Stuck Between Conflicting Bosses: How Do I Navigate This HR Dilemma?

Hi all,

Recently, I joined a new PET bottles manufacturing company in Pithampur (MP). For the past 1 and 1/2 months, I have been adjusting here but have been facing some problems in very silly matters consistently. I am an HR here, and we have two seniors - one is the GM, and the other is the Operations Head. Both of them have conflicting views and never agree on each other's decisions.

When I follow the instructions of the Operations Head, the GM gets angry. Conversely, when I follow the instructions of the GM, the Operations Head gets angry. I am unsure what to do in this situation. Additionally, the other employees here are very unprofessional. They do not know how to behave professionally. Whenever I try to address any issues with them, they manipulate the situation and convey it to the GM in a negative light.

Please help me in this situation.

Good evening! First of all, sorry to hear about your situation in your new job. However, in my experience, and I am sure many of our colleagues on this platform (CiteHR) will agree that any change comes with resistance and undue/delayed acceptance. Therefore, I would like to share my thoughts regarding your message:

1. You say it's a new company - therefore, there are new opportunities for you to showcase your talent.

2. Managers & customers - In almost all roles, we do not have a choice when it comes to choosing our managers or customers. Therefore, I would urge you to stay focused on:

a. Your core objective from your role - as you are an HR person, you should remain objective at all times possible and not subjective.

b. Understand the organization - ask for an organogram, study the vision/mission statement, research, and make notes for management to help with direction.

c. Leadership styles vary - as each of us is different, our leadership styles also vary, though we may adopt a few good tips en route to our career progression. Therefore, it will be useful for you to find time to meet the officers in a 1-to-1 meeting and get their viewpoint and understanding to see if they are still in line with the vision/mission statement. If yes, then bring out a plan to help with the delivery, and if not, please use this challenge to go against the tide to appraise the managers/leaders and assist them in aligning with these goals.

Finally, regarding finding your colleagues as unprofessional, please use point 2b above to present to management a report on your findings with your possible solutions to overcome these hurdles. I can say for sure, it is not easy; however, please note every obstacle presents an opportunity, so please try to find solutions without giving up soon as the organization has obviously hired you because you have some skill set that they find lacking in them.

Hope this helps.