So, for context, I started at the same level as another female colleague at the same time last year. Since this time, our careers have taken slightly different paths in the team, but both started from scratch as this was a new industry with very few trained in the field.
My colleague has been taking a research role and I have been taking a 50% split between an analyst role and a pm role. I’ve made it very clear during meetings that I would like to steer my role away from pming if possible. I never signed up to be a pm but understand in a small company, someone has to do it.
A fellow colleague left last month, his role was solely pm and again I made it clear, I was happy to proceed with my 50% pm role for the time being but did not want to take on 100%. This was all agreed, but I was given his clients and have done pretty much nothing but pm work this month.
The other female colleague, we’ll call her Jane has been in a relationship the md for about 9 months - the relationship has been tumultuous to say the least which has really effected the team. She is very controlling of women near her man and at one point displayed a seething attack towards myself for having a laugh with her man (for context, I’m ten years married, two kids and very happy) she has been under a number of disciplinaries by the other two directors for poor behaviour often related to her relationship with the md.
Recently, she handed in her notice (for the 4th time, she keeps rescinding) and started being rude and basically isolated herself from the team, choosing to work by herself in the meeting room rather than the office.
Upon learning this news, I took my director (not her partner) for a chat and expressed that if at all possible, I would like to take on some of her work and take away my pm work, again expressing that whilst I am completely competent and pm work it’s not my ideal, and with them having to rehire it seems logical I express my desires, my md agreed that it would be a great fit for me and he had been thinking a similar thing.
Fast forward, Jane has once again rescinded her resignation but claimed she was stressed by the work load, meaning she is now limited to two projects a month meaning they need to hire a new researcher to pick up the other work.
I then was called into a meeting yesterday with the md and my director where my md said “we are going to keep your role the same, your doing amazing blah blah butter me up” (he has the gift of the gab) and we will hire a researcher.
Having already had all but sign off from my director that I would be great for the role I was surprised by this decision. I made it clear I would digest this and consider my next steps, at which point they realised I was fed up with this merry go round and ready to leave.
I then get pulled into the kitchen later, solely with my md - who shut the door and started whispering tht if I wanted to research role I’d have to take a pay cut (knowing full well Jane is on the same wage as me) this feels like a manipulative tactic to make sure I stay in my place and I have a feeling Jane is the driving force behind me being refused the role, although I can’t prove this of course.
Do you think I am being manipulated?