I had the same supervisor for 13 years. Like you, I enjoyed a good working relationship, flexibility, and a stress free job. She announced that she was taking a new role in the company and would no longer be over my team. I was worried for the future. Then the new supervisor started. And over the next few months I realized I worried for no reason. She turned out to be a much better supervisor than the one I had been comfortable with. There have been a few minor hiccups, but overall I’ve been extremely pleased. Perhaps ask if you can be involved in the interviewing of new candidates?

It is kind of a crapshoot to see what will happen. Could be better or worse when you get a new boss. I would prepare for the worst. Get your resume together, etc. Be prepared. Then you'll be ready. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Perhaps you will be pleasantly surprised if something good happens out of this.

When I read your message, I heard that your boss doesn't over-work you, but that she didn't challenge you, open up your career path, prepare you to take her job, etc. She sounds like a mediocre boss more than a good boss. Most companies are so flexible nowadays that leaving when your work is done should be an expectation of your.....being able to leave at 5 on the dot is not a good thing, but a negative thing in my opinion. It tells me there's still a sense of having your butt in a chair. My sense is, a new, younger boss is more likely to be even more flexible, and potentially bring in the career development piece you weren't getting. I would be optimistic if I were you!

My Boss (Engineering manager) announced his retirement last year. He was my immediate supervisor and lead a team of 10 people. I was/am the most senior engineer on that team, but wasn't really interested in the position. A month later, while on vacation, I got an email requested I join a conference call. I was on a boat in a lake with only my cell phone on vacation with my family. I called in, and found out I was promoted to his position. The phone call and emails started immediately, and I was away for a week without my laptop. I wish I had gotten some notice so I could have at least taken my laptop on my trim. Of course, it took 3 months for them to actually adjust my pay and title to the new position. No retro pay either. Been 6 months now. The jobs ok. A little more stress than I wanted so I've been debating seeking a job elsewhere at a lower level. Less managerial and more hands-on engineering again.

The quite big company where I've been working at has had owners changed a couple times, and managers changed all the times. I'm used to the changes. There were times I was worrying a lot. Other time, I was happy with the change. Each time, a new manager came, I observed him/her, I learned something from each of them. I changed myself also. Just do your job, observe everything and go with the flow. If bad comes to worse, look for job somewhere else. It's not the end of the world. Changes come to life for everyone at some points. You cannot avoid them. When you can accept the changes, take the challenges and ride above them, you will feel good and proud of yourself. As the saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

I'm going through a management change after 10 years of stability. Can't even believe I've been working in one job that long. It's been a good run. All you can do is roll with it. If they put in someone bad, you'll have to suffer for a while, but maybe their incompetence will get them removed. I once had 3 different managers within 6 months. They just kept self-destructing. Best of luck on this roller coaster ride called life and work!

For some of you having 10 years in the same role, under the same boss, that's something I've never experienced. I was at the same company for nearly 20 years, and went through over 25 bosses. Some of that was due to role change, but one year I had 4 managers while in the same role. Never had the same boss more than 3 years.

My wife worked for a manager who retired. After the manager left, that unit was disbanded and the employees were given 60 days to find a new position. It was a tense few weeks until she found a job with a sympathetic VP who knew her work was good and that she was a good fit for an open position in the VP's area. The lesson here was that it pays to have important people at your employer know you and your work!

ou need to get your thoughts together, evaluate the staying vs. leaving option, and make several plans based on whether the new boss is or isn't good.

Only one tip: Be on time and perfect your first day with new boss. I worked for a new boss in a company with terrible communication. My new boss started unannounced on a random mid week day and one salesman was late and things never got better. He was good to everyone else but had emphasis on punctuality. ( being late was not that salesman's norm) They never got along from day 1. The salesman was #2 in sales IE no slouch. I swear things would have been okay had there simply been a good first day. First impressions and all.

This won't be the last time you get a new boss, and it won't be the last time you experience change in your life. In the great scheme of things, as changes go, getting a new boss is relatively minor. You have many options in your response to this and other changes you will encounter. Just a few that come to mind: You can let the fear overwhelm and control you and make your life miserable and diminished. You can throw a temper tantrum and demand to have everything in your life remain exactly the same forever and ever (good luck with that). You can learn to manage your fear and accept change. You can embrace change and turn it into an opportunity. You cannot control many of the changes that will take place in your life, but you can control how you respond to them. There is probably a lot of self-help information available on the internet to give you a place to start working on overcoming your fear of change. If you need more structure or guidance, there are therapists who are trained to help with just this sort of issue.

Only way is to let it play out... Twice I have been told my position was to be eliminated due to mergers... one collapsed the day the lettering was going up do to a court injunction and the other happened and I was asked to stay on during the transition and I guess 3 years later we are still transitioning? The job has changed a lot but and going from salaried management to hourly means I work less and actually get paid more... as I am paid for all the call back and OT... so this was a pleasant surprise. On the corp side... there have been several turnovers... not a single person involved with the merger is still around... all that in 3 years.

Usually its a change for the WORSE. IMO. Good bosses that retire are replaced with crappy, clueless bosses from my experience. Be on guard and start looking for a new job. Every place I have ever worked, the company generally downgrades in the management position unfortunately. They hardly ever improve on their management, Truth is, there isn't many good managers out there that know what they are doing anymore. Companies are just filled with lousy management now.