New job but line manager wont return emails or phone calls. Should I complain to HR?

[user1475002412]

Accepted job offer in Sep. NHS job so a long process with references etc. New line manager said to email her the days/hours I want to work (its a part time role). I did this when HR sent me my contract in October. No response for 2 weeks. She finally emails saying can we have a chat on the phone that day. I email yes & sit by the phone all day. She doesn't ring.

I think fair enough, its the NHS shes busy. Wait to hear from her, nothing. I don't want to appear pushy so I wait a week and ring her. She says she'll ring me back. Wait by the phone all day. She doesn't ring. Three days later she emails saying she appreciates I want to start work at 9 but she wants me to start at 8. I immediately reply asking if this is negotiable as I need to drop my dcs at school. I also query a training course shes booked me which is irrelevant to my role (HR confirmed course not appropriate but up to line manager to agree i dont need to do it).

That was 2 weeks ago. She hasnt bothered to reply. I emailed her yesterday all very polite asking if she could get back to me. No reply.

I am now frantic. If i have to start at 8 i will need to arrange childcare. This takes time & I am due to start training course next week. If i have to do unnecessary course my dh will need to take day off as course is 2 hrs away & he'll have to do school drop offs.

Just tried to ring her, but phone rings out.

I totally get shes busy but come on, a quick phone call or email would take her 10 mins!

If she's this shit now what will she be like to work for?

I'm now wondering if I need to ring HR to see if they will contact her for me.

Get on the phone to HR. This doesn't bode well. I know she's busy but as you're a new starter with outstanding issues to resolve you should really be somewhere quite high up her 'to do' list.
Call HR. And consider always confirming things in writing with her going forward. You wouldn't want to find yourself in a case of she said/she said.

Yes, I'd ring HR to say that you haven't been able to get a response and really need one as soon as they can. You've been waiting a ridiculous amount of time!

I worked in the NHS for over 20 years, and had so many terrible line managers. This looks very familiar to me; I'd involve HR.

I don't want to piss her off before I start, but I'm now losing sleep with the worry of it all.

I imagine HR know what she's like.

I certainly wouldn't complain, but I would call HR and say you've been unable to reach your line manager and need to confirm your working hours/days ASAP due to childcare. Let them make their own conclusions about the manager.

Phone on HR but as Richard says make sure it comes across that you need more information rather than complaining.

Yes - do it through HR but very much take the line that you "have been unable to confirm" with your line manager. I worked for the NHS for far, far too long and, as another poster said, terrible line management is, sadly, not unheard of. Equally sadly, you CANNOT criticise your line manager, or indeed anything. You have to learn how to word things so your meaning is clear but without actually saying anything negative.

I have set myself a deadline of ringing HR tmwr if I dont hear from line manager. Pretty confident it will be silence from her still. HR appear to be crap too, when they emailed me training course details & I queried relevance with them they just said ask line manager. I asked about whether I would get paid for working 36hrs for the training course as I am contracted to work 21 hours & they said its up to line manager. That was their response to all my queries. I think HR just literally process references & thats it.

Sounds crap! I would email rather than ring, then you're not in the "No I didn't say that" situation. Email manager and copy in HR. Be very clear about the answers you require. (Will I get paid for this training course. Please let me know by the end of the day.) Then when you don't hear, email again, "I refer to my previous email and would request an early response" type of thing.

Keep it very, very formal and keep that paper trail! It doesn't bode well, but in the NHS managers come and managers go........

Hi OP. Unfortunately, this is par for the course. I would give HR a call tomorrow definitely. You should definitely get paid for the extra hours. Just ask for an extra hours/overtime form and fill it in and ask LM to process. Is this clinical role or admin?

Thing is in nhs things like time back/extra pay are generally at the discretion of managers. HR are there to do processy stuff and give advice to managers - not to make line management decisions. It's not up to hr to decide relevance of training. If you can arrange childcare for next week then I'd get it organised - don't wait.

Thanks for comments. I will contact HR as still not heard from line manager.