Sorry, this is a long one...
Last summer I started a job to cover someone on long term sick leave. After four months, the lady in question came back to work. There had been a bit of a question mark over her performance and when I took the job I was told there was a possibility that it may go permanent. Before I started she had been on sick leave (on and off) from February. She had only been in the job since October and had been on almost permanent sick leave from Feb to Aug.
When she finally came back it was very unclear what the plan was. It was also a very difficult situation as I was doing her job and they were very reluctant for me to hand over work as she was on a phased return and they were paranoid that she would go off sick again. My/her boss decided that he was no longer talking to her which made it even more difficult! I kept asking where this left me and kept getting the answer that the situation was difficult. They wanted to get rid of her but were working on a plan (which I knew would necessitate me leaving albeit temporarily). After three to four weeks of overlap, and still no news, I gave them a week's notice.
I found another contract very quickly and, over the course of the next three months, they put the team into consultation then made her redundant. They paid her an agreeable amount and got her to sign a compromise agreement (so no come back for them).
Shortly after she went, they asked me to go back as, needless to say, they had so much work they couldn't possibly keep up. I went back at the start of December and when I finished just before Christmas they offered me a permanent job. They offered me the same salary as my contract but instead of 35 hours (as per my contract) I was told the hours would be 37.5 hours (pro rata for the four days I had requested and they had agreed). As I was also paid hourly on contract, I was earning overtime on anything over 35 hours. i felt a bit miffed as they were effectively offering me a pay cut and, as it was the same salary as I was earning in 2008, I asked if they could up the money to at least what i was earning on contract. It went backwards and forwards between me, the agency and the company. I had quite a few difficult conversations including the guy at the agency telling me that I was just being greedy (thanks for that one!). We didn't manage to resolve the situation and agreed to talk after Christmas.
After Christmas, I met with my boss and we discussed the salary. I put forward my case and he said there would be no movement. i went away, discussed it with my husband and the next morning emailed my boss to say, much as I wanted to stay, I was declining the offer. I suggested we discuss the plan for going forward at our next catch up. He didn't acknowledge my email but forwarded it to the Board and basically told them it was back to the drawing board. Over the course of the next week, he ignored me. My lovely (and more senior colleague) had been involved in the salary negotiations and decided to intervene after a few days. She asked me what salary I was after and I just said the same amount as my contract which was approx. £2k (£1.6k for the four days). She totally agreed with my argument and said she couldn't see the problem. They'd had quite a few people through the door for this role (6 in about 4.5 years) and i was told I had been the best fit/most experienced out of everyone so it made sense to try and keep me/avoid further recruitment costs and upheaval for the rest of the team.
It was discussed at the Board Meeting two weeks later. The Board agreed that they wouldn't pay me the extra and would start from scratch. Nobody told me and, as I was oblivious that it had been discussed, just kept plodding on. Four weeks later, and still no news, I did a bit of digging and managed to find the outcome. Needless to stay, I was very angry that no one had bothered to tell me. We had a big conference at the end of Jan and I can only assume that they kept me dangling so I was available for that. When asked why no one had told me, my boss blamed my colleague and she blamed him.
In my last week, I seem to have gone from being star contractor to the office leper. It has been absolutely awful. I had it out with my boss the other day and he repeatedly said how wonderful I was and how great I fitted into the team, how well we worked together and how I would be a fool not to stay as there was every possibility I could end up in a shit job next. All this for the same money originally offered. I told him that was exactly the reason he should pay me the extra money as there were more shit PAs that shit PA jobs.
After a week of feeling very angry and confused I left. I have been getting it in the neck from my husband who kept asking me why I would accept a job for less money and to just milk it now while I was on contract. I've been there for a total of six months and I didn't even say goodbye to my boss or the MD when I left (because I was too angry and upset). I have nothing else lined up. They kept telling me they couldn't up the money but seem to regularly squander money (a run of the mill mid-week dinner for two directors having a catch up should not cost £300 IMO!).
Is it me or them? How could I have avoided this? I'm pretty assertive these days and I'm at a loss as to how i have come out worst in this situation. 
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Could I have handled this better?
11 replies
TomTomKitten · 12/02/2016 00:50
OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake ·
12/02/2016 07:52
The bottom line is that you were in an organisation that refused to act professionally.
They wanted to 'win' and dictate more than they wanted to keep you. They wanted to not talk to their previous employee (bullying) so they could get rid of her.
It's fundamentally a lack of respect and there's nothing you can do.
You cannot expect or demand others think and act reasonably.
You did nothing wrong 
And your dh is wrong
TomTomKitten ·
12/02/2016 09:29
Yes, it was very much, "We'd really love you to stay but we just can't stretch to the extra money because we spent more than that on Jagermeister at the conference" complete with pained expression. 
Also kept telling me that the salary was at the top of the band so no pay rises for the foreseeable future?!
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