Where To Get Help In Your New Job November 14, 2014My CareerOff

Your palms are sweating. Your cheeks are definitely flushed. Your heart feels like it is going to burst out of your chest. The boss has called you into his office, but you have no idea what he wants to see you about. Every decision you have made in the last week flashes through your mind as you try to find a fault in your actions. Panic sets in as you start to visualise the bailiffs repossessing your house because you got fired. Why do we as women automatically think the worst when the higher-ups demand our presence? What is that makes us lack that self-confidence?

Of course, he welcomes you in with a big smile and doesn’t flinch too much as he shakes your sweaty hand. Congratulations are in order. You have scored a big promotion based on all the right decisions you have made. The business is all the better for your exemplary management style, and your hard work is about to be rewarded. Nothing improves our confidence like a big pat on the back in the form of a promotion! Now comes the bad news. The bigwigs want you in the post because you are an outstanding manager. The trouble is, the post is in a part of the business you know nothing about and you are about to be thrown in at the deep end. Sink or swim time. What do you do?

You are now on a level playing field with your boss. You are equals, and you are going to have to prove yourself as such. You’ve always been a hard worker and a great manager. How on earth do you now apply yourself to a new post full of technical jargon and regulations that you have never come across before? You have two choices at the moment. You can choose to blag your way through and hope for the best. Who knows, your skillset will certainly help and probably drive you to success. The other option is to put your hand up and admit that you’re not sure how to approach the new role. No need for the weak and feeble wobble in your voice. You can find a solution and ask for an authorization to implement it. That solution is likely to be outsourcing.

When we have worked hard to drive our career forward and push to be where we deserve to be, it can be overwhelming when we finally get it. All the extra hours, and working weekends from home to master your previous role have paid off. Not only has the work been recognized, but it has been rewarded. It probably feels like a fairytale at the moment because it is only in recent years that we have been able to take a stand a demand these results. You have earned this, but not knowing what to do with it is nothing to be ashamed of. Think back to when you started your last job. You didn’t have a clue how it was going to work or feel to be in that seat. But you got on with it. You had the drive and determination to make it work for you, and you proved yourself. You can do it again.

New jobs come with new challenges. That’s a given. If you find yourself running a whole department, you will need to take time to find out who is in there. Is there a reason the role you have just taken on has come up? Perhaps things aren’t running smoothly, and you need to find out why and fix it. Remember you are the manager. You’re not on the shop floor implementing the decisions you made, but the guys that are will be essential in finding out why you need to be there at all. You’re a great manager, and you know how to get results from your staff. What you might not know are the regulations they are restricted by, and health and safety matters they must be protected by.

If your new role is in an environment like a warehouse or factory, there are a phenomenal number of health and safety considerations. Risk assessment may be a daily requirement in hazardous workplaces, and you cannot be expected to take that role on. Instead, you may want to outsource this side of the role until you are in a position to budget for a full-time health and safety specialist. There are many companies like www.praxis42.com, who specialize in auditing and risk assessing your business premises and work practices. They provide the practical support and administration to ensure your business is compliant. If you don’t have the qualifications and training needed to do it yourself, you must find someone who can. Outsourcing is the quickest way to find this specialist knowledge.

There are times in every job where something challenging comes along. An accident in the workplace is one of the worst things that can happen to the business, and as a manager, it will fall on you to investigate how it happened. As long as all the correct procedures were in place, the company cannot be liable. But if there is any doubt as to the provision of health and safety compliance, you could be in big trouble. Your talent is to manage, not to work full time as a compliance officer. To bring in specialist help from outside will free you up to get on with what you do best. It also provides you with the opportunity to gain valuable insight, knowledge and training about your new department. Outsourcing is usually the cheapest and quickest way to gain specialist knowledge and ensure full compliance.

While we are undoubtedly experts in our own fields, sometimes it is best to let someone else pick up the slack where our own knowledge is lacking. As managers, we can only manage. We have enormous responsibilities and enormous workloads to go with it. As managers we know we have to prioritize our employees’ welfare, at any cost. Trying to impress the business by taking on everything ourselves could end in disaster in these cases.

Photo by Baranq | Shutterstock

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