To be annoyed about work while on mat leave?

[ethelfleda]

I am currently on mat leave and due back in a few months.
Have worked at my company for nearly ten years. Over that time I have proven my worth on several occasions. Sorted out other (male and more senior staff members) huge backlogs that were costing the company in excess of £100k
Had an article on the topic of our business published in a local magazine
Ran our department on more than one occasion when management allowed too many staff members off in one month (while other, male and senior members of staff didn't lift a finger to help)
Am the only one that can sit in any seat and cover any job, and who is willing to do so.... plus much much more including increasing profitability and running top accounts etc
In that time, I have watched male colleagues have management level jobs created especially for them
Have seen male members of staff (who are pretty much useless) get selected for special projects etc
Witnessed male staff members get away with sloppy work, not invoicing clients for 2 years worth of work, abuse of email etc etc

We had a new MD start just over a year ago who professed himself to be a feminist and couldn't understand why some of the females even still work there after the way we have been treated. Also, his policy was that we weren't to have people who were classed as managers and that we were all on the same level with only the MD above us and so everyone reports to him. Fine.

I now find out that a management position has been created in my department for a male that was only employed within the last few months! Am I right to be annoyed? I feel as though I have proven my worth time and time again only to be constantly overlooked. I understand I am on mat leave etc but surely this shouldn't count against me? I have been told so many times by the MD and by others even higher up in the company what an asset I am and how pleased they are with my work so why am I being forgotten?

Can anyone offer any advice please?

Why would they bother to promote you when you already do all this fantastic stuff in your current level.

Sad but seems true.

I always was a believer that you prove your worth before a promotion... Not that you refuse to work to your best until they promote you? Hard work should get rewarded, surely?

You could ask for a meeting with your boss before you go back and discuss this? Certainly think hard about whether you want to go back there or whether you should start looking around.

I thought that for about 10 years
The 3rd time they brought in a guy over my head I went straight on to a recruiter and got a new position with a 25% increase
They begged me to stay but I refused

Make a complaint then. The new role should have been advertised and you should have been made aware of any opportunities for promotion even if you are on Maternity.

Also make it clear you want to be promoted to the MD. I think overall men are much more likely to ‘request’ a promotion than women and sadly this seems to mean a lot of women are overlooked.

It should in an ideal world. Clearly it in your place. I've seen this happen many times. You need to request a meeting for sure.

Are you bosses aware of your aspirations? You need to have an open conversation about what you want.

You need to ask for a meeting and ask why you weren’t informed of a New mgt position and asked to apply.

If there are good reasons for it (no idea) then at least it flags that you’re a direct communicator and have ambitions that should be considered.

I was on maternity leave and unbeknownst to me they advertised my job, split it up and gave it to two men... join some kind of union, or failing that get legal advice and possibly a lawyer.
You are ignored because you don’t play golf with them ? Don’t ingratiate yourself as others do and mainly YOU ARE ON MATERNITY LEAVE.
It was the deathnell of my career

In theory I didn't think you could be discriminated against for being on mat leave. In practice it seems commonplace.

I will definitely request a meeting.

And in my experience, men like working with men, no matter how nice you are. Even jealous fellow females can be a problem !
Get serious legal advice, and be prepared to take them with you when you return to work, if necessary

In theory. However I and many hundreds of others are the exception.

I’m not exaggerating. I am unable to provide too many specific details, but although in a management position, I had joined a union years earlier at the instigati9nnof a fellow make manager, who felt the company didn’t really care about any of us..

Sorry, instigation of a fellow male manager

Jeez... It's 2018 and we still have such a long way to go.

It's absolutely shit, don't get me wrong. And Hownow's point rings true.

In your position now I would be looking for another job - sounds like you could do a great job elsewhere.

However, what you should have done is, the first time you were overlooked, is to ask why, make it clear you're in the market for a promotion, and ask what you need to do to get there. Make your intentions clear, make it (subtly) clear you're not someone that takes any bullshit.

None of this needs to be phrased negatively, or in a complaining way - just stating the facts, showing your enthusiasm. Be confident, be assertive - you can be damn sure the men getting these promotions are.

You could still try this, but as I say, it sounds like you could do far better.

As soon as I announced my pregnancy it was like I was invisible in my office, regardless of the fact I had single handedly run a whole team by myself when half the workforce were sick or out visiting clients. They also sailed very close to the wind by not offering me the same pay rise as everyone else in the office, but covered themselves by offering the minimum ‘cost of living’. I was fuming but unfortunately couldn’t really do anything as I was soon to be off for months! Luckily for me when I did leave a lot of things were not done and they realised how much I did for them. New management have made up for their errors now and bought my salary up to the same level it should have been, and I have since had another mat leave. I feel we are a long, long way from equal opportunities/salaries in the workplace unfortunately.

Posted too soon... I would definitely bring this up with your line manager, HR or the M.D. depending on the size and organisation of the company. I am suprised you were not offered the opportunity to even apply for the role. Make it known you are unhappy! Unless you are planning on requesting flexible working upon your return? I would be careful of stirring anything in this case.

I used to work for a company where the three male members of the management team were on a higher grade and hence pay level than the two female members (me and another lady). It was a joke. Two of the three males were absolute chocolate teapots. Needless to say, I didn’t go back after maternity leave and have since retrained in another field.

This same company also paid bonuses in the form of shares, which were held for a minimum number of years before you could cash them in. I’d left by the time this number of years came around and hence lost out on 1000s, which, ironically, was a thank you for money I had saved the company.

Note this is a large household name which prides itself on family friendly policies and equality. I’m only going to work for myself in the future.