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Please advice me about my manager

3 replies

ScaredofRepercussions · 07/12/2009 22:32

Long story so here goes....

basically I was told to apply for promotion before the end of my probationary period. I queried about this with the lead nurse who had a chat with me and supported my application.

I advised my line manager of the application.

the long shot was the I was unsuccessful and told to reapply after christmas. My line manager knew within an hour of me finding out but didnt speak to me to "debrief" me. I tried to speak to her later in the shift but she was busy in another department. She eventually came to speak to me but I said I was too upset to talk now.

anyway, because I was upset about the way I was treated by my Line Manager and that fact that now, nearly 2weeks after the interview she still hasnt acknowledged it.

I spoke to the lead nurse who was very non-committal and said that my line manager was an excellent manager and she did want to resolve any problems. She arranged a meeting for this weekend and told me to prepare and make sure things were sorted so we had a working relationship again.

The arranged time came and my line manager walked past me and out the door home. No meeting happened.

apparently she was waiting for me to approach her.

I phoned the lead nurse to ask what had happened and she said she would phone me monday (today).

9pm tonight no phone call so I called the lead nurse again (she was working btw) and she said "we all lead busy lives and she had too much to do to phone me". there is meeting arranged for friday night and it WILL go ahead.

I feel totally intimidated by my manager. I feel snubbed that she has not mentioned my interveiew let alone me not getting the promotion. My lead nurse has said that she is hearing different things from other team leaders that vary from my "version" of things.

I am basically being accused of lying and twisting the truth when all I'm saying is that I thought that my line manager should be supporting my career developemnt and that its her place as my line manager to make sure i'm ok.

am trying to resolve all the problems internally by have been told by the lead nurse that if i want to change team leader, i need to work in a new location (more travel, not as good shifts).

Please help. tell me what to do? do I speak to the unions or will I just make a bad situation worse by involving them. Is my best option just to keep my mouth shut and my head down? I know I have totally blown all my chances of promotion now.

TIA

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madamy · 07/12/2009 22:45

I'm a bit confused about a number of your points! What sort of probationary period and promotion are you talking about? I assume you're a nurse - are you a staff nurse?
Also, what's the diference between your lead nurse and line manager? Surely you would discuss your career development with your line manager first?
Sorry, but as a senior nurse with managerial responsibilities, I don't understand your situation at all!

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ScaredofRepercussions · 07/12/2009 22:57

Sorry Madamy - trying not to be too specific as it will be obvious the clinical area I work in. Yes I am a staff nurse and it was promotion from a 5 to a 6.

My line manager is very part time as am I. I was advised by one of her colleagues to apply for promotion. Its not a probationary period but the local policy is no promotion / change of roles in the 1st 6 months of post. In my line managers absence her colleague took me to speak to the lead nurse who approved my application and wished me luck

I had been told to apply ASAP as funding was being released for promotion that week but didnt want to put my form in without prior approval. I was not due to see my line manager for another 2 weeks.

does that make sense? sorry am feeling quite anxious/nervous

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flowerybeanbag · 08/12/2009 15:42

It does sound like a bit of a storm in a teacup to be honest, unless there is more to it.

Your manager is I imagine pretty fed up that a colleague of hers who presumably has no line management responsibilities for you spoke to you about promotion and advised you to go for it. You weren't successful anyway and your manager may have felt you wouldn't be and advised you differently given the opportunity.

You say you weren't 'due' to see your line manager for another 2 weeks and needed to put your application in before that. But is that not 'due' as in no actual meeting or similar booked for 2 weeks, or not 'due' as in she was on holiday or in some way completely unreachable even by phone during that time? I really think (assuming you didn't) that out of courtesy at least you should have made every effort possible to speak to her beforehand.

You are not happy that she didn't come to you to speak to you about this immediately. However you do say she 'eventually' came to speak to you after having been busy in another department, and you didn't feel able to talk to her. That does sound like a reasonable effort on her part if I'm honest. It does sound as though she came to speak to you that day, is that not right? Sounds fair to me, given you are both busy.

It also sounds from what you've said as though you expect your line manager to do all the running but when she doesn't, you don't ask to speak to her about it, you speak to the lead nurse about your manager instead.

I'm not saying your manager is completely in the right at all - it sounds like she could be handling things better as well - but this seems like a communication issue and involving other people isn't the way to go I don't think. I would suggest you speak to your manager, if you don't see her daily then give her a ring, and say you feel your working relationship has suffered a bit recently, and you think it would be useful for both of you if you were to meet up (maybe for coffee if there's somewhere you can go?) to have a chat and clear the air a bit.

I personally think that's your best bet rather than getting the lead nurse to sort things out or thinking about involving the union in some way.

There may be more to it, but from what you've said, I would suggest taking it back to a conversation between the two of you is the best place to start.

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