Navigating Dual Reporting: Was I Wrong to Share Department Issues with My Boss?

I am serving as an HR Manager of a real estate organization. I have two bosses to report to. One is the HR advisor of this company, not on the rolls but being there as a consultant/advisor due to the relationship he shares with the chairman of the company. He has vast experience in the HR profession.

The second one is the joint managing director of the company, my actual boss as per my appointment letter; he is my reporting boss. However, he has no experience in HR.

I happened to inform the joint managing director about the inefficiencies of a department whose HOD is a friend of my first boss (consultant). Upon learning that I shared negative information about that HOD's department with the joint managing director, he scolded me, stating it's not the role of HR. He mentioned that HR is not a police department.

He believes I should have addressed the issue directly with the HOD instead of informing top management.

I am really confused. Was I wrong in sharing that information with the joint managing director, or is he simply making this statement due to personal bias towards his friend, the HOD? Please guide.

Firstly, you need to understand that it is not your mistake if you shared it with your JMD since he is your reporting boss on paper. So please remove the guilt factor.

Secondly, in some organizations, it is the responsibility of HR to point out inefficiencies in a department, whereas in other organizations, they have an audit team in place. It is a debated topic, and you need to seek clarification from your JMD.

Next, it is advisable that you speak to the HOD since he is heading the department. You know that he has huge experience in HR, don't you?

It happens at times that we perceive things in the wrong manner. It happens with everyone. It happened with me too. But you should have spoken to the HOD. He would have explained things to you in case they were not the way you thought. Or maybe if you were correct, he would have appreciated you for bringing it to his notice and would have kept you in mind for greater responsibilities. Be a little political here; you know that JMD does not have any knowledge about HRM, so he definitely won't be able to recognize your strengths in HR and give you a position that you deserve. However, the HOD does! Think well. If the JMD can scold you for being negative about the HOD, so he can also think of promoting you in case the HOD recommends. You know the HOD has a lot of experience, so rather than talking about his department to someone else, might as well talk to him and enrich your knowledge! Lastly, never skip the hierarchy. People don't like it.

Besides, always keep one thing in mind: learn to use every opportunity to your advantage. Make sure that you get noticed by the HOD. Keep one thing in mind, now and forever: "In a corporate, you never 'get' opportunities, you have to 'grab' them!"

Warm Regards,

Puneet Khurana

There is a clear demarcation between ‘Team/Group Dynamics’ and ‘Resource Optimization’. If your concern is about inefficiencies or deficiencies in Team or Group Dynamics in one department and you reported that matter directly to the JMD, in that case, you were wrong. You should have first spoken to the Department Head and then shared the issue with the JMD. Only the Department Head knows the challenges that he is facing as well as the process of intra- and inter-department communication.

On the other hand, if you are concerned about Resource Optimization, Skills Optimization, or Disciplinary Issues in the team, then it is good that you report such inefficiencies or deficiencies to the JMD. So, you must be careful about what you report to the JMD. I am also concerned about your understanding of the relationship these two people share. At the top, they all are friends… so be careful.

I hope this will help.

Thanks,

Sanjeev

Truly said, Sanjeev. In such a relationship, the other person can get stuck. One can easily be confused about what should be shared with the reporting manager and what should not.

Another example of the same is mine, where out of my two bosses, one is my direct boss, and the other is indirect (who acts as the direct boss in the absence of the direct boss). At times, it happens a lot where my indirect boss discusses a lot of things with me, or rather, I should say, orders me to do things that seem to go against my direct boss. At times, I really wonder what I am supposed to do. Should I discuss the same with my direct boss or not?

So, we can't predict, and there is no rule as to what should be done or not in such cases. The fundamental rule is to be careful enough to deal with the situation in a way that benefits the company and its people, and of course, without violating the process.

This usually happens in people-driven companies, not in process-driven companies.

Not to forget that WE ALL ARE HUMAN, AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW ONE WILL REACT TO CERTAIN THINGS, so these situations will keep happening in human surroundings.