Office politics - the new boss asking me to report to the junior manager

I was appointed in import 10 years ago to handle 100 FCLs per month. However, on my joining day, a previous employee rejoined, so management gave me only 20% of the work while she handled the rest. After a few months, I realized she was even interfering in my product line. With the help of senior management, she tried to remove me. I requested management to give me additional work to save my job.

After 5-6 years, management gave me the responsibility of logistics and warehousing as a manager for 6 months without a salary raise. I wanted this to be extended, so I did everything to save that position, such as improving services and addressing internal issues to management, which was also appreciated. However, other team members didn't like it and started complaining that things were becoming difficult for them all.

Management informed me to make it smooth for everyone; they would hire a junior manager under me. However, HR announced that the junior manager would be the HOD. I asked my boss about this, but he told me to ignore it. Now, after 1 year, my boss has been replaced, and the new boss is asking me to report to the junior manager. Everyone else from marketing, HR, and finance is in his favor. Can I get any help in this case, please?

Dear member,

Initial Challenges and Developments

The following can be deduced from your post:

a) On the very first day in the company, the previous employee rejoined. Generally, those who are well-known or well-acquainted are looked upon favorably. On the contrary, you were new and must have taken time to find your footing. This was the most unwelcome and unfortunate development.

b) On your transfer to logistics and warehouse, you say that you improved the processes and you were appreciated by the management. But these improvements were not liked by the staff, and they became antagonistic. I wish that while bringing about change, you had taken your subordinates or others into confidence.

Enduring Office Politics

c) You have endured office politics for a decade. Politics bring toxicity, and surviving a toxic environment for a decade was not easy. But you did it. Since you are deeply entrenched in the company, the management has found a new way to make you quit the company. They have brought a boss for you. This is an indirect pressure tactic to make you quit.

Questioning Perseverance

d) The question is, why did you persevere for such a long time? I wish you had left the company five years ago. You are from New Delhi. A large number of warehouses have come up in the last decade in New Delhi. Why didn't you capitalize on the growth of the warehousing industry?

The Remedy

Your colleagues, peers from other departments, and boss do not want you to continue in the company. In their eyes, you are persona non grata. Therefore, the only remedy left is to quit the company honorably. If you do not do so, then the management could force separation on you, and it will be an ignominious exit. Are you prepared for that?

The Lesson Learned

We, the members of this forum, do not know the internal dynamics of your company. However, the situation calls for introspection. Despite bringing about positive changes in the systems and processes, why has everybody turned against you? Do they consider you an over-assertive person? How was the quality of your work? Was it flawless? Were there customer complaints because of delayed delivery, wrong delivery, or under delivery? During the stock checking, was there a high mismatch between the book inventory and the shelf inventory? There are many questions to ask.

The Closing Message

Setbacks in life are common. Consider this as a setback and learn the lesson from what happened in this company. Start looking for a new job. In the new job, start on a fresh note and grow your career.

Wishing you all the best,

Dinesh Divekar

Sir, I don't know the exact reason, but my boss said there have been ill practices in logistics that we need to find. I was extremely strict with those suspects, so they even tried to stop this promotion.

Marketing Team Challenges

The marketing team had no control over the customer. If a customer placed an order at the 11th hour, they pressured us to dispatch even if the transporter charged extra. This situation caused us losses, so I reported it to management. Marketing did not appreciate this, and my boss asked me to support the team. However, when I started supporting marketing, the finance manager went against me, claiming I was not working according to his expectations. This led other departments to start complaining.

Colleague and Vendor Issues

There were no complaints from customers regarding incorrect orders or mismatches. However, my colleagues began to resent my approach when I started highlighting their mistakes. Additionally, the transport vendors were also unhappy because they were not receiving the rates they needed anymore.

Please also note that I have two small daughters, and this office is about an hour away. It's easy for me to manage the house and work with this job. At other locations, a minimum of two hours would be needed for one side.

Please also note, I helped the company by managing these three additional departments (logistics, customer service, warehousing) along with my existing import-export work, for which they paid nothing. When they hired a new person, they removed me from logistics, and now I am still responsible for customer service and import-export.

Dear member,

I have already mentioned that we, the members of this forum, do not know the internal dynamics of your company, so we cannot comment on the incidents happening there. You have tried to protect the interests of the company, but the people around you have not taken it in the right spirit. Instead of taking it neutrally, they have begun to show open hostility.

Conflicts Between Departments

The tussles or hassles with the marketing and operations departments are common occurrences in many companies. However, they usually do not escalate to the level where either side aims to eliminate the other. Unfortunately, the senior management personnel did not intervene to quell the conflicts.

Options in the Face of Humiliation

Being appointed to report to a junior person can be considered humiliating. Instead of directly asking you to resign, the top leadership of your company has chosen this route. Now, you have two options: accept the humiliation and continue with your employment or resign.

Role of Your Senior

You have referred to your senior as your "boss" in your posts. What is your boss's designation, and did he not protect you? How were your relations with him? While we may make a decision, it is often necessary to show that it has come from our seniors. Did you take action while using your senior as a shield? Probably not. Instead, you were in the line of fire to protect your senior. However, these are speculations, and there is no point in discussing them further.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Hi, I am reporting to the Managing Director (MD), who has shown support for me. This is why I have been able to openly highlight all these issues. However, when HR hired its own person, my boss informed me that I cannot do anything about the ongoing clashes happening on a daily basis among the marketing, finance, and HR departments.

Subsequently, my boss was fired, and four months ago, a new director joined the company, with the finance manager also being appointed as the second director. I attempted to discuss the situation with the new director, but he is not open to entertaining my concerns, and I suspect he may be under some influence.

The company is located in Haryana. HR is adding employees from his family to almost every department. Although this is widely known, no action is being taken to address this issue. I am currently exploring job opportunities and will consider changing roles if I find a position with a competitive package. However, I am wondering if there is anything I can do to remain within this company.

Despite the challenges, the company consistently pays salaries and provides timely increments. As a mother, a stable income is crucial for me.

Thank you.

As @dinesh said, there is very little we can suggest. If the work environment is toxic, it is better to find another job. You can show your experience and knowledge during the interview (but avoid a blame game or disclosing internal matters). Ten years is long enough for a job change, and no one will question why you wish to change.

Beyond this, whether to change or remain, we can't say anything. Nor do we really understand your personal problems that we can give any other advice.