Feeling Stuck in HR? Seeking Advice on Finding Growth and Learning Opportunities

I am Sonali, currently working as an HR Manager, focusing on onboarding processes, compensation, and compliance. However, for the past few weeks, I have been feeling a lack of growth in HR, with no new learning opportunities and no clear path forward. Can you please suggest what I should do? I look forward to your valuable advice.

Dear Sonali,

In your post, although you have provided a brief description of the activities you handle within the HR domain, to offer any suggestions, we require additional information. Please confirm the nature of your industry, the number of employees working in your company, the number of employees working in the HR department, and your reporting authority.

If you have colleagues in the HR department, what kind of activities do they handle? What is the scope of lateral movement? Currently, the activities you manage in the HR department fall under the service function of HR, which in the past were referred to as activities of the Personnel Department. The actual "HR" component is minimal in these activities. However, this issue is not unique to you but experienced by many other HR professionals as well.

If you are the sole person working in the HR Department, I suggest understanding your company's operations. Identify the reasons for customer dissatisfaction or other operational failures. Determine what HR interventions can help alleviate customer or operations manager issues. Subsequently, discuss with your reporting authority to identify necessary steps to reduce customer dissatisfaction or improve operational bottlenecks. When presenting your proposal, ensure to include relevant numbers, clearly indicating potential increases or decreases.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

The nature of our industry

Our company is a consulting firm that provides services to the banking, education, and IT sectors.

The number of employees working in our company is between 200 and 250.

The number of employees in the HR department is 2—one for recruitment (focused on sourcing) and one (myself) handling onboarding, compensation, compliance, and administrative activities.

Scope of lateral movement

There is not much scope for lateral movement as we primarily fulfill our requirements through internal referrals and social media campaigns.

Thank you,

Sonali

Dear Sonali,

The last paragraph of my previous reply still holds good. To gain visibility and also to learn in your field, you need to identify the scope to reduce some cost or consumption of resources by launching some HR intervention. When you are able to make a real change, you will earn the trust of your employer.

To begin with, you may talk to the HODs about what can be done to improve their effectiveness.

Nevertheless, there are two other factors that also need to be considered. How does top management view the HR function? From the description of your duties given in the first post, it appears that their view is traditional. Against this backdrop, what support they will give remains to be seen.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic Lastly, the important factor is we are passing through a deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The ill effects of the second wave will be felt on the economy after a few months. Therefore, out of frustration, it may not be advisable to quit the job. Whatever dislike for the monotony there may be, put up with it and wait for the situation in the job market to improve.

The HR landscape in India The situation that you are passing through is fait accompli of many other HRs too. Only a few students from the HR discipline who graduate from very top-notch institutes get a job wherein they handle proper HR activities. Almost all others have to grapple with the erstwhile personnel management that is camouflaged as HR management. In India, the change from personnel to HR is just like old wine in a new bottle with a new label. The real evolution has never happened.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar