So I’m getting a promotion soon (yay!), moving up from just a line cook to sous-chef and I’ve only been with this company for a few months. Thing is that I’m still quite young (mid twenties) and will be the direct supervisor of some people a fair bit older than I am. Think 10-20 years older. It might just still be a bit of imposter syndrome, but the idea of having to tell people who have been in the business for far longer than I what to do and such really weirds me out.
I feel I wouldn’t like it if “some young brat” that just got hired almost immediately gets a promotion and becomes my supervisor eventhough I worked at the company for far longer. Though maybe not everyone feels like this.
Do other people who have experience with a situation like this have any advice on how to deal with this? It’s kinda been keeping me up at night…
You may just have preconceived notions. I’m in a similar position and am trying not to expect this sort of behavior. However my plan is to maintain open and honest communication. If you feel resentment or animosity arising from someone, have a private meeting with them to discuss it. It’s a simple “hey I feel some resentment from you towards myself and/or other teams members and I wanted to clear the air and see if I did something to upset you?”. Usually simple, clear, concise beginnings are best. Get an understanding of why someone is acting a certain way then try to find a way to relate to their emotions. Then you can both try to come up with a way to relieve their resentment and tension between the crew members.
Another comment said “we’re all adults” but society breeds immaturity and people rarely know how to discuss their emotions so they bottle them and that can manifest as anger or passive aggression. Both of which prolong uneasy feelings for NO reason when a small discussion can usually make things better. Confrontation can be hard at first, but ultimately helps to release pressure from building up inside.