Feeling Sidestepped: How Should I Handle My CEO and Project Manager Taking Over HR Tasks?

Hi,

I am working as an HR Manager in a reputed IT company and I have almost 2 years of experience. However, most HR tasks are being handled by my Project Manager and CEO. I am only responsible for recruitment while they manage all other HR activities. Please advise me on what I should do in this case.

Thank you.

Dear Riya, You are dissatisfied with your diminution. The reasons could be as below:

Reasons for Dissatisfaction

a) The first reason is that you are yet to gain the confidence of your seniors. They view your ability with a pinch of salt. Do you have two years of experience in the current company, or have you worked somewhere else?

b) Have you talked to them about enlarging your job role? "First deserve then desire" goes the famous adage. Do you have a credible explanation as to why you would like to step into larger shoes? Could you propose to your employer what HR activities need to be introduced and the tangible results your company can achieve through their implementation?

c) Your post is a reflection of your orientation towards quality. It also reflects your mindset. Look at the heading of the post. Your post is replete with grammatical mistakes. You have mixed SMS lingo in your post. In the public forum, nobody objects to one's egregiousness, but which employers will accept a hybrid style of working?

d) Employers value thoroughness and an eye for detail. Similar to your post, you could possibly be demonstrating levity in your work. This very levity or trivialization could be working against you. "Please remember, the quality of work is a real signature of the person." You should acquire a reputation for the high standards of your work, and others should vouch for it. Once that starts happening, you will be laden with a truckload of work!

All the best!

Regards, Dinesh Divekar

Prepare a chart outlining all HR activities. Then, compare these activities with your roles and responsibilities, followed by a GAP analysis of your roles and responsibilities.

Manoj

The role of HR is very wide. Make them understand that HR is not meant only for salary distribution, leave record, and recruitment. It includes motivating employees, training, social security, organizational structure (as per company status and turnover), communication, company ethics, legal and statutory compliances (bonus, PF-ESI, gratuity, maternity), etc.

If the Project Manager and the CEO do not belong to Accounts/HR fields, there may be many gaps in their working system. First, deeply draft a list of major tasks being executed by the HR department. List how you can best perform those tasks. Make a SWOT analysis of the same. Then compare how they are performing; you will easily find the shortcomings in their work. Identify how these shortcomings affect your company.

In the end, make them understand how you can handle all the tasks with a professional approach so that the company will benefit in the long term.

"Hello Pan Singh,

Avoid Alienating Superiors

"Then compare how they are doing; you will easily find the shortcomings in their work. Identify how these shortcomings affect your company." This is a surefire way to alienate both Riya's CEO and PM rather than gaining their trust. At the end of the day, they are the bosses here. Would you appreciate someone lower down the hierarchy finding fault with your methods and decisions so directly, the key here being the word "so"?

@Riya--

Steps to Earn Trust of Superiors

To expand on what Dinesh suggested:

The first and foremost step to earn the trust of your superiors is to observe their actions and their consequences without making any remarks. This way, you can learn to be patient and have a bird's eye view, a perspective not often seen at your experience level. Those in the midst of a situation often overlook aspects that are apparent to observers from the sidelines.

Secondly, subtly suggest changes when alone with your PM or CEO and be ready to let them take credit for any positive changes they accept and implement. Your time to take credit will come later, either in this company or the next. If you feel you are being taken advantage of over time, you can make your move, equipped with the experience you have gathered without being directly involved.

Believe me, this approach really works, at least it did for me. Despite not being an HR professional, I am offering suggestions in a field I haven't worked in.

Thirdly, try to offer help with small tasks to save them time and allow yourself to gain experience, as long as your knowledge base improves.

Appreciating the Role of Recruitment

Lastly, regarding your statement "just recruitment is on my hand," I am unsure of your view on recruitment, but your use of the word "just" suggests a lack of appreciation for it. I suggest correcting this perception about recruitment. Recruitment is a field within HR that involves substantial human interaction. Here, you can learn about body language, interpreting non-verbal cues, assessing roles based on what candidates communicate or omit, and various other intangible skills rarely taught in core HR. These skills are crucial for any HR professional but are often undervalued until needed later in one's career, leading to reluctance to seek help. These skills are vital during appraisals and other core HR activities.

At the end of the day, HR revolves around "Human Resources" and "Human Relationships," right? Core HR activities and processes are instrumental in achieving the right balance.

All the best.

Regards,
TS