Who Holds More Seniority in a Company: Sales Team Leader or HR Executive?

Does a Sales Team leader have seniority over an HR Executive in a company? Please suggest.

Thanks & Regards,
Sanchita.

We cannot compare a sales team leader and an HR executive as both are different profiles. HR handles the entire workforce of an organization, whereas a sales team leader is responsible for managing a sales team.

Regards,
Amrita

Seniority and Reporting Lines in the Workplace

In terms of seniority of rank, a team leader will definitely be above an executive. However, what matters more is the reporting lines. Working in the company is not a competition; instead, it's collaboration. So, you need to be polite and cooperative irrespective of whether your position is above or below.

Further, with the teams being in different departments, you cannot issue an order to them anyway. HR issues notices or notifies rules, etc. However, if you need to enforce something against another person, you need to escalate the matter to the Head of Department (HOD) and let them handle it.

Intra-Departmental Hierarchy and Respect

As rightly pointed out by Saswata Banerjee, in most companies, employees/officers in intra-departmental roles receive respect depending on the reporting line or hierarchical order. Each department, such as Production, Finance, HR&A, Sales, Marketing, etc., is headed by a GM, DGM, AGM, Sr. Manager, Manager, Officer, Supervisor, etc. The Head of Department (HOD) of each department commands respect over their subordinates within their department in comparison to other departments. This respect is aligned with the organization's and department's reporting structure.

There is an HOD for each department with their respective subordinates reporting to them. For instance, in the Sales department, the Sales Team Leader could be the HOD, whereas in the HR&A department, it could be the GM or HR&A Manager who acts as the HOD with the executives under them.

Role of the HR Department

The role of the HR department should not result in internal competition. In cases of role overstepping, the HOD takes the initiative to reinstate order according to the organization's reporting chart, ensuring the smooth functioning of all departments, which is crucial for the successful operation of the HR function.

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HR Consultant
11.10.2014

Your question is not clear. Seniority is normally reckoned with the date of joining as the basis. On that count, an attendant may be senior to a Manager when you consider the length of service in a company. If the intention of your question is to know the hierarchy level, then it has to be seen differently. Normally, an HR executive is placed at the lowest rung in the hierarchy in an HR department. A sales team leader will have his team members report to him and hence will be at a higher level in the hierarchy. Generally, you need an organization chart to determine the position.

Regards,
V. Raghunathan