layer being introduced between me and my current supervisor.

I feel slighted, and again angry, upset and worried about the future. I've maintained complete composure and avoided expressing any concerns about this change. Mostly out of shock but also out of fear of saying the wrong thing and/or alienating anyone.

Obviously I don't want to start off on bad terms with my new manager and anything I say to either my current boss who is departing (or my bosses boss) could be leaked back to my new boss. It will be awkward and challenging enough to report to a former peer without souring our working relationship before we even start.

I should say I generally have an ok/good working relationship with my former colleague (although I've thought that about other peers and then been surprised when I discovered accidentally that sentiment wasn't reciprocal.)

I'm also worried that the new person hired to fill my prior boss's roll won't have the same chemistry and working relationship. And honestly I no longer even report to that person. Effectively I feel I lack even less influence to affect change or have autonomy than I did previously.

I really do like my company - BUT - all of these changes have caused me a fair bit of distress and unsettled me. I've immediately started updating my resume, and changed my LinkedIn status to "open for work".

Is this overreacting? Quite possibly. But being able to take some action made me feel less helpless even if was mostly symbolic.

But I am very much torn. Am I best to wait it out and see how things progress?. Or is preparing to leave myself just a prudent/sensible precaution? Would it be out of line to casually ask my current boss if he has any openings in his new company to keep me in mind?

Does anyone have any advice for me in terms weather I should just sit tight and wait, or should I be more direct and express my concerns to either to my old manager (who is departing), my new manager, or my new managers, managers, manager?

Any feedback or advise would be grateful.

Answer 1

Is this overreacting?

Very much so. Not exactly "over" but mostly "wrong". Most of what you write is about your feelings, which are almost entirely irrelevant to the question. If you want to deal this this effectively you need to shut your emotions off and turn you brain on.

Let's dissect what really happened here.

1. Your boss left: Perfectly normal. Happens all the time. If you are reasonably observant you should have an idea who is on their way out, so ideally that should not have been a surprise to you.
2. Reorg got triggered: Again perfectly normal. The red flag that you missed here is that you weren't part of the re-org planning, which is an indicator that management doesn't feel you are good at this type of thing or can be trusted to handle the professionally.
3. A peer promoted over you: Again perfectly normal. Whenever you are promoting someone, you are NOT promoting their peers. One gets it and the others don't. Instead about being angry about it, you should analyze why. What does Peer do that you don't, what are they key behaviors and skills that make Peer the better choice? Management typically doesn't just pull a name out of a hat, they try to find the best candidate for the role.
4. You lost two reports: This may or not be a ding on you. This depends on whether it makes business sense or not. You already conceded that there is a workload problem, so this reasonable. If you were the department director, how would you have organized it differently and why?

Is this management reorg a demotion?

Depends on the details but I'm guessing yes. Based on your emotional writing and lack of rational analysis, I would assume that you are currently lacking the maturity for a more senior leadership position and management knows it.

Does anyone have any advice for me in terms weather I should just sit tight and wait, or should I be more direct and express my concerns ...

Neither. You should carefully analyze the situation using all available data and specifically your own strengths and weaknesses. I'm guessing that you are technically good at your job but way too much focused on your own feelings and emotions, which makes you ineffective. Fix that first.

Would it be out of line to casually ask my current boss if he has any openings in his new company to keep me in mind?

Yes. Very much out of line.

Answer 2

You got demoted.

They know it, you know it.

You can tell them you don’t like it, but it won’t change anything.

Your options are enjoy the demoted life or move on to another role.

Answer 3

If HR was there to witness, you've been demoted. The HR role is to document what's said and the reaction of all the parties involved. They already knew you'd be upset and the management was just covering their own behinds by having HR present. And, no notice? Yes, demotion.

Sorry.