AIBU to feel slighted by my manager?

[Asia88]

My partner tells me that I'm upset for no reason here, but AIBU to be annoyed with my manager for what seems to be his ongoing campaign to ensure I'm nobody in the team?

The most recent development - he decided to exclude me from the interview panel for my maternity cover (even though he openly admits not being aware as to what the jobs entails) I was upset but dealt with it.

YET he thought perfectly fine to put me down as the person fetching candidates from reception and assigned to photocopying their paperwork while they are being interviewed.

So in practise I will have to walk all the way from the south wing to the reception and back at least two times while being 8 months pregnant, scanning documentation while my manager + other colleague chosen for the panel will be sat in a room just over the main reception waiting for the candidates.

Note that I don't have an entry level job in the organisation. I am a project analyst on a decent pay, 5 years in the organisation and during that time managed to up my salary by £16k.

I don't feel like fetching candidates in itself is disrespectful but in the context of all the ignoring, exclusion and weirdness vibe I continually get from the manager this is just another thing that makes me angry and fed up!

If you have something more congenial/constructive to be doing tell him that. 'I know you were hoping I could do X today, but in fact I will be too busy with Y. I think Temp will have to take care of the applicants'.

If your duties have been wound down to such an extent that this wouldn't be a reasonable thing to say I think you either have to suck it up or pull a sickie (that would be my choice)..

New ideas she wouldn't usually be expected to do reception work in her role.
Temp is one of the interviewees so can't do it.

Temp will have to take care of the applicants'.

As they are an applicant themselves they shouldn't do it

If you'be recently joined Unison then I definitely advocate talking to your rep. They'll be able to impartially advise you, whereas HR often can't be objective given their own relationship with managers. Par for the course in public sector. Plus if you talk to your rep they'all keep your concerns on record so if you decide to let this one pass but it happens again when you return from mat leave you'lol already be building a case. Good luck!

(spelling atrocious! I blame my cold hands at the bus stop )

It not temp assisting then 'insert more appropriate name here'.

Where I work, they would usually deliberately pick someone to do the escorting/photocopying because they want that person to have a quick chat with the applicant and see how they get on / get a first impression.

It's normally a disaster when someone interviews their own replacement especially when salary is discussed. You may not want to hire someone who you think will be better than you.

He's a socially and professionally inept, sounds like that's nothing new though. And you're feeling vulnerable. Everything else is being amplified due to these two things.

I wouldn't take the interview exclusion to heart. It's out of your control, and he sounds like a know it all.

If you're in a senior position, do delegate the traipsing around the building and photocopying. Don't involve your manager, just politely ask someone else in your office. Play the pregnancy card if you have to, but I'm sure that's not necessary if you work with sympathetic colleagues.

I know it's difficult not to let him get to you, but you've got a much more important job on your hands than his pettiness.

Failing that, roll into the office on a bike this morning

Why can't you walk?

If you feel he isn't according you sufficient professional respect, pulling a sickie is hardly likely to improve that.

If you really can't walk to where you've been asked then you should mention it to him.

In my experience it would be unusual for you to be on this specifi cinterview panel. Your opinion may be sought with particular ideas perhaps. I have used something like this so the 'fetcher' (you) can find out a little about them personally, asking 'illegal' questions etc. For example, when a job involves a lot of travel, I've had my chatty PA ask questions like 'Do you have children? Won't it be hard to leave them?...'

I think you're perhaps looking for issues where there are none. You've said you receive public praise. What interviewing experience do you have? Have you been involved before? It's a skill I'm yet to master yet am directly responsible for hiring and (potentially) firing 100s of staff.

Maybe you should start maternity leave sooner if you can't manage routine office activities.

I'm tempted to agree although if finding someone else to do this is easy then it's perhaps unreasonable.

Yakitori
Being embarassed by pregnancy is sexist.

InionEile

I have seen men and successful women do this in the workplace, avoiding the shitwork by handing it over to minions they see as beneath them

Interesting that successful women and men have the same tendancies!

That tends to be the way professional environments work although your emotive language is a little telling. I think 'junior colleague' is the usual term though. I'd bloody love a minion!

tendencies

I have used something like this so the 'fetcher' (you) can find out a little about them personally, asking 'illegal' questions etc. For example, when a job involves a lot of travel, I've had my chatty PA ask questions like 'Do you have children? Won't it be hard to leave them?...'

That's terrible. MN is so depressing sometimes.

I wasn't involved in interviewing my maternity cover so I don't find that in itself strange.

I would however find it very strange if I turned up at a company to interview for a maternity cover placement, to find they were using the pregnant member of staff as the interview collection service

If you're aggrieved at the physical aspects of what he asked should you still be working?

Are you picking up on something not there? Do you think you're reading into what's happening?

Or do you think he's a bit sexist? I do not agree with work based sexism but I also don't think less than a month from ML is the right time to create issues at work.

I wouldn't expect to look for my replacement.

I'm glad it isn't just me who thinks it makes sense to have the incumbent on the interview panel. Obviously it depends on why they're leaving but generally they know their job better than anyone else.

They're interviewing for my replacement at the moment and I could have been a great help in reviewing CVs and interviews. Meh.

brokenbiscuit

That's terrible. MN is so depressing sometimes.

Why? It's better to employ the right person. Employing the wrong person makes everyone unhappy. I was equally likely to have men as well as women asked those questions in case that was your issue.

In that industry (forensic analysis of databases), whether it depresses you or not, we wanted 'alpha' type people, highly skilled workaholics under ~45 years old.

Do you really believe that pertinent information like the family life of an interviewee should be hidden until they're employed?

Wow thank you everyone for your replies. I was especially touched by Jimmers typing up out there in the cold awaiting a bus. I really appreciate it!

StealthPolarBear I was never asked to be on the panel, but I myself was interviewed by the then-post-holder when applying for the role, and the precedent for recruiting maternity cover in the team has so far been for the manager and post holder to interview. So I was upset upon finding out I've been excluded. I asked my manager as to his reasoning, he said he and my colleague were the ones to work with the new recruit so they should be decision makers and also that he "did not want to put any stress on me" or something along those lines. I bit my tongue and got over it, fast forward 6 weeks and I find out I am to do the fetching and photocopying.
*
ZoeTurtle* I'm sorry you're experiencing this also... It's not a nice feeling!

The overall vibe I'm getting from your replies is that the interviewing issue depends on an organisation and its standard recruitment practise. Like I said above responding to PolarBear, from what I observed the person occupying any post more senior than a very basic entry level would be involved in interviewing their replacement, and it has certainly been the precedent in my team.

Some of you saying that I'm reading too much into it - I do hope so. I would prefer for this to be "in my head" rather than an actual issue I'd need to worry about on maternity.

Overall I reckon my manager knows I'm delivering good work but for whatever reason he just doesn't like me. I've never done anything to the guy, always say good morning and occasionally attempt a little convo but it just never really "clicks." I don't mind, I am okay with the fact that not everyone has to love me but what he is doing is just unprofessional.

ItsNiceItsDifferent... Thank you! Your post made me smile, because I thought I was the last person on earth to think along these lines.

To people saying whether I "can't walk" - yes I can, but I prefer not to if I can avoid it as it has now become a bit of a strain. I am trying to work as long as I can due to being the higher earner in our household.

I would have personally never appointed a heavily pregnant lady to perform the fetching duty just out of concern for the fellow human being, even if I absolutely hated her. I would have found it just morally incorrect and even a tad cruel, but I don't even want to go there as I think my personal sensibilities are not widely reflected in today's society.

Do you really believe that pertinent information like the family life of an interviewee should be hidden until they're employed?

The law does! Which you know, which is why you get your PA to ask them.

When someone catches you out, you'll still be in a lot of trouble for asking those questions. You think you're clever getting someone else to ask, this is a known tactic and will not be entertained when you are brought up for it.

Expand on "brought up on it" as it's entirely unprovable.

I think YABU to call asking a pregnant person to walk to the front desk to collect something ''cruel''. You're pregnant, you're not dying. I understand its a strain - simply explain this but don't call it ''cruel''.

Expand on "brought up on it" as it's entirely unprovable

It isn't. All they have to do is tell a tribunal that your PA was asking illegal questions on the way into the interview. Your PA was acting as your agent in your building, its obvious. People have been caught doing this before.

ThatGingerOne yeah that's why I said I didn't want to go there. I am aware I'm more sensitive about such things than most.