Excited to work with you, total stranger!

Post date: 2022-06-23 00:27:14

I have been assigned to a new job by my large, impersonal bureaucracy. Just received a 'looking forward to discussing things' email from new manager. Help me respond appropriately!

Longer story: movement happens each year due to staffing needs. If someone is moving, this is determined 100% by seniority. In other words, the lowest synchrony number moves, and neither the boss nor the employees have any discretion about it. I had a great relationship with my boss this year, but my seniority was the lowest and I am moving to a different site next year. This was assigned to me by the central HR, and neither I nor the receiving manager had any say in who would receive that position.

So, yesterday, we were notified. I was told where I would be going, and I am fine with that, and I am excited about the new position. He was told that he would be receiving me, and he knows nothing about that other than HR has placed me in this position and I am qualified for the job. I just received an email from him saying hello, and looking forward to having a zoom meeting or a drop in visit to discuss things in person and get to know each other better. I need to reply to this email. What I want to convey is:

1) I am a good employee and I will be an asset to his team. I'm sure I'm overthinking this and he is aware of how the placement process works and that having a low seniority number is nobody's fault and does not reflect on me. But I'm just wondering how he is feeling about having this random employee just placed underneath him who he knows nothing about, and I would like to reassure him that I will be a real asset to his team.

2) I am excited to work with him and I'm hoping to stay there long term. This is my fifth year with the large bureaucracy, and every year I have been at a different site. It would be nice to have a homebase for a while, and if his site is the place where that is going to happen, I would welcome that and I'm happy to be a part of the team.

3) I don't know what else? If you have worked for these types of organizations before, can you just reassure me that he is not dreading this whole thing and wondering who on earth they assigned to him? I really enjoyed my job this year, and although I had some initial trepidations due to a past experience with my current boss, we had a great year together and I would have been happy to stay there. The only reason I am moving is because I had the lowest seniority number and it's not a reflection on my work.

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