I'm currently on six months maternity leave from a senior management position. I've just seen an email that someone has been appointed to a role which is almost identical to mine, with the same remit and responsibilities, but a slightly different job title. This affects the remit of the role I'll do on my return and also my seniority, damaging future promotion prospects which I've been aiming towards. I long suspected this. The company was going through an organisational restructure whilst I was pregnant and I was given no information on how my job would be affected. I pretty much felt sidelined during my entire pregnancy (my boss was openly skeptical about whether I'd return at all). I did postpone my maternity start date from 35wks pregnant to 38wks to help them recruit maternity cover for me. They hadn't sorted anything out by my original finish date (despite telling them about my pregnancy at 10 weeks!) and were vague about cover plans (my boss cancelled all my last one to ones so I lost all opportunity to discuss it properly). However, my boss didn’t like the candidates we interviewed. When I went on maternity leave, it was all still up in the air and my role and future uncertain. I was pretty stressed by it all to be honest, but didn't feel like I had any time to address it with them. This new appointment isn't a maternity cover role, but I feel it directly affects my job. What are my rights? I feel really let down by my company, especially after I postponed my leave to help them sort this. I've always shown loyalty and had glowing appraisals and top bonuses. I feel like they wrote me off the moment I became pregnant.…
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Whilst I was on maternity leave, there was a business restructure although the department I previously worked in was unaffected. During discussions about my return to work before the end of my first six months, I discussed with my manager that a new role had been created as a part of the restructure which my name had been allocated to and what were my thoughts versus returning to my old role. I didn't voice a preference at this stage. During later discussions (still prior to six months) I was told that the new role was no longer available, but that there was another role for me (no mention at this stage of the one I left) although I would need to return after six months. I was reluctant to go back before nine months, but it was suggested (not said out loud) that there may not be a suitable role for me if I chose to take the 12 months so I reluctantly agreed to go back after seven months. I am now not happy with my decision to return so early and feel I was bullied into going back to this role to avoid being made redundant or forced to return full time (I currently do 4 long days so 5 hours less than contracted). Do I have any rights though once I accepted the role on offer?…
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I have been with my company for 21 months, 12 months of which I have been on maternity leave. A few months ago whilst on maternity leave the company restructured and offered me a role in the new organisation which was virtually identical to my old role. I am due to return to work now, but have been told that I cannot return to the new role that was offered as part of the restructure due to the two following reasons: the time that had elapsed since going on maternity leave and some recent challenges with a client that had now been overcome. They have offered me alternative work on a temporary project lasting about three months doing completely different work and with no staff reporting to me as I did in my previous role. Are these reasons good enough? What examples or case law can you cite that can show what is a reasonably practicable reason for not returning someone to their existing role? Also, is this alternative acceptable given it is a temporary project assignment and is very different in nature and status? Finally, does my length of service affect any tribunal claims?…
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I am currently on maternity leave. I am head of a small specialist team. I am at a senior grade, but officially I am one grade lower than most of the colleagues I work with with an equivalent amount of responsibility. Before going on leave my work started a job evaluation process to resolve inconsistencies in grades around the organisation. As part of this, my job description was revised. I was happy with this because I felt it now properly reflected my role and responsibilities and was hopeful that the inconsistency in my grade would be resolved or at least would be subject to a fair review. The job evaluation process was then suspended so the organisation could focus on a reorganisation instead. My work is currently going through that restructuring process and I am concerned that my role will be diluted and some of my management responsibilities moved to a new post, namely a new manager post created above mine. I have had no consultation to date on my post or intentions with it and have not been sent the full briefings that have been given to all staff. I was invited to one about two months ago, but it was cancelled and not rescheduled. I have been sent emails with brief summaries of all staff briefings, but I can't access the full information remotely. I have requested full copies of all of these now. Proposals I have seen via a colleague show that I would report to a newly created senior manager post who would also manage another team. The new senior manager post is vacant, but would match about 50% of my current post. The other 50% would cover an area where I have no experience or interest. I am now feeling very concerned that these changes are moving forward in my absence without my input. I am worried that existing issues in my post will be disregarded and I will either have to return to a lesser/demoted role or apply for a new post, which is theoretically at the right level, but contains other functions where I have no experience. Am I in a redundancy situation here?…
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I've been working for my employer for the last 16 months and I'd started my OML just over four months ago. I was called into the office in early December last year to be told my role is now at risk due to the sale of part of its business. However, HR had a separate chat with me straight after the initial talk and mentioned about the possibility of another redefined role (similar to what I've been doing plus other responsibilities added on top). I was asked whether I would like to be put forward for it and I said yes on the spot. However, then I found out the next day that I'm the only person in my team who is at risk despite the fact that more than 20 people are being made redundant on my floor. My colleague who's one grade lower than me still has his job and he does the same job as me. I gather my salary is slightly higher than his. I have my follow-up consultation meeting with HR and the head of the department very soon. I want to ask the right questions. So far I can only think of asking why have I been selected? What's the actual selection process? What's happening to the other redefined role? I'd like to know if I have a case of discrimination here. Also can the company change their mind as to this redefined role? I really would like to have a job to go back to after my maternity leave. The head of department had reassured me before I started my maternity leave that I would definitely have a job to come back to unless the team no longer exists. I'm really stressed about the whole thing and it's affecting my ability to raise my baby. I'm due to go and see my GP this coming week. I would really appreciate any advice and help you can give me from a legal point of view. What other relevant questions should I be asking during my consultation meeting or even before which may make the company think twice before making me redundant?
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