Dear Priyanka,
The episode you described seems to be quite unfortunate! Maybe your friend lacks manipulative skills. In my personal view (I am sure that it will not be acceptable to some idealistic minds), if one does not have a minimum set of manipulative skills (certainly not necessarily cynical), he/she cannot survive in this highly competitive world. It is my firm belief that a manager (particularly the HR Manager) should follow the principles of Lord Krishna only. Since your friend is a dynamic person endowed with sincerity, honesty, and hard work, finding an alternative job will not be difficult.
From India, Salem
6108The episode you described seems to be quite unfortunate! Maybe your friend lacks manipulative skills. In my personal view (I am sure that it will not be acceptable to some idealistic minds), if one does not have a minimum set of manipulative skills (certainly not necessarily cynical), he/she cannot survive in this highly competitive world. It is my firm belief that a manager (particularly the HR Manager) should follow the principles of Lord Krishna only. Since your friend is a dynamic person endowed with sincerity, honesty, and hard work, finding an alternative job will not be difficult.
From India, Salem
Hi Priyanka,
With reference to your above post -
1. Has she been given any performance certificate, award, or written letter to confirm her contribution?
A salary hike can be seen as being given to align with the compensation provided to employees at a similar level.
2. Her work experience in the current firm is 2.5 years, and she recruited an HR Manager last year.
After having around 1 to 1.5 years of work experience, I believe she could have recruited a junior to delegate tasks and focus on strategizing HR functions.
3. How is it that she is hiring someone at a higher designation but is compensated less than her?
Money is crucial. If someone at a higher designation receives less compensation than subordinates, it can have a significant impact.
4. Now let us consider the management's perspective.
Your friend has been working for 2.5 years and is earning a salary of X per annum.
The new manager she appointed has been with the company for about 1 year and earns a salary of Y per annum (where X > Y).
5. You mentioned she is the only working member in the family.
In that case, wouldn't it have been better if she first secured a job offer before resigning?
==============================================
Though honesty is the best policy, here being honest may involve speaking negatively about your ex-employer, which is generally discouraged.
Most companies conduct Background Verification Checks before issuing employment letters. They often contact your last employer for this purpose.
Are you confident that the ex-employer would give a positive review when asked?
Do you think criticizing past practices, even if true, would help you secure the opportunity?
You mentioned she handled the HR department alone. Encourage her to emphasize this aspect.
Before the interview, ask her to consider the pros and cons of disclosing the situation to prospective employers when formulating her answer.
I hope this addresses your query.
From India, Mumbai
With reference to your above post -
1. Has she been given any performance certificate, award, or written letter to confirm her contribution?
A salary hike can be seen as being given to align with the compensation provided to employees at a similar level.
2. Her work experience in the current firm is 2.5 years, and she recruited an HR Manager last year.
After having around 1 to 1.5 years of work experience, I believe she could have recruited a junior to delegate tasks and focus on strategizing HR functions.
3. How is it that she is hiring someone at a higher designation but is compensated less than her?
Money is crucial. If someone at a higher designation receives less compensation than subordinates, it can have a significant impact.
4. Now let us consider the management's perspective.
Your friend has been working for 2.5 years and is earning a salary of X per annum.
The new manager she appointed has been with the company for about 1 year and earns a salary of Y per annum (where X > Y).
5. You mentioned she is the only working member in the family.
In that case, wouldn't it have been better if she first secured a job offer before resigning?
==============================================
Though honesty is the best policy, here being honest may involve speaking negatively about your ex-employer, which is generally discouraged.
Most companies conduct Background Verification Checks before issuing employment letters. They often contact your last employer for this purpose.
Are you confident that the ex-employer would give a positive review when asked?
Do you think criticizing past practices, even if true, would help you secure the opportunity?
You mentioned she handled the HR department alone. Encourage her to emphasize this aspect.
Before the interview, ask her to consider the pros and cons of disclosing the situation to prospective employers when formulating her answer.
I hope this addresses your query.
From India, Mumbai
Dear Mr. Umakanthan,
I totally agree with your views above. I remember there was a discussion recently in some other thread where an ambitious and performing HR officer increased the expectations of the employer about her potential much to her inconvenience, as the employer started assigning one function after the other and finally asked her to take care of reception also, which she found difficult to handle. She became a victim of her own performance instead of being a beneficiary of it. There was a good discussion on it by enlightened minds in that thread, one of whom, in fact, identified raising expectations as the cause of her plight. Then in my post, I asked the question to them whether an ambitious and performing HR shall not raise expectations by her performance, and if she can raise the expectations, where she shall draw a line to avoid an awkward situation like this. So far, there is no response to my query. I am still enthusiastic to hear the response.
But your reply above has provided the answer to my post in that thread. Yes, it is not only necessary that an employee needs to be hardworking, committed, and honest but shall also have been endowed with tact, strategy, and diplomacy to guard these traits from being exploited by a cunning employer, to ward off any attempt by an incompetent colleague or a scheming superior to stealthily hijack credit for a job well done from the employee, and to cleverly showcase his or her performance to management so that it knows who the real performers are. These skills are positive and will pass the test of ethics since they are meant for one's defense from unethical external attempts and to substantiate what is right as right.
B. Saikumar
Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
I totally agree with your views above. I remember there was a discussion recently in some other thread where an ambitious and performing HR officer increased the expectations of the employer about her potential much to her inconvenience, as the employer started assigning one function after the other and finally asked her to take care of reception also, which she found difficult to handle. She became a victim of her own performance instead of being a beneficiary of it. There was a good discussion on it by enlightened minds in that thread, one of whom, in fact, identified raising expectations as the cause of her plight. Then in my post, I asked the question to them whether an ambitious and performing HR shall not raise expectations by her performance, and if she can raise the expectations, where she shall draw a line to avoid an awkward situation like this. So far, there is no response to my query. I am still enthusiastic to hear the response.
But your reply above has provided the answer to my post in that thread. Yes, it is not only necessary that an employee needs to be hardworking, committed, and honest but shall also have been endowed with tact, strategy, and diplomacy to guard these traits from being exploited by a cunning employer, to ward off any attempt by an incompetent colleague or a scheming superior to stealthily hijack credit for a job well done from the employee, and to cleverly showcase his or her performance to management so that it knows who the real performers are. These skills are positive and will pass the test of ethics since they are meant for one's defense from unethical external attempts and to substantiate what is right as right.
B. Saikumar
Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
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