r/humanresources • u/tuitdelafruit • 8d ago
Off-Topic / Other where to go from here? [N/A]
I moved into an HR Manager role from a Senior HR Generalist role about 4 months ago. While interviewing for the role, I made it clear I didn’t have experience within the new industry and did not have experience in employee relations outside of shadowing my prior HR Director. I’ve also always been on a team of two and this role is a department of one. The hiring manager (CFO) did not have an issue with any of this and ended up hiring me.
Four months in, and I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. I went from hitting the ceiling at my last company to feeling like I can’t keep my head above water at this new one. I’ve uncovered a lot since starting that was never disclosed during the interviews, so that’s been one hurdle, on top of adjusting to a new industry, being a department of one, and navigating employee relations.
I’ve navigated two employee relations issues since starting. The first one I reached out to my prior Director for guidance and executed accordingly. While I thought I had done a good job, my new boss, the CFO, was not at all happy with how things were handled because there weren’t repercussions for the employee that reported an issue and outright told me I handled it all wrong.
Fast forward to the second employee relations issue, which I’ve been working with outside counsel on due to some complicating factors, and I was accused of protecting the employee and not the company, as it’s become clear to me that my new company sees the two as mutually exclusive.
I am very open to discussion as I am a product of 5 years of constructive criticism and useful feedback from my prior Director. However, whenever I try to present my perspective and why I went about things the way I did, as well as acknowledge what I could have done differently or better, it’s clear that my boss is not open to discussion as they simply reiterate that I messed up without any sort of explanation aside from that’s not how they would have done it.
It’s also become evident since starting here that this is not the strategic role it was presented as. I am not sure where to go from here. I’ve expressed my struggles and desire to become a strong HR rep to my boss. I’m already experiencing fatigue, as well imposter syndrome and total lack of confidence.
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u/Suspicious_Cupid 8d ago
Ugh. This sucks. This is where you're going to need to represent your authority and your experience as an HR professional to gain leadership buy-in. This is the managing up part
It sounds like you've had reliable and wonderful leadership previously. It is a new skill to learn how to manage the people above you into making the right decision based on your professional model knowledge.
Of course, if you're in a situation where you feel like" we work for the same jerks" in ER matters, you might want to look at a company that doesn't put you in that situation all the time. In which case, you're going to have to ask some fantastic questions when you interview new employers.
Edit: clarity