To take the promotion?

[autumnalrain]

Background: From mid December 2019 I was hired as a Maternity Cover in a Publishing role. This was my first full-time work in Publishing, but I had done up to a year of relevant Freelance work prior to that. During that freelance work, I also took industry-recognised courses to accelerate my understanding and desirability to employers/clients. The woman on maternity leave had worked for the Company for 3 years prior to her leave. From my understanding she hasn't taken any of the additional courses and she hasn’t worked in Publishing prior to this role as she changed careers. So technically she is more experienced based on years in this position and familiarity of the Company’s way of doing things, but not necessarily more competent in this skillbase if that makes sense?

Current Situation: The role officially ended 29th January 2021. But three week prior to that I was informed that a new role was being advertised. This role is basically a level above the maternity cover I was doing. The two roles have to work together for various tasks and the new role pays slightly more (we’re talking £3-4k) and has more responsibilities. However the new role is not ‘senior’ to the maternity role per-se because both roles still have to report to the same manager.

The role did specify that it required 2 years experience in a similar position but my colleague still encouraged me to apply because I had 13 months experience, 12 months freelance experience, and additional certificates/qualifications. I tailored my CV and spent days coming up with the perfect cover letter. I didn’t take this lightly because I knew it was being offered to both internal and external candidates. I got an interview, and again I put my heart and soul into it. I’m over the moon that on Thursday I was offered the position.

Dilemma: Anyway, yesterday (friday) I received an email from my work saying that the woman I covered maternity for is disappointed she didn't get the role (I didn't know for sure that she applied but assumed she would) and is disputing it with HR. The HR manager has asked me if I would be willing to agree to a job share. So basically we would share the responsibility of both the maternity role and the new role.

AIBU to not want to share the new role with her? I want to make it clear that I have no issues with her as a person (she's been pleasant from the brief times I have met her). I also empathise that being turned down for a job is not a nice experience. However, I was offered the job based on my application, and went through the (tedious) motions of the process as did all the external candidates so it's not like I got any privileges. I got the job fair and square based on my suitability. I feel like she has guilted them into asking me to a job share. The hiring manager has said it's completely up to me which if I’m honest I find annoying. Because now the blood is on my hands if I say no and because we will have to work together it might be awkward.

So WWYD? Would you accept the job share to keep the peace? Or stand your ground and take the original offer?

I’ve been the disappointed party in this situation and it was quite difficult when the successful candidate, who was a colleague, and I had to work together again with her in charge.

She went on to do a lot more professional development and is now in the highest position in the whole (large) section of that workplace. She was, quite simply, more dedicated to her career than I was. As are you in this case.

Congratulations. As an aside, from my own experience, I would advise that you have a very brief and to the point conversation about this when you get the chance. Along the lines of, I hope there are no hard feelings and I’m really looking forward to working with you. My colleague never said a word and that was awkward.

YANBU

If you the company followed all the right processes and you just did better at interview then they shouldn’t be trying to appease the woman at your expense.

Even if they didn’t act correctly, it’s not your fault so you shouldn’t be disadvantaged as a result.

YANBU, stand your ground

Did she interview for the job and not get it?

Or is she alleging maternity discrimination as she was not given the opportunity to apply for the job?

Not sure why they are suggesting a job share if she applied for the job and was unsuccessful.

This is terrible management on their part. They are probably worried about being accused of discriminating against someone who's been on maternity leave, but they should have used the same interview questions and a transparent scoring system so they could show the process was fair to all candidates. I agree with others that you run the risk of getting half the pay rise and all the grunt work if you agree to this. They definitely would not have asked a man to consider this.

I wouldn’t. You got the job fair and square, if you shared it she would see herself as being above you as she has more time experience and would possible see it as management doing anything to keep her sweet..... so she could take the piss. Palming the difficult or boring jobs off to you claiming you must be the expert as you were offered it originally. Burdening you with extra workload because she thinks she can get away with anything.

She tried to take your job from you, the blood isn’t on your hands. She didn’t care about the upset if they had turned around and revoked your offer and given it to you. As a result I would remember she’s a colleague not a friend, and she remember she’s sly, keep good records.

I made a lot of mistakes in my previous post. It’s Saturday, my brain isn’t working!
Possible=possibly
Given it to you=given it to her

Leaving aside the ethics of them even posing this question, I would want to know what happens if you say no, and how they envisage this working in practice in terms of delineating responsibilities from each role and managing workloads. As others have said, I can imagine a scenario where she cherry picks the bits she wants from each role and does them and nothing more, particularly if she is managing her hours around childcare. You would then be left to do all the shit bits and probably be blamed if work didn't get done.

However, I don't know how you come back from this. How big is the company? How professional have they been aside from this? Mind you, if it's likely you might end up leaving anyway given their behaviour it's better to do so having done the higher role for a while, surely?

Awful awful spineless management which speaks volumes for this organisation...if it were me I'd say no bloody way, it's do the new role for 9 months then start job hunting because long term this company is bad news of this is handle stuff

I didn't realise that if you were disappointed about not getting a job you could just insist that the person who did get the job shares it with you. This is a game changer.

No way, I wouldn’t entertain it at all. It’s not your fault that you did a better application and interview. We all have to deal with disappointment at some point, she really needs to grow up. As others have said then l bet if you were male then you might not have even been asked. Like @StrawBeretMoose said it is like you need to share a bag of sweets and “be nice”. It’s incredibly cringey and l would be raging

@PuppyMonkey who knew! I thought you sucked it up, learnt from it and upped your game next time. But what do l know

Agree with all the PPs who have said this is shitty management. Appalling of them to pass this back on you, if they genuinely felt she deserved more money after the interview, there's nothing stopping them from offering her a pay rise independent to you getting the job! Doesn't bode well if they're already expecting you to fix this kind of issue for them.

Absolutely not, and I'm shocked the company are entertaining this.
I think you need to stand firm and say no. Another point is if she coming back full time, or reducing hours expecting to do half the new job and you pick up everything else.

Take the job you put all the hard work into interviewing for and getting! Bloody well done to you, congratulations.

This is such a shitty position they have put you in, really shouldn’t have done that.

Totally agree with PP, a man wouldn’t think twice. You are doing nothing wrong in taking the job, would she have shared it with you had she been the successful candidate? I assume not.

In another job market (I mean one were opportunities are not scare), I'd say turn down the job. The other woman is one problem. The main one is you're joining a firm with weak management.

@PuppyMonkey

I didn't realise that if you were disappointed about not getting a job you could just insist that the person who did get the job shares it with you. This is a game changer.

yes, now thinking about all the jobs I could've had over the years, if only I'd known!

Get everything in writing!

This is mad. Utterly mad.

But... you may actually benefit from working as a team and it could help you in your prof development.

I’d say absolutely take the original offer. However, I’m wondering if she has made some claim that your new job is just a modified version of her role and she is being discriminated against in terms of not returning to her role and is on less money than she should be - I’m no HR expert but there are rules about not discriminating against you because you were on mat leave. Alternatively, she feels the interview was weighted against someone who had been on mat leave though I find that less likely. HR often cock up in my experience, with apologies to all exceptions on here, and maybe they didn’t think the new role through sufficiently and didn’t realise it could arguably be just a rewrite of the original post holder.
If it is, or is not a cover up for HR failure or feeling it’s easier just to give in, how they are treating you is just wrong - it’s not for you to give up an offered role or help them out, and certainly not to be involved in whatever they decide they need to do.
You’ve got good advice on asking for clarification around a refusal so I’d follow it.
Ref your other point I worked very happily alongside someone who got a temp promotion I hoped for - I contacted them to congratulate ASAP as I knew she may feel awkward but it’s all been totally fine - as it should be between 2 adults in a workplace anyway. The lady you are covering for may be absolutely fine and just following up what she sees as discrimination without any hard feelings to you at all. Years ago a temp covered my role and kept it - and I was just told there wasn’t a job for me - no real mat leave or comeback- so it’s good there’s room to challenge now. If she does have a gripe it’s more likely to be with the company but it may be wise to keep detailed records of work etc - always have things on mail or saved somewhere- don’t rely on conversations but confirm in writing.
Congratulations on doing so well and I hope it works out.

Do we know for sure that this woman is behind the job share? Or is this a “genius” idea HR have dreamt up?

No to the job share. You earned that role fair and square and you don’t deserve to have someone stamping their feet trying to take it from you.

I'd bet that they have made an error in their recruitment process - either not informing the lady on mat leave about the post, or some element in the process / interview / criteria which may have given her grounds to try & claim discrimination.....however, none of that is anything to do with you or in any way your fault! Accept the post as offered & let them sort out their own mess!!

As to working with the maternity leave colleague, I would be very clear that you felt the actions of HR were irregular and unfair in placing you in a position where you feel uncomfortable. However you are anxious to put these difficulties behind you and hope that this is not going to affect your working relationship.

Definitely tell them no but make sure that HR take responsibility for this and that they don't try to pass the book onto you. When she comes back I would just play dumb and don't even let on that you know what she is talking about if she brings up the subject. Just keep shrugging your shoulders if she mentions anything.

You say this is your first employed posting in the field. Whatever happens I would not be looking to remain in that company beyond the time you need to beef up your CV and gain some corporate experience. I would look to be moving on in a year or so.

Do not agree to this. They're trying to use you to resolve their issue. Stand your ground. As others have said, they wouldn't have asked you this if you were male

Have you told them your decision @autumnalrain? Just wondered how you’d got on.