Work has not offered me alternative job on return from maternity leave

[OneMoreWish]

Hello
I'll try not not to drip feed.

I work for the civil service.
Before I went on maternity leave my manager tried to get me to say I wouldn't come back to my job. ( due to having baby and not making meetings said to my face, in emails mentioned my back issues)

I said I didn't want to make decision until after I had baby and then saw how my back was. Got advice from acas so they left pressuring me but said could only come back full time London.

Official maternity leave finished Oct 18 but I had lots of outstanding annual leave to take which took me to end of January 19 before I had to return.

I made noises in September that maybe I would come back full time London would depend on my back. Line manager then said they would be doing review of my job ( they didn't put anyone in post while I was off and gave work to other team that was created just before I went on maternity leave)

In December 18 I found out verbally that the review concluded my role was no longer needed. My union told me to get the outcome in writing formally and although I've asked for this I've not received it.

Following an occupational health report recommendation and hr agreement in December/ January it was agreed as an reasonable adjustment under equality act I could move to work from a local office rather than London.

I'm back at work now, I have no role and I have been advised I won't be given work so I can look for a role.

I am trying but I'm also confused- shouldn't I be offered an alternative as my role was removed before I returned from maternity leave? I know the law says the same location but the office change is due to a reasonable adjustment due to disability so wouldn't my workplace still be required to offer me an alternative role.

Feel confused and isolated. Aibu? Any advice?

[LilyMumsnet]

We're moving this over to employment issues at OP's request.

[flowery]

If your role is redundant and there is a suitable alternative vacancy available, they must offer it to you. Is/was there a suitable alternative role available that you haven’t been offered?

[KatoPotato]

I'm pretty sure the civil service offers more protection than most? Don't you go into a pool to be redeployed?

[OneMoreWish]

Thanks for the replies - there are lots of vacancies flying around at the moment with normal people movement and brexit. But it just seems to be the onus is for me to find a new role. Feel quite anxious about it and unsupported. There has been nothing in writing or verbal to show they have tried to find me an alternative role.

Yes they have put me in the redeployment pool but I have limited confidence in that. Having worked in central role teams for a while I have heard managers check with hr who is in the pool and write job specs more specific to exclude the person in the pool so they can be advertised.

I'm also pregnant again and scared of saying anything yet as feel if I have to go for interviews for jobs I apply for I will stand even less chance of finding a role ( yes I know they can't discriminate against pregnancy women but i know they will find a legitimate reason to pick another person .)

My boss asked me yesterday if I had thought of applying for another department. It just made me feel really sad as I've spent a lot of time in this department I've been in talent programmes and I had just got a promotion into a great job before I got pregnant - now I feel I've lost my career.

[OneMoreWish]

I guess I'm just disappointed and wanted to confirm whether legally they should have offered me an alternative role ( or what they have to find one and couldn't if that's the case)

[caffeinebuzz]

It sounds like your role might have become redundant after your official maternity leave had finished, while you were using up annual leave. Is that correct? As it changes their obligations towards you.

[flowery]

Oh I missed that, the fact that your role wasn't redundant until after your maternity leave has ended. In that case you should be treated as anyone else in that situation, and don't get special treatment as you would if your role ended when you were on maternity leave.

If there are 'lots of vacancies flying about', have you applied for any of them? How are you 'back at work' if you don't have a job, what are you actually doing?!

[Isleepinahedgefund]

TBH if they’re still paying you the same and you’re off on mat leave again soon, I’d bide my time sorting paper clips or whatever and sort it out when you come back from 2nd mat leave.

When you’re surplus you get priority for a lot of “across civil service” advertised roles, I’d take advantage and find something new to do, maybe in a different govt. department.

[Lightgreenblue]

Your line manager sounds pretty unhelpful. Personally I would want to get out of there and would apply for jobs in other departments. You're right there are a lot of vacancies right now so it's a good time to be looking.

What grade are you?

[atotalshambles]

Hello. I am in a similar position to you in the Civil Service. My job became full-time when I was away. My line manager wanted to me to return to the role anyway and try to manage on a temp basis (with no support!) while they recruited the full-time role. I didn't think I could do that (it is a demanding role). My employer are looking for a part-time role for me - the problem I have is that while the civil service is very flexible on the whole - lots of areas kind of do their own thing. As HR has been pretty much outsourced to call centres you have to manage everything yourself. I have a specialist skill and it is very much full-time only even if the organisation as a whole is very flexible. I would get support from the union and acas. As someone else suggested - if you are pregnant I would chill about the whole situation as you may not want to return. If you decide to return after maternity leave, I would start early in applying for roles. If you don't get any support , I would contact someone senior in your organisation to see if they can help you secure a role.

[Isleepinahedgefund]

In civil service you can be at work but have no work to do if you’re made surplus. We had a whole department like that for a while a couple of years ago - they were hoping everyone would take the voluntary exit scheme offered but no one did, so they basically sat there twiddling their thumbs and tidying the stationery cupboard for months until they got new jobs. I imagine OP is in the same position. They all did get new jobs in the end, but CS recruitment moves very slowly so chances are she’ll be there for a while yet doing nothing.

[OneMoreWish]

Thanks for the replies.

I wondered whether that would be the case re the timing of the review.... I feel like it's very orchestrated as I have a slide show from the summer when they were doing roadshows ( and talking to teams about inclusivity) and my name and role were not included on the organogram like it was known then that they wouldn't have me on team coupled with fact they had pushed hard to make me give the job before my maternity leave. I wouldn't and so they then got rid of my role anyway.

What am I doing since coming back? Cleared 8000 emails that were in my inbox, applied for jobs, re drafting and writing new examples to apply for those jobs. Spoke to people who were advertising the roles to see if they were a fit. Caught up with all the latest news, moves, strategy and business plans as well as brexit news, looking into mandatory training and what's out of date that I need to refresh as well as any other training that would complement my skills and experience to date. Sent emails out to networks I have re if they know any jobs. Chased up my dse stuff as returned to work. Joined groups in north west and offered my help to organise stuff in the area. I've kept busy as I'm not lazy and I would prefer a role so I know where I am. I worked so hard on my career and getting the right jobs to help my career that I feel rather lost now and out of place and like I've lost all that hard work I put in.

My line manager did ask me if I had looked to apply for other departments but I've given a lot to this department built up stakeholders and knowledge of this department and done talent programmes that are run in this department and made a name for myself for what I can deliver ( in London and in another area I worked in but still I would hope that people who have worked with me remember what I am capable of)
If I move to another department I lose a lot of the time effort and reputation and knowledge that I've built up. It just feels like I've been completely shafted because I've had a baby :( the talent programme I was on was for people spotted for potential for scs and you are meant to take on special projects post the training programme to keep you developing and challenging your potential. This won't be recognised in another department so it will be like starting again. I'm not against it ( I've worked in five departments over the years but I had really started to consolidate my skills in this department )

Found out today that one I had applied for I didn't get :(


Thanks for replies and advice.

[redexpat]

Dont take it personally.

[BubblesBuddy]

If you are pregnant again, what role do you want? Do you not have HR where you can discuss your position? Nearly 3 months of annual leave also seems bizarre. How long did it take to accrue that and when did you last work?

If you don’t get anything from the pool, would you get redundancy? That’s what I would be asking now. I guess you won’t be working much this year either so what do you want out of this situation?