Stagnated Development - Development, CPD and skills - Careers Clinic

9 Stagnated Development

4 Sep, 2017 21:38

Howdy,

I have been working in as an HR Admin for 5 years now and in that time I have grown and taken on many of the HR Manager duties. My company is amazing, I love my job and I am currently studying my CIPD level 5 which finishes in two months.

The HR function in my business is a team of two, the HRD (who was promoted from HRM last year) and myself. I appreciate that having moved to a strategic HRD role, my direct manager must delegate some of the duties to myself to focus more clearly on her strategic role. My issue is that having discussed taking over the HRM role at the commencement of my course, now that the course is nearing completion I have taken on most of the HRM duties, it seems that my line manager is pulling back on the HRM position.

I don't want to talk myself up, however I am fantastic in my job and I have implemented a variety of well regarded changes (a graduate program, mentoring systems for new starters), have excellent feedback on all my reviews and truly love the role and the company (which my boss knows). I am insightful, analytical and my boss tells me how she can't do without me. When a discussion around career progression come up, there was the "budget restrictions" and she shut the conversation down. So no salary increase even though I am taking on more and more duties and responsibilities well above an admin role. I'm not in it for the money, but I get the feeling that I am meant to be happy taking on the HRM function without the title or fiscal recognition.

Where should I go from here? How do I approach my boss and tell her that I don't want to leave but I feel that in order to be recognised at the level I work, I need to move elsewhere?

855 views

Keith | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 09:35

The key question for me Nicola really is are you prepared to leave if necessary? If so then I would check the market situation in your locality (so you are comfortable that the sort of job you want is out their) and then have the blunt but professional conversation with your Boss as set out in the final paragraph. She will either respond or shut up shop. Either way you know what to do. But you have to be prepared to follow through.

BTW how bog is your organisation?
- Cancel
Nicola | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 09:50

In reply to Keith:
It's 103 employees, manufacturing, so of these only 25 are classed as office staff. I handle everything, recruitment, inductions (which are intensive and take a week), terminations, disciplinaries, run KPI's, analyse KPI's, have been involved (not directly responsible but I could do it alone while ensuring compliance) in redundancies, I advise on employment law, write all policies, run the labour meetings. All of these duties have been taken over by myself in full, whilst still doing the admin duties of before.

If push came to shove, I would leave, but I feel a duty of obligation to the business. But considering that I hold the title of HR Admin (not even Adviser!) I worry that looking elsewhere is a lost cause as it is a manager or adviser position that I feel I am working at and although I have the experience, the title eludes me!
- Cancel
Ray | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 10:09

In reply to Nicola:
Nicola, if you are carrying out the duties you describe, then you should clearly underline this in any applications you make. What people actually do is more important that the labels on their desks, and any decent recruiter will look beyond the job title.
good luck
- Cancel
David | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 11:20

In reply to Ray:
Freudian slip there if ever there was one, Keith - topic = stagnated development / your asking 'how bog is your organisation?'
;-)
- Cancel
Keith | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 12:30

In reply to Nicola:
Nicola

In a 103 person organisation I would have to ask the question what on earth does your HRD do if you do al that?

It would be relatively unusual in an organisation that size to have a HRD and a HRM. Many such organisations wouldn't have a HRD but simply a HRM and an administrator (if they were lucky)

It may well be that the HRD is still finding their feet and working out how to justify their role and is nervous that promoting you to HRM will call into question what value you and more importantly (for them) they are actually adding.
- Cancel
Laura Ann | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 13:58

In reply to Keith:
I was thinking the same Keith! I'm a standalone HRM and look after HR for 200 employees with just some admin support.
- Cancel
Nicola | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 16:36

wow!! we have 95 employees (and growing) and I am on my lonesome :( Do your market research/benchmarking and slap the with it.
- Cancel
Nicola | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 16:45

In reply to Nicola:
Thanks all. Think I need to sit down with her again and highlight how much I do and see where we go. Will pull up her old job description and highlight everything that I have taken over and compare it with benchmarks.

In response to Keith - she's now "strategic" HR. Which as we all know is a rather vague description of what value she is bringing to the HR function, but she is excellent as a boss for me as she just lets me get on with whatever projects I need to! will do some prep and let you know how it all goes.
- Cancel
Keith | 0 Posts

5 Sep, 2017 16:51

In reply to Nicola:
But her being "strategic" is probably 50%+ of your problem. If she draws up a JD showing you doing all the actual work with a title/salary to match its possible the organisation will question why they employ you AND her? And who will do the work you used to :-)

The big issue for me is what level of HR support the organisation wants and can afford. That will be the key to you staying or going.
- Cancel