Feeling Overwhelmed by Senior HR Colleagues Taking Credit for My Work – How Can I Address This Without Conflict?

I am a Junior HR Executive. I have two senior HR colleagues and a Manager. We have separate job descriptions, but my seniors keep passing their work on to me. They present the work I have done to the Manager as if it was done by them and receive appreciation for it. As a result, I am unable to find time to complete my own work, and my Manager keeps questioning me about it.

If I were to discuss this issue with my Manager, it might create conflict within our department, and my seniors might exclude me from the team. They might also mark me negatively in my performance appraisal. I do not want my seniors to think poorly of me.

Kindly help me with suggestions to handle this situation effectively and diplomatically.

First, you must finish your tasks or responsibilities that were assigned to you. After that, you can coordinate with your seniors. If your seniors raise any problems or avoid you, you can directly approach your boss.

Your problem is the same as what I faced many times in my life. One day, I met a good senior of mine in the services. He gave me a mantra, which I will share with you. He told me that I am likely to face a problem where people will try to snatch my work and credentials while in services. They might even try to impress their boss by taking credit for my work. The remedy to this problem is simple - I must become a master of my trade and work harder and smarter.

Hope this advice helps you too.

Thanks,
Bijay

This is a common problem between seniors and juniors in all walks of life. It is known as "Delegation."

Ways to Handle Delegation Issues

You can see it as a problem and suffer, or you can view it positively and achieve some success from it.

Here are some tips to consider:

1. First of all, take heart in the fact that the seniors have enough confidence in you to carry out some of their work. They do this either because they are incompetent, in which case they will not last long, or because they have their own pressures and need assistance. Therefore, the quality of your work must always be of the highest standard.

2. Keep a detailed record of the work you carry out for them (as well as your own).

3. Make small spelling errors, for example, using the word "their" instead of "there"; small errors are unlikely to be picked up. However, you must keep a record of these errors.

4. Make and keep safe photocopies of the work. If you cannot photocopy the whole document, then at least photocopy the pages where you made the deliberate errors.

5. If you then get a negative appraisal, you can produce your evidence!

In the meantime, put in the extra hours to ensure you are up to date with your work. Consider this as an investment in your future; you are a junior and are still learning. Part of that learning is how to deal with office politics. Keep it positive, use it to enhance yourself, and you will be all the better for it in the future.

Hope the above helps, and I am certain other members will contribute.

Regards,
Harsh.

Harsh & TSK Raman have given you good inputs on how to handle the situation you are in. Like Harsh mentioned: "You can see it as a problem and suffer, or you can see it in a positive light and have some success from it."

Another angle to see the whole issue is this, given that you have a long future career in front of you. You feel this is a 'problem' since your present focus is your 'seniors' giving you additional work. Now, suggest shifting your focus to the 'work' being given to you and the opportunity to handle such tasks at this stage of your career. Consider where you could be professionally in 1-2 years from now - notice the difference? Please understand that not many people get such chances to handle tasks at the level of managers at your level.

Once you shift your focus to the tasks, opportunities, and the prospect of a well-rounded career, you begin to not be bothered by 'who' is giving you additional work that is bound to improve your skills or 'why' they are 'giving/passing/delegating' the additional work to you.

You can be sure of one thing: in the long term, you will be a definite gainer. While their intent may be to take advantage of you, they are, in fact, doing you a favor.

Coming to your problem of your work getting pending, like Harsh mentioned, you will have to find time to do it.

All the Best.

Regards,
TS