I have been recently promoted to a supervisory position within the bank I work at. Yay, good news, right? Well, the branch I am being placed in charge of has quite possibly the lowest morale I've seen. It's a small branch of any about 4 or 5 people. I've sat down with each employee and asked them what they think is being done right and what is some things we can change. I've been told by some that this position I'm taking with asking opinions and asking for honest feedback isn't the approach to take. I guess what I am asking is if anyone has had experience with coming in and working with experienced employees and how you've (for lack of a better word) dealt with issues.

Any feedback would be great!

if you've never worked in that location or directly with those people, then by all menas, a sit down with each is not only warranted, it is the first thing you should do. Just be aware that each will likely highlight their strong suits, cover their week sutis, and tell you the dirt on the rest...

Seperate the wheat from the chaff and you should have a good start...

Of course, one quick way to improve morale really fast is terminate a problem child or 2.

Often experienced employees have seen a number of supervisors come and go...some good, some not so good. I like to begin by sharing my goals for the business units success and encouraging the team to all get on board. I also like to emphasize the team concept and acknowledge that I can do nothing with them (as opposed to the boss that once told me that I could be replaced by any stranger on the street). Encourage feedback both good and bad.

Loyalty and support are generally earned, they don't come with the title. Time will help you develop rapport with the group and may afford you the opportunity to make some positive changes in the work environment. After taking on a new role I was able to identify several manual processes that were no longer needed. I gained momentum rapidly when I eliminated those monthly reports and audits and replaced them with computer-generated reports. Look for positive steps to make their lives better and you'll have them in your corner in no time.