A week ago, my manager (HR Director) and one of my direct reports (Benefits Specialist) had a 1:1. Which is unusual, but my direct report said the HR Director just wanted to check in and see how she was doing. Ok, no big deal. Well, a few days later I noticed a new document was uploaded to her employee file by my manager titled “NDA”. I look at it, and it’s a pretty standard looking NDA my direct report and HR Director signed the day of their 1:1 meeting about working on a “Project Hail Mary”.
I haven’t been informed about the project or that my direct report would be part of the project team. I haven’t mentioned what I saw to either my direct report or my manager, and I don’t think it will really go over well for me if I do. I’ve gone over the different potential reasons in my head:
A. My manager/other senior leadership is impressed with my direct report and thinks it will be neat first stretch project for her. Direct report has been with the company for 6 months.
B. My manager/other senior leadership is both impressed with my direct report and not happy about my performance, so this project is a “test” of sorts.
C. If it’s another acquisition, then we may need an HRBP for said new location. Maybe my manager approached my direct report about interest and they are moving in that direction. Direct report does have prior experience as an HRBP.
D. My manager knew I’m busy with other projects and thought to involve my direct report instead.
I’ve never had any disciplinary actions during my time at the company and have always had positive, glowing reviews. It doesn’t make sense to me why my manager would hide my direct report’s involvement with me, as well as the existence of the project entirely from me and the rest of our HR team. It just seems shady. I’m wondering if I need to start looking elsewhere if my job is in jeopardy. Even if it’s not, I don’t appreciate my manager’s shady behavior either. It’s not the first time, and this among other things happening at the company over time have really bothered me. Maybe it’s time for me to go anyway.
Fellow HR pros, what would you do in this situation?