Does this sound like I was deliberately sidelined? Sorry long.

[nellyjelly]

Was a middle manager in a small organisation ( public sector). There is a director, a deputy and were 3 middle managers of which I was one. There was also an additional senior role but that person left last summer. Before she left we also had a change of director.

New director starts, he really shakes things up. One thing he does is change the weekly management meeting to a Day that I don't work as am part time. He asked me to change my day off, I told him it wasn't that easy but would try and swap nursery days. I couldn't do this ultimately so was never at the management meetings.

Then we found out we needed to make cuts. It was decided that they would cut a manager's role and they chose either me or my colleague who do a similar role. The roles were melded into one full time role and was told had to go up against my colleague in a competitive interview, or accept redundancy.

It was and is tough. I have 2 kids in nursery and to go full time would mean a big upheaval as would have had to change nurseries to get a ft place. In the end I declined the interview process and took a step down in the company. Am not happy of course but felt there was no choice really.

What annoys me is that just prior to me finding out about my role going, the Director decided to replace the outgoing exec I mentioned with another middle manager role. It was practically given on a plate to someone in our organisation called X. It was an advertised post and he had an interview but it was clear he was a favourite of our Director so bound to get it.

So just 2 months after the creation of this post for him, my role is chopped. The argument is that they couldn't justify 2 of us doing a similar role and needed to make a cut somewhere. However, the Director must have known this was coming. He could have shifted things round in the team instead of creating a new role.

I really think that the Director just wanted this guy x on board and I was going to be the one to make way. I was expendable. My absence from strategic meetings meant I just wasn't visible. Wasn't given work, couldn't influence or report back on achievements etc.

I took the lesser role and saved them from having to sort out interviews or organise redundancy. The Director didn't even thank me for the work I put in over last 5 years, in fact didn't mention it to me at all.

Feel really aggrieved that I have been pushed aside like this. I feel it is borderline discriminatory tbh but difficult to prove.

Am I just being paranoid?

Suffice to say am seeking alternative employment.

[nellyjelly]

Thanks. As soon as that happened I knew things were going wrong.

[nellyjelly]

Bump?

[Isatdownandwept]

When did all of this happen? Timing is everything.

Having a meeting on a day when a flexi worker cannot attend is potentially discriminatory. I have spoken to Freshfields about this before, and they advise no regular meetings before 9, after 5, etc and need to check availability of flexi workers. A small company could claim ignorance on this one.

Selection of the pool for consideration of the remaining role was potentially an unfair process - if you all do a similar role then you should all be in the pool, ie 4 managers (including new one) chasing 3 roles, not 2 chasing 1. Their counter argument however will be that this was irrelevant because you withdrew from process because it was full time.

Promoting new guy and putting the golden child in the role is allowable (unless he did it because he specifically wanted a bloke in the role). Doing it whilst possibility of redundancy is in the air is allowable. Doing it after board have signed off redundancy plan is potentially unfair (if role is the same), but proving that almost impossible.

Cutting a half a role is potentially ok, whcih i assume is what they did, rather than cutting a 'whole' full time role? Ie they went from 3.5 manages (with you being the half) to 3 managers (including new guy). If the other person being considered was also part time and they went from a position of 2+0.5 +0.5 to 2 by removing 2 part timers and putting in a full timer instead, that is potentially discriminatory as it favours men over women.

You also haven't mentioned if the underlying reasons for the cutback at your level is reasonable. Has business fallen off? Have budgets been cut? If they didn't have a genuine business reason that is potentially wrongful and possibly discriminatory.

So, sum of it is that there are a few questionmarks over their actions that could add up to discrimination. But case would need to be water-tight with evidence verified. Is there any othe revidence that they have been treating part timers unfairly?

[nellyjelly]

Thanks for reply. The new guy coming in happened before my redundancy was mentioned so while no obvious problem with the way it was done, underneath I believe the Director wanted him in at my expense. Would never be able to prove it though.

I should have made more of the change in meeting day at the time. I think I was easy to get rid of as out of sight.

Nothing is provable. Just makes me feel crap as clearly nwanted in the organisation and I know I did a good job as a manager. Think pt working is an irritant to the new boss tbh.

Thanks for your response.