Shift in relationship with manager

Anonymous

August 15,2023 at 5:08PM UTC

Welcome to Fairygodboss!

We’re the largest online career community helping women achieve their career goals. Gain access to articles, jobs, events, and a supportive network of women and allies. Membership is free, always.

Shift in relationship with manager

I am currently contracting and a FT role will be opening on the team. It is a bit more junior than my current responsibilities and experience level so I took a little time to contemplate applying. I decided to apply because I like the work, company, team, and manager. Now, it feels like there is an awkwardness between my manager (also the hiring manager) and me. She was encouraging me to apply initially so I am uncertain to this shift. We have had a great working relationship to date. Is it best to address this, if so, how? Or continue on as normally as possible?

Why women love us:

Daily articles on career topics
Jobs at companies dedicated to hiring more women
Advice and support from an authentic community
Events that help you level up in your career
Free membership, always

7 comments

Share your insight

Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.

7 Comments

Join the conversation

AnonymousAugust 15,2023 at 6:10PM UTC
Find some time and ask the manager. You could even say "I applied for the job, is there anything else I need to do?
AnonymousAugust 15,2023 at 6:57PM UTC
I think it would really help long term to casually address it. If it feels awkward, something has changed .
Debra SesholtzAugust 15,2023 at 10:33PM UTC
You should definitely address this awkwardness with your manager. If something has changed with the role or the hiring process, it’s to your benefit to find out. Mention to her that you applied for the role and ask her if there is any information she can share about the process moving forward. If she is hesitant to share anything, you can ask if there are any issues or has something changed. Good luck with your application!
Maggie StoneAugust 17,2023 at 12:15PM UTC
Absolutely address this in a direct non-confrontational way. I would not discuss the other role. It may well be that she has been told not to discuss the role with you and she’s afraid you’ll try to get information from her or she will blab something. I would say something along the lines of “I have noticed a shift in our relationship. Have you felt that too? I wonder why that might be?” Good luck.
Angel MartinezAugust 17,2023 at 3:31PM UTC
OP, I believe Maggie is on to something, specifically with your manager's role. I had a similar situation earlier this year, with it coming down to a conflict of interest.
Depending on your manager's level of experience she might not know how to directly deal with you being a candidate for a role with you currently as a contractor. Especially if there are already other candidates in the pipeline that may fit a more junior role.
With you applying you're creating two potential issues:
1- filling a role were it is more junior with the organization fully aware of your capabilities (getting less out of you)
2- the need to fulfill the position you have now
In her initial support for you to apply, she may not have considered these two potential factors and most likely her boss discussed this with her.
Either way, like what Maggie and Debra stated, don't let this linger too long without addressing it.
AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 4:30PM UTC
There might be a situation that your manager was not initially aware of. Many contracting companies, including some large national ones, have a "poison pill" in their employees' contacts, stating that if a company decides to hire one of their contractors, the company would have to pay the contracting agency a large fee for "damages". I recently lost out on a position I was perfect for. I was a fill-in for an employee who quit unexpectedly. I was a great fit for the job & with the boss & team, yet the company would not hire me on & continued to unsuccessfully interview candidates. When I went to HR to inquire why they were not considering me for the spot, I was told their company had a policy of never paying "indentured servitude fees", so I could not be hired by them until 2 years had passed after I left them. It's a dirty deal, so you need to read the fine print on your contract. Occasionally a company can negotiate something with the agency, but the contracts are written so that doesn't happen often. Ask your HR Dept about it. In my case, 9 months later the company hired someone from across the country, paid to relocate him & paid him an exorbitant salary, & everybody hated the guy, who quit 3 months later. They could've had me (happily) for half the salary & no relocation fees for a fraction of what they ultimately paid out, even if they'd paid to buy out my contract. Companies are idiots.
AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 7:48PM UTC
Some companies have a sliding scale depending on how long the employee has been at the company. For example, if a contractor works for company x for less than 6 months the company hiring for a FT position may have to pay 25% of the salary paid to said contractor and the rate changes the longer the person works at the company and at some point, generally a year from what I have seen, there is no fee. There are times the fees are also negotiated down if they really want the contractor as the contractor has already been trained so to speak. I hope I am making sense.