New manager told role is now a job share after 10 days

[JobSharingNitemare]

I'm 10 days into a new role as a manager in a new start up.

Today the owner informed me that my role was now a job share with a person that has no management experience and very little experience in what the start up specialises in.

It caught me by surprise and I'm really disappointed.

I've been pulling 12-14 hour days for the past 10 days to get them up and running and now I'm thinking why on earth did I bother?

I don't know if I should make it work or if I should just jump ship now.

You don’t need a contract. You’ve been working your job for the last 10 days and that plus what you were told when being interviewed is your job description. If they think they don’t need to have given you a paper contract to make it official they are mistaken

Get them to put it in writing and also the fact that you were given the job full time and as the only manager - I’d personally sue the shit out of them And report to ACAS

Yes employment law very much favours employees - the way you’ve been working & all that’s been spoken/written till now forms your employment contract whether there’s something signed or not.

I'm quite angry about it all.

Right now I feel like the best option is to walk away but I will struggle to find a job quickly and that will be a disaster financially.

So I think that I will have to accept the job share and apply for every job I can in the mean time.

Acas don't take "reports".

They also don't keep logs of employer transgressions.

Their role is simply to mediate between employer and employee. And to give impartial advice. And they're not always right either.

For the op - how long have you been there?

If under two years at this point, you can't bring an unfair dismissal or constructive dismissal claim. You can bring a breach of contract claim but that only serves to put you in the position you would be in had they not breached the contract which currently isn't clear. But could simply mean being paid your notice period (which, if under two years and no contract, is one weeks pay).

So, there's not really any "suing the shit out of them" at this point I'm afraid.

Obviously try to find out what they mean, and ask for your written terms.

I am really nervous this morning. It's been an intense 10 days and I'm worried I'll get emotional.

Just walk away as fast as you can.

For something like that I find pain quite effective at helping me keep my shit together. Digging a nail right into my finger or similar. Nothing obvious but just enough to ground myself.

Others might well have healthier coping mechanisms!

Good luck OP
maybe write down some short phrases to
memorise and come back to if stressed .

OP when you had a the interview did they formally outline your role in a job description ie days worked , hours, leave entitlement , benefits , roles and responsibilities, title , PAY ? Or have you agreed to something vague ?

If these things have been agreed verbally, write them down asap and hold your boss to account.

Take in a notebook - make notes and send them an email afterwards to confirm what has been said.

This bodes really badly for the future if this is the way the boss treats you and runs their business.

Agree with this. Do you have anything in writing to confirm your agreement?
Lots of companies can be slow in issuing a proper contract, but most send out a letter with some basic details on such as the role you are appointed to, pay, hours.
I would be reluctant to remain working for a company if there has been no clarification at all.

Job share can mean any number of things.

on one hand it can mean that you are both at that level on separate contracts but with the same JD (because there is enough work at that level). Or it can mean two people sharing a full time position or worst cast a contractural connection that two people share the same job and if one leaves the other one is at risk.

so I think you need clarity about what it means. If it is the former - great, you won’t need to do all those hours because the other person will be contributing capacity (although subdivision of work will need planning especially if they are inexperienced). I’d also say that you won’t be training them.

i know start ups can be intense but it sounds as though they are recruiting and have the potential to do well (from what you’re describing).

get more information before you make any big decision. And don’t work excessive hours today and get a contract as a matter of urgency - are you even going to be paid?

Unless OP can prove some kind of discrimination, she has no recourse to sue her employer. She has less than two years service so she’s stuffed really.

If you have been pulling 14 hour days, maybe there is enough work for both of you full time? Wait and see what transpires at the meeting before you act.

If you can draw the same salary working normal hours and there’s a way to clearly divide the duties of the role, I would say you are winning.

Good luck op. What bastards! Unlike others I don’t think you should walk - but continue to behave professionally and look for a new Job. You may need to explain a gap if you walk and you want to keep your cv free of things that might raise questions- even if it’s not your fault.
You need clarity on what this means for you, to calmly explain your disappointment if it is not good news. Nothing wrong with a tear but try not to get angry. If neseccary you need a strategy for leaving - an agreed reference and explanation. After the meeting you might be better to tell them you need to think about it and ask for a follow up tomorrow to give you time to prepare your response.

Good luck today OP.

Hopefully it’s as PPs have said and they are bringing in another person at the same level. Weird to call it a job share if you’re both full time but try to go in to the conversation in fact-finding mode.

Make sure you put your own views forward on how this can best work - you’ve been doing long days so you know there is plenty of work. Talk about how your skills are best used and where the other person could complement not compete.

It’s a start up so you have the chance to shape things rather than be ‘done to’.

I’d be pissed off too, btw, but I’d be shit or bust and try to make it work for me.

As pp said, they may just mean they’re splitting the role into 2 roles so the workload is more manageable. Once you know what they mean then it’ll be easier to know what to do. That said, start ups are always pretty chaotic and suit a certain type of person- I have a friend who is a serial start up employee and loves it but some of the stuff that happens is just insane to me, who has always worked in big, established companies.

Is there any chance they’ve worded it badly and realised they needed two full time roles? Given your workload that could be a possibility.

Get your contract in great detail and if you are expected to train the new person maybe ask for more pay - do they need 2 people doing the same job or are you only there initially -you need a contract

If you can ago too I’d not go back, if you can’t I’d start job hunting.

Don't walk without a new role lined up OP, the job market is painful even for people who have never struggled before.

Take a drink in with you and if you feel yourself getting emotional pause and have a drink to give yourself chance to compose. You may find they are more amendable to your opinion than you'd think as long as you remain professional.

Ask for clarity on you, not the other person. Are my salary, responsibilities and duties the same? Explain you'll accept a promotion for this person to step into your role taking on the less senior knowledgeable areas of your role perhaps? Say you can keep the nitty gritty but there are definitely some areas of seniority that can be passed on. That way it's not a job share, you are actually climbing and they still get this person in where they want them.
Do make it clear you haven't got time for training if they stick to the job sharing thing but don't say anything about having time if your going to pitch the different seniority levels first. Mention that if they stick their heels in.

Tell them a good business runs on processes and they need some HR processes asap or an external HR consultant.

No contract and imposition of part-time role is very unprofessional. Best leave at this point as there seems to be no respect for you and your work. Check first nothing in writing. Always check you have a contract before you start or put in so much work.

I don't think you should walk away just yet if its going to hurt you financially. Just plod along without the long days, after all, your job share should be able to pick up the slack! Get your wage and look elsewhere so you can get out as fast as you can.

Do they have hr? I assume not?

You need to be firm that you were offered a full time job with full personal management responsibility, and that is what you expect to continue to have.

Can you possibly get your old job back?

Could they have meant that they now see that the role is too much for one person and that they have hired a second manager to take over some of the tasks you are doing but that you will stay on full-time? If you are working up to 14 hours a day then that's an indication that they might have just put too much on one person.

Either way, have the meeting, see what they say, push back on anything you don't agree with and hopefully you can find a solution where you can stay on. At least long enough for you to find another role if that's what you want.

This happened to me, OP, except they sacked me (and the CEO and COO, and they have since sacked the CFO and General Manager). I’m just enjoying the increasingly hysterical WhatsApp messages from my “successor” who doesn’t know her arse from her elbow. Obviously I’m not responding, but the schadenfreude is too great for me to block her. I think the whole thing is going to implode soon, as there is effectively one person doing all of the senior roles (the one who sacked everyone).