Navigating Power Struggles: How Can HR Managers Thrive When Undermined by Leadership?

Dear All Professionals,

If an employer (MD) is telling an employee (HR Manager), "I know better than you in HR, several times even when the HR Manager is competent,” I could not understand the impact on the organization's morale and the MD's stance. Instead of allowing employees to work freely, isn't this a drawback for the organization? Even if the HR Manager is competent, if the MD undermines them, wouldn't it hinder organizational growth? If the MD does not accept the HR Manager, why appoint them in the first place?

Okay, the MD is the top boss, and the company is new and growing. Why is the MD not giving autonomy to a competent individual like the HR Manager, who has a good rapport with the employees? Doesn't this show a lack of confidence in the employees by the employer?

In the worst-case scenario, even after the HR Manager performs well in challenging circumstances, the MD asks them to resign a few days later. What could be the strategy behind this?

In such circumstances, how can the HR Manager survive and emerge from these situations with a win-win outcome without jeopardizing their job or their contributions to organizational growth?

I look forward to hearing your views.

Thank you in advance for your response.

Hi,

Kindly clarify if the MD is also one of the owners of the company. If he is, then we have to understand certain things as under.

1) The owners of the company are possessive about their company. They always suffer from feelings of damage, threat, loss of control, and identity crisis. These feelings make them behave arrogantly, illogically, and irrationally. In such situations, there is no meaning in fighting back because these actions seldom yield any positive results.

2) When the company is growing, certain growth strategies in the mind of the MD may not align with the patterns envisioned by the operations or HR personnel. Hence, statements like "I know better than you" may emerge. This behavior could also be influenced by past experiences that have led to caution on the part of the MD.

If your MD is not an employee:

3) If your MD is also an employee and reports to the chairman/board, it would be worth escalating the issue and seeking guidance on HR processes and advice to be provided to the MD on HR skills since ultimately, he is also a people's manager.

4) The approach of convincing, confronting, persuading, or leaving should be based on the specific situations, and there may not always be a win-win or win-lose outcome. If the MD has decided that you must leave, there is no point in trying to stay, and no strategy will be effective.

Kind regards,

Dayanand L Guddin