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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Unexpected payrise

40 replies

Ihavealwaysknown · 22/01/2019 23:35

Name change for this one.

I’m a teacher currently on maternity leave and so haven’t really noticed, but went into work recently and there was a letter saying I had passed my performance management so would be moved on to the next scale.

I was off sick for most of my pregnancy and so have done about a month worth of work, and haven’t had a performance management meeting (I hadn’t even set targets!) Do I just pretend I haven’t noticed and see what happens when I go back? Or do I query how I have moved up the pay scale? If I don’t mention it is it likely they will claw back the money if they realise? Even if I have a letter that says I’ve passed and will be moved up a level.

I guess it’s an admin error, DH is saying play oblivious to it! What would you do?!

OP posts:

QueenieInFrance · 23/01/2019 08:13

I would leave it.
You have a letter stating the increase. You are going back partntime so any change will nit be obvious. And yu have had an increase due to inflation anyway.
Let them be disorganised.

sittingonthetallseat · 23/01/2019 08:16

If it is a mistake they will reclaim it as it is public sector money. My public sector employer did this to me (I hadn't realised I had been overpaid as it coincided with a change of role and pay), when I protested I was told ' we do this all the time' (ie they make mistakes all the time and then claw it back).

Is there a rule you automatically go up a scale if you can't be performance reviewed due to being on maternity.

cdtaylornats · 23/01/2019 08:17

It all depends on the rules. I worked in a new plant once and despite the fact we produced nothing we got a bonus because our expected target was zero and we hit it.

sunlighthouse · 23/01/2019 08:18

I'm not a teacher but this has been standard everywhere I've worked. You automatically pass performance review if you're on mat leave or off with pregnancy related sickness.

Only exception is in my previous organisation you wouldn't pass if you were already on poor performance measures before the sickness/mat leave began.

ShutUpPeppa · 23/01/2019 09:49

Are you nearer M1 or M6? Particularly lower down the pay scale rises can be more automatic still in many schools (as it used to be a yearly increase to M6, old habits...). Also if you were on Mat leave and not given targets/ not had them reviewed it’s in your favour. They haven’t followed the process to demonstrate you’ve failed your PM. Imagine if you then went to the governors and stated you were discriminated against by being on Mat leave and not getting PM targets or being able to review, in those circumstances I’d probably just sign you off as passing if you were a half decent teacher and remind myself in the future to better manage PM for staff on Mat leave.

ShutUpPeppa · 23/01/2019 09:52

Teaching is still new to PM, and a world away from the industry concept of it.

Original poster

Ihavealwaysknown · 23/01/2019 17:29

So a mix of advice, leaning towards keeping quiet. My school is a bit of a mess with a new head, whole new board of governors etc but the letter was personally signed by the head (who hadn’t met me at that point) so probably fair to assume it’s just procedure

OP posts:

Mistigri · 26/01/2019 10:49

I'm not a lawyer - it would be interesting to know whether a letter like that, personally signed by the HT, has contractual value - I suspect it does.

sd249 · 26/01/2019 11:34

My friend had the same thing. She spoke to the head who said that what he did is based it on her previous teaching - she passed the previous few years so one would assume that she would have passed if not on Maternity so he had to pass her otherwise it would have been discrimination.

I would check - but a quick e-mail to the Head would probably sort that out quite quickly.

Charmatt · 26/01/2019 11:43

The teachers appraisal procedures state that you cannot e discriminated for maternity leave and illness and are judged for the time you were at work. Based on your performance for the time you were there (No matter how short that time is), if you would have passed your appraisal then that is the conclusion and you are entitled to move up your scale. If there is not enough information to make a judgement then again the assumption is that you would have passed and moved up.

Enjoy your unexpected pay rise!

thegreenlight · 26/01/2019 12:02

Hang on - I was told that as I was on maternity I hadn’t completed 2 full years performance management so would have to wait until next year to get UPS2 (even though it was budgeted before hand) AND have to wait 6 months of being in role before being paid for subject management TRL (and being on SMT). Thought this was off - could someone advise?

TSSDNCOP · 26/01/2019 12:06

You are entitled to pay rises during maternity leave. In the event the school have made a mistake they can claim back the money.

It’s hoghly likely that all is in order, but why don’t you give your line manager, HR or Finance person a quick call? If it’s all ok, the drinks are on you!

TheColourPurple · 26/01/2019 12:45

It's really not a case of having to keep quiet - you have been moved up the pay scale. I don't know how many years you have been in teaching, but it used to be a case of moving up a point each academic year, assuming satisfactory performance. Now, you could be held back for NOT meeting criteria. I'm guessing that as they didn't set you targets, you can cannot be deemed to have not passed them!

kaytee87 · 26/01/2019 12:48

Well they can't fail your performance because you've been off on maternity leave (or any pregnancy related illness), therefore they've assumed that you'd pass and given you the pay rise that everyone else who's passed would get.
I got a 10% performance related bonus when I'd been on maternity leave most of the qualifying year.

Schuyler · 26/01/2019 12:59

I work for a local authority and people who are off sick or on mat leave automatically are considered to have achieved their targets and thus progress up. I queried this multiple times but they were were clear. I was off for 6 months and in the previous 6 months, I had been on track to exceed my targets and therefore get an even bigger increase but as I’d been off, it was automatically put as “achieved”. Swings and roundabouts.

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