Dealing with an Unwanted Assistant

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Here is a very common scenario in any restaurant. You were hired to work as the manager of a department at a restaurant located abroad. Of course, before you arrived at your new place, the assistant manager was acting in your stead and was directly under the supervision of the head of the department. This would have been normal, right, and all the duties and responsibilities of being the department manager would have been given to you once you assume the position. Not if the assistant manager is still acting as the manager even if you have already assumed the position, and not when the head of the department is still acting as if the assistant manager is the manager of the department. So, what should you do if you were caught in this situation?

Learn the Language

Since you will be working abroad, it would do you a lot of good to learn the language. It would have been okay if you are working in an English-speaking country; however, if you are not, then it will not hurt you to learn some of their language first.

There are so many benefits to learning the language. One, you can communicate directly with the head of the department and your assistant manager. Two, you can communicate directly with the rest of the staff as well as the guests. Three, learning the language will help you a lot during departmental briefings as well as executive meetings. You will need some translating for the first few months, of course, but in time and with patience and practice, you will learn to speak like them.

Do Not Quit

It will truly test your patience when the head of the department still relies on your assistant manager for updates on your department, instead of on you. It will also be a bit of an insult to you as the manager if the head of the department cannot seem to take you on board. For this reason, you will need to prove to the department head that he can trust you. After all, you were hired for the position, so you need to show him that you are not a quitter and that you can do your job and do it well.

Diplomacy will also be a big help during the process. Yes, you are irritated, and, yes, you are insulted, but never lose your temper. Learn how to flow with it and wait it out. Learn as much as you can about your departmental tasks, and be proactive instead of reactive. Show your department head that you can be a part of the team.

If All Else Fails

There are many reasons why the department head and your assistant manager are acting this way. If it is only language barrier that is making it difficult for you, then it can be overcome once you have learned the language and the culture of the country. However, if it is more deeply rooted than a simple language barrier, then you need a change of plan.

Reasons for the latter include:

The department head wants the assistant manager to be promoted to your position. This is a very difficult thing to deal with since you are going to deal with emotions like loyalty and pride, not just culture and language barrier.
Training you (an expatriate) is a waste of time and energy as they prefer someone local for the position of manager. For them, you will most probably be gone after a couple of years once you have had sufficient training for the position, and they would rather work with someone who will stay for more than just a mere two years.
You are close to the general manager (especially if he is also an expatriate) and they feel threatened by your presence so they do not trust you.

These are just some of the reasons though; however, these can make your job much more difficult than it should have been. If you can no longer tolerate the situation, then maybe it is time to thrown in the towel and look for another job. It would be advisable though that you make connections first and look for possible jobs before tendering your resignation, just be discreet about it.

If you are working for a chain, you could ask for a recommendation from the general manager and the department head for you to be transferred to another restaurant. You might be more welcome there.

However difficult it may be for you at your current job, you should remember that being polite and respectful will always take you a long way. Do not lose your temper, however trying things may be.

Image Credit: jobs.fourseasons.com

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