Change an Employee's Manager
When someone transfers to a new team or a new manager joins, you may need to reassign who they report to in Mentora.
Scenarios
- Someone joins a new team — Their manager changes
- Reorganization — Multiple people move to different managers
- Manager leaves — Everyone reports to their interim/permanent replacement
- Dotted-line reporting — Someone has a secondary manager
How to Change a Manager
Step 1: Go to My Team (or Team Management if you're an admin)
Step 2: Click on the team member's name or row
Step 3: Find the Manager field
Step 4: Click and select the new manager from the dropdown
Step 5: Click Save
The change takes effect immediately.
What Changes
When you change someone's manager:
- ✅ They appear under the new manager's team on the Team Page
- ✅ The new manager can see their goals and progress
- ✅ Goals and milestones stay intact (no data loss)
- ✅ Comments and activity history stay intact
- ✅ The old manager loses access (they can no longer see their work)
Best Practices
Communicate First
Tell the employee before changing their manager in Mentora:
"As you know, you're moving to the Product team. Effective Monday, you'll report to Alex instead of Sarah. I'll update Mentora so Alex has full visibility into your goals."
Update on Day 1
Change the manager the same day they start reporting to the new person. Don't wait.
Leave a Comment
Leave a comment on their goals explaining the change:
"Sarah is moving to the Product team and now reports to Alex. Goals and progress are unchanged — Alex will take over from here."
Schedule a Handoff
Have the old and new managers meet (with the employee) to discuss:
- Current goals and progress
- Any at-risk items
- Priorities for the next quarter
Special Cases
If Multiple People Move
Use Admin features if you have them:
- Go to Team Management
- Select multiple people
- Change their manager in bulk
(This feature may not be available in all versions. Check with your admin.)
If a Manager Leaves
Assign all their direct reports to their interim/replacement manager:
- Go to Team Management
- Click each person
- Change their manager to the replacement
- Leave comments explaining the transition
Access Changes
After changing a manager:
- Old manager — Can no longer see this person's goals (unless they're a higher-level manager/admin)
- New manager — Can now see this person's goals and progress
- Employee — Can still see their own goals and comments from both old and new managers
Tips
- Don't change managers without communication — It's confusing if they see their goals assigned to a new person
- Update the roadmap if needed — If they're moving to a new role, you may also need to update their goals (see Move an Employee to a New Track)
- Keep history — Comments and activity from the old manager stay visible (good for continuity)
- Follow up — Check in with the new manager after a week to make sure they're set up for success
Troubleshooting
I can't change the manager
You must be an Admin or the current manager. If you're trying to change someone else's report, you need Admin permissions.
The person I want to set as manager isn't in the dropdown
They must:
- Be invited to the workspace
- Have at least a Manager role
Contact your admin if they're not showing up.
I changed it by mistake
Just change it back. There's no undo, so go back into Team Management and select the correct manager.
The person is reporting to the wrong manager but I can't change it
Contact your admin. You may need higher permissions.