How to overcome resentment from new colleagues for "replacing their friend"

Question

A friend of mine recently got hired for a new job. After she joined, she realized that she was replacing an ex-employee who was terminated. The ex-employee was well liked amongst his peers. Now, her new colleagues often make uncomfortable remarks such as "You shouldn't be here" because they could not figure out why the last guy was let go. They insinuate that she was hired because she was liked by management and not based on her abilities and that she essentially took away the job of their friend.

What can she do to mitigate the situation and get to a better working relationship with her new colleagues?

• Should she talk to the management? She would prefer not to do this and risk further alienating her colleagues
• Should she talk to her colleagues and explain how she did not "steal" anyone's job? This may create more problems
• Should she just ignore the unkind remarks and wait it out for them to know her better and eventually accept her?

Answer 1

One of the things that someone in a new position has to do is to build trust with their new team. When the new person is in the position of replacing someone, this is all the more difficult.

Behave with the utmost professionalism. Be open and friendly. If possible, let negative comments slide by. If someone is more confrontational about it, your friend can gently remind them that she doesn't know her predecessor and isn't responsible for what happened to that person. She should also look for people who aren't so negative and use that as a starting point for building relationships. All the while, she has to focus on delivering results that prove she is qualified for the position.

As part of the ongoing dialog between an employee and their manager, your friend should discuss what is going well and what she is finding challenging. Her manager might be able to provide her with some additional advice that is specific to her situation and her working environment. Talking to a manager doesn't necessarily mean that the manager is the one who takes action, or that it will have negative repercussions for those around her.

It's a sticky situation, and your friend will have to be very careful.

Answer 2

If you are hired to replace someone that was let go, then obviously the role is essential to the employer. The previous person was, most likely, not performing adequately. Since no information is offered on what the role is, it's hard to tell from the post how critical it is to organization operations.

If the 'friend of the team' was replaced by a 'friend of the managers' then this whole thing is an issue of who likes who. The former employee was inconvenient, the current employee is a 'pretty face', and for whatever reason the manager(s) wanted the pretty face. Under the circumstances it will take time for the matter to settle, the best thing she could do is try to put her co-workers at ease - mix with them socially as appropriate. She might learn something about the ex-employee that hints at what actually happened.

If the employment determination was highly performance driven, she needs to show that she can fill those shoes and support the team. Once everyone else realizes she's essential to their success, they'll appreciate her presence.