Onboarding and playbooks
Manager change playbook
A playbook for someone whose manager changes: a first one-to-one, a written handover from the previous manager and a check-in after three weeks.
New playbook. Opens a new playbook with these steps and timings. Each person’s steps wait for your approval before they send.
A new manager can reset someone’s work without them moving at all. Goals, habits and what they were promised can be lost in the change.
This playbook starts the day they join their new manager. The two meet in the first week, the previous manager writes a handover, and HR checks in after three weeks.
Shuffl · HR by the numbers
A new manager is a new job
A new manager is a new job. 70% of the variance in engagement across teams comes from the manager (Gallup estimate) (Gallup, March 2014, updated February 2026). 42% of US employees who quit say their employer could have kept them (Gallup, 2024) (Gallup, July 9, 2024 (updated February 16, 2026)). 45% of US employees who quit say no leader discussed their future with them (Gallup, 2024) (Gallup, July 9, 2024 (updated February 16, 2026)).
Meet your new manager
To the person with a new manager, on the day they join.
**Meet your new manager**
A first one-to-one with {{manager}}: how you like to work, what you are working on and what you need from them.Get to know person with a new manager
To their manager, on the day they join.
**Get to know {{hire}}**
- [ ] Hold a first one-to-one with {{hire}}
- [ ] Read their goals and last review notes
- [ ] Agree how often you will meetHand person with a new manager over to {{manager}}
To HR, on the day they join.
**Hand {{hire}} over to {{manager}}**
- [ ] Ask the previous manager for a short written handover
- [ ] Move approvals and reports to {{manager}}Two weeks with {{manager}}
To the person with a new manager, 14 days after the day they join.
**Two weeks with {{manager}}**
Now is a good time to agree what you each expect. If something about the change is not working, say so to {{manager}} or HR.Checking in
To the person with a new manager, 21 days after the day they join.
**How is it going with your new manager, {{hire}}?**
If anything about your goals, your work or the change itself is unclear, say so and a named person from HR will follow up with you directly.Check in with person with a new manager on how the change is going
To their manager, 60 days after the day they join.
**Check in with {{hire}} on how the change is going**
- [ ] Agree goals for the next quarterHow to adapt it
- Shuffl fills in {{hire}} and {{manager}} for each person. Replace them by hand if you send the message yourself.
- Start it from a group with a Manager rule, so a change in People starts it.
- Ask the previous manager to write down any promises made, like a raise or a project.
What the research says
The manager shapes the job. Gallup estimates that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in engagement across teams.1
Silence costs people. In Gallup’s study of people who quit, 42% said their manager or organization could have prevented it, and 45% said no manager or other leader had proactively discussed their job satisfaction, performance or future with them.2
Common mistakes
- Treating it as a line in the HR system. The person still needs a first conversation, early.
- Losing what the previous manager knew. Ask for a short written handover, including anything promised.
- Waiting for the next review to talk about goals. Agree them in the first weeks.
- Assuming no news is good news. 45% of people who quit said no leader had talked with them about their future.2
Common questions
- What should a manager handover include?
- Their current work and goals, anything they were promised, like a raise, a project or a development plan, how they like to work, and any concerns. Written down, so nothing depends on memory.
- When should a new manager meet their team?
- In the first week. A first one-to-one is the moment to learn how the person likes to work and what they need, before habits form on either side.
- Why check in after a manager change?
- Gallup estimates that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in engagement across teams, so a change of manager can change how someone feels about their whole job. A check-in after a few weeks catches problems early.
Sources
Read on . Numbers change as new studies come out, so check the source before you quote it.
- Gallup, Why Great Managers Are So Rare, March 2014, updated February 2026. The 70% estimate comes from a multiple regression across 11,781 work teams using Gallup’s Q12 engagement measure.
- Gallup, 42% of Employee Turnover Is Preventable but Often Ignored, July 9, 2024 (updated February 16, 2026). By Corey Tatel and Ben Wigert. Nationally representative study of 717 U.S. employees who voluntarily left an employer in the past 12 months, fielded Nov. 8-20, 2023, margin of error ±5 points.