Why do I have to train my new manager?
Training a less experienced colleague or external hire who was placed in a higher position creates deep bitterness and frustration. It forces you to hand over your knowledge while dealing with the unfairness of being passed over for the role.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from September 2026.
- This comes up 157.2× more often in r/careerguidance than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Refusing to train the new hire and resigningDid this help you?
- 2Quiet quitting and reducing outputDid this help you?
- 3Leaving the company once alternative plans like finishing a degree are completeDid this help you?
- 4Updating resumes and applying for new jobs to get a market-rate salary.Did this help you?
- 5Quiet quitting by logging off exactly at 5:00 PM and dropping voluntary committees.Did this help you?
- 6Engaging in malicious compliance by doing the bare minimum for the training without going the extra mile.Did this help you?
- 7Approaching management calmly to request a one-time exception from the hiring budget to reach market parity.Did this help you?
- 8Bluffing about leaving for a new job to force a counter-offer from desperate management.Did this help you?
- 9Doing the bare minimum and quiet quitting while applying for other jobs.Did this help you?
- 10Sticking strictly to a 40-hour work week and refusing unpaid overtime.Did this help you?
- 11Putting 'Interim Director' or 'Acting Director' on resumes to leverage the experience.Did this help you?
- 12Asking for a specific training bonus in writing.Did this help you?
- 13Pushing back by stating that if you are not qualified for the job, you are not qualified to train someone for it.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I want to completely refuse to train this guy, drop all voluntary committees, and log off at 5:00 PM on the dot. Is refusing to onboard someone making significantly more than you career suicide, or do I just quiet quit while interviewing elsewhere?”source ↗
“Why do companies expect you to train the person who got the title and salary you already earned?”source ↗
“When I politely pushed back and asked what my career growth path looks like now, my VP told me that being a mentor to the new director would be GREAT for my resume.”source ↗
“It’s ballsy, but I had something similar happen and told my boss I’m leaving for a new job (had nothing lined up). We were super short handed so they had no choice but to give me more money.”source ↗
“I left a large financial company years ago over similar bullshit. I was leading the team because our actual manager was so split covering 6 different teams with high delivery demands. ... the new one fast tracked an executive directors little brother with no tech experience into the lead role. He expected me to train him on everything.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to train new employees on technical work without repeating yourself
- 4How to handle a new teacher who is trying to take over
- 4My manager passes all their stress down to our team
- 13Is it normal to have no training or supervision on a new job?
- 4Employee onboarding workflow for small teams
- 6Why is my new manager micromanaging everything I do?