To want a fair crack of the whip? (uber long)

[dontupsettheapplecart]

Hi. I am a regular who has namechanged...

Some time ago I was awarded a secondment to a higher paid position in my place of work.
We had a belt tightening exercise where all secondments were ended and a lot of people were made redundant. I then got pregnant and had a year out.

Prior to returning I was invited to an interview for another promotion, this time with a permanent contract.

I attended the interview with one other candidate and was told that I had done very well and had I been available for a full time postition I would have been successful but as I can only offer three days per week I wasn't successful.
There was a lot of politics around this and I just went with it as had other things going on.

I returned and successfully interviewed for a sideways move which has no extra pay attached.

In my mat leave absence our financial situation changed.
Another colleague (X) was given a secondment without having to interview. She is a good work friend and I had no beef regarding this as it happened whilst I was on Mat leave.
Her secondment ends at the end of the month.
Other colleagues had interviewed for promotion and secured permanent contracts.

X told me in strict confidence that senior management are desperate to keep her on so the next promotion that comes up is hers (without interview)

Despite feeling peed off about this I (sort of) shrugged it off but today I overheard a convo where the senior told X that she is keeping an eye on the budget and it?s looking very promising for X?
They obviously thought that they were alone in the room as i sit around the corner in a very large open plan office.
Am I being unreasonable in that It makes my blood slightly boil? It ?seems? really unfair and unjust to me & actually goes against our policy of equal ops employment rights etc etc

But its kind of how this company operates historically (not that I am excusing it)

I don?t want to cause awkwardness (especially now I have a shiny new job which is not a promotion but is triple my previous workload) It would be ?not worth it? if there wasn?t a huge payrise attached and there should be some sort of queuing system, maybe I lost my place when I chose to procreate? But?I did go through the full interview process in September and I?m pretty sure that dear colleague didn?t go through a similar process.

I am always saying hey-ho and pushing things to one side because when I do take action there is usually a fall-out of sorts? but i feel that I would be raising a valid point: if there is a vacancy it should be advertised.

I was thinking about raising it in supervision I need to work out what I want to achieve from the exchange.

Do you think that I have a point? And if so how should I address it?

Thanks

you have to think - will they see you as a moany bitch? what are you going to get out of it?
how does complaining get you anywhere with regards to your perceived injustice.

if you are going to go ahead - you may like to warm them that by not advertising, they open themselves up to law suits of indirect discrimination.

Thanks so much for your replies
. I don't want to come across as a moany bitch at all but I feel that it should be noted that I know that this is happening.
Genuinely I don't believe that complaints will get me anywhere I'm just a bit hmmm about the whole thing.
The trouble is that my new position is from a different budget with no room for pay negotiation. I applied because I needed a change from my regular job and my direct boss advised me to apply for my continued development because at the time there was no opportunity for upwards movement.

I must add that X will not be losing her job just returning to her permanent post at the lower (my grade)

Tbh, I think that someone who has shown that they work well and are committed to the job is fair game at promotion time.

I don't see why posts should be advertised just for the sake of it, falsely raising people's hopes, when the employers know they have the candidate they want right there in front of them.

Commitment and hard work should count for something, especially when it comes to career advancement.

Thanks clouds if that was the way we operate then of course that's fair but I have proved myself and am equally as good as X with a lot more experience.

our policy is that every vacancy is advertised first internally and then externally if it's not filled.

There have been occasions where people have got in 'through the back door' which is what appears to be happening in this situation.

Does anyone have any ideas how to broach this subject with my boss? Thanks

Are you in the NHS? Replete with secondments, promotions without interview. I would suggest that you ask what she considers the procedure / process to be for filling vacancies. See if you can get her to outline what the normal process is and then see if that leads to a conversation that leads on to " ok so how come this one is so different then"

At my work I've just seen an interview set so that the person they wanted to slot in had exactly the experience and knowledge to hit every point, in theory someone else who applied might have got it, but in fact they had no chance. Neither route is fair, but whether it's worth complaining about depends so much on how it effects you.

Don't complain. Just say to your boss that you are looking to keep advancing your career and that while you enjoy your current position it is not acceptable to you that it has no chance for a payrise due to the budget. Say that you are actively looking around for another position (even one outside the company) that has a chance of promotion, and will look to move within 6 months unless additional budget for you can be found. Then follow up with demonstrations/examples of the additional value you are providing in your new position that justifies additional pay.
When leaving say, "thank you for this meeting, I am looking forward to hearing from you about how I can advance myself within this organisation".
Dont' ask. Don't get.

Thanks for replies. Yes it is a large national organisation.
We have had similar situations whereroles are devised with a person in mind.
I don't feel in a position to bargain especially as there was competition for this new role. My manager is very clear on my desire to progress/return to my previous position, but the senior manager is abbove her. The senior manager has been full of praise for my performance in the new role which makes me feel as though I would look churlish. it's not all about the money but it is also about the money if that makes sense. it's also about the fairness.

Maybe they want someone who can work full time. Unfair, I know, but unfortunately some jobs require someone to be there all the time.

But to be brutally honest, if there was any chance they were going to give it to anyone other than X, they would advertise it.

Maybe it will start as a "secondment" or an extension of the current secondment.

What then ?

I guess the other thing is: did your un-interviewed ? secondment pass over someone else ?

Swings and roundabouts ?

Hey cumfy, thanks for your input they are advertising the same vacs in different geographical areas but neither X nor I can apply. I have been interviewed for every position I have secured and have never got in 'through the back door' if I had then of course I wouldn't be so miffed about this situation!
Morticia, thanks I bear that in mind but a lot of our jobs can be job shared and often are and I have made it very clear that if I were offered a promotion then I can work more hours. On my current salary we can only afford minimal childcare.

I wish you the best of luck. Don't be afraid of difficult conversations - they might just work in your favour. Or, failing that, read the Equality Act 2010.

Thanks Morticia, think I saw you on the 'prentice thread, now there's a crew who don't shy away from difficult conversations!

You are right of course. I had to complete my objectives today and wrote that my goal is to develop within this role but ultimately to return to the higher grade so at least my intentions are clear.

I might say something along the lines of' I'm loving my new job but I still have this longterm goal. I know that 'senior' is looking out for X and I just wondered if a vacancy does come up does my new position preclude me from applying? ' or something?

Sounds good!!

Worth a try!