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?