If you got the promotion you were after - then well done! But the hard work doesn't always stop there. There's a good chance you could find yourself managing the people you used to work alongside. This can be a pretty tough situation, so we've covered some of the ways you might want to deal with it:
Sometimes the people you used to be friends with at work,
find it difficult to accept that you've been promoted. You might find
that they carry on like nothing's changed and treat you like a co-worker
instead of their boss. You might also find some of them are jealous and
bitter about your promotion. Trying to manage this can be really hard
but it’s important to always stay professional and not to show
favouritism.
Why not try... organising activities out of work so you still get to see your friends but not in the work environment. This can help separate the 2 different 'worlds' so you can have it all!
Sometimes friends may try to take advantage of your position at work. It's important not to fall into a habit of letting this happen as your manager won't take kindly to it. You need to treat friends the same as other colleagues in the workplace to be taken seriously by your managers.
Why not try... being open and honest and telling your friends how much this job means to you and ask them for their support - you'll be surprised how easy this could be.
A lot of initial problems will settle down in time. Don't
panic if things aren’t going quite your way in the first few weeks,
people will soon get used to your new job role. Don't be too hard on
yourself. Every new job is hard at first - just remember it
will get easier.
Why not try... dealing with one thing at a time. If you're having problems with more than one person, deal with each situation separately. That way, you might learn something from your initial problems and work out the best way to get around it for next time.
If things get really difficult, there’s no harm asking your manager what they think the best way to deal with the situation is. They’ll probably have been through a similar experience and can give you good advice.
Why not try... arranging to sit down with your boss at least once a month so you can pick their brains on how they would handle things and help you with any problems you have.
