Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be furious about this work situation

40 replies

rose789 · 19/05/2019 20:23

I’m going back to work in a few weeks after mat leave. I will be working 30 hours so dropping 7.5 hours. I was so excited to go back as I love my team. It’s a mix of ages and genders but we all get on really well, both in and out of work.
I have a few KIT days next week and my manager called me on Friday for a chat and she told me that I’m being moved to a newly established part time team. She’s furious that I’m being moved but it’s not in her control.
The new manager is someone I don’t really like for a start, she works 24 hours a week. The rest of the team are all women who work part time because they have small children. I’m friends with a few of them on social media and they were posting all excited about being “in the yummy mummy team”
I text one of them about it and she is thrilled because we can all share advice on the kids and get support.
I don’t go to work to talk about my kids, or anyone else’s. There are other staff who work part time- people that are semi retired for example and they have not been put on any special teams.
It seems like they have literally formed a team of people who have returned from maternity leave within the last 2 years.
I’ve mulled this over all weekend and I’m getting more and more angry over it.
AIBU or would this bother you?

OP posts:
comedycentral · 19/05/2019 20:24

Yes it would bother me if I had been moved to that team just because I was now a mother.

WifOfBif · 19/05/2019 20:26

I’d be furious.

CupOhTea · 19/05/2019 20:28

That's bonkers! Why on earth would they do that? I don't understand what the benefit is. Did they explain?

Doyoumind · 19/05/2019 20:29

It sounds discriminatory. Not in a way that you could prove. Is the work of the new team of the same value as your previous team?

katmarie · 19/05/2019 20:29

If the reason they have moved you is solely due to your recent maternity leave then I would be questioning whether they fall foul of equalities legislation. If they would not do the same to a man, in the same role, working the same hours, then they are on very dodgy ground. Also how patronising is a yummy mummies team?!

Jimmers · 19/05/2019 20:38

For starters it’s discriminating against part-time staff to have moved you all into one team. If you’re a member, talk to your union rep. If you’re all women, that’s another discriminatory factor. Wouldn’t be too hard to prove from what you’re saying.

Dieu · 19/05/2019 20:40

Aww man, it sounds like you really enjoyed and appreciated the diversity of your old team.
Talk about pigeon-holing you, now that you're a mum. and the new team sounds really dull
YANBU.

European12345 · 19/05/2019 20:43

How long maternity leave have you taken? And Is anyone else doing the role you were doing before ?

Asking this as the company needs to give you your role back if you return within 26w of maternity leave. However they are not obligued to give you the same one but they could a similar one if you return 26+ which is what at the moment are doing.

Original poster
rose789 · 19/05/2019 20:45

I honestly have no idea what they are thinking. I’ve worked there for 12 years and teams have always been a mixture of males/females, ages, full time/part time. We get moved teams to ensure the experienced staff and new staff are fairly distributed and commercial performance is a factor as it’s a target driven environment so can’t have too many high or low performers on one team.
But this just seems like absolute madness.
I don’t know if it actually IS discrimination but it certainly feels it.

OP posts:
araiwa · 19/05/2019 20:46

Having all the part timers on one team probably makes it easier to manage

60secondfacetimer · 19/05/2019 20:46

Give it a go on your kit days before you start kicking off. You might be surprised and find you like this team just as much.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 19/05/2019 20:51

Fucking hell! I would hate this. I’d want an explanation for it in business terms and also what was being done to counteract the lack of diversity in this new team. Are there no part time male staff?

SteelRiver · 19/05/2019 20:53

Sounds like exactly the kind of thing my last employer would do. They had different teams for everything. I'm not surprised you're annoyed, but I don't think you'd have a leg to stand on with a complaint. Im guessing you're doing the same job, albeit it for less hours? I guess nobody in the workplace has any say on what team they're put with either?

SavingSpaces2019 · 19/05/2019 20:58

The rest of the team are all women who work part time because they have small children. I’m friends with a few of them on social media and they were posting all excited about being “in the yummy mummy team”
Sounds like it's the women themselves who are labeling this team.....

Chewbecca · 19/05/2019 21:04

That sounds ghastly and a recipe for disaster.

SluggishSnail · 19/05/2019 21:05

What sort of work is it?

IronManisnotDead · 19/05/2019 21:06

Oh fgs you have a job so what your problem? Hmm

hidinginthenightgarden · 19/05/2019 21:10

How are they going to deal with the fact that in the near future, alot of the team are going to be requesting the same holidays for their school age children?
Odd business decision.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 19/05/2019 21:10

Oh fgs you have a job so what your problem?

Oh do bore off. People are entitled to raise concerns they have in work. We don’t have to bow and scrape and be glad to avoid the workhouse. Hmm

hidinginthenightgarden · 19/05/2019 21:11

Iron I think her problem is very clearly stated in the OP.
What is your problem?

VanillaCoconutDove · 19/05/2019 21:13

I’m wondering if that’s exactly why they’ve done it hiding, that this newly formed team won’t be given lucrative or essential work, and then there won’t be too much of an issue if ‘another Mum phones in sick for her kids again’ attitude.

Is your pay commission/bonus based?

Acis · 19/05/2019 21:17

Is this going to affect your ability to meet targets and earn bonuses or salary increases. If so, you have a good argument that it is discriminatory.

RoomR0613 · 19/05/2019 21:20

How long has your maternity leave been?

Original poster
rose789 · 19/05/2019 21:23

I work in a call centre doing inbound sales so all staff do the same job regardless of which team they are on.
Holiday allocation is as a department rather then by team, but that’s a very good thought.
Presumably everyone will be doing different hours and the manager works 24 hours herself so I assume we will be like ships in the night.
I have my first KIT day tomorrow so I shall see what occurs and if they give any credible reasons why this has been done.

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
Original poster
rose789 · 19/05/2019 21:25

I’ve taken the full 12 months maternity as I had to leave at 6.5 months pregnant due to complications.

OP posts: