Colleagues moaning to new manager about me

[user53234455]

New manager started last week and has been having one to ones will all staff. I was the last one in my department to have mine. My new manager told me that all staff had commented on the hours that I work because I only do half days, moaned that I don’t work any weekend shifts and moaned because I don’t work any extra hours and they all do.
Feel upset that they all did that, I didn’t realise one to ones was a chance to moan about colleagues I thought it was a chance to discuss career progression.

''My new manager told me that all staff had commented on the hours that I work because I only do half days, moaned that I don’t work any weekend shifts and moaned because I don’t work any extra hours and they all do.''

Phone ACAS. It used to be the case that overtime was not compulsory, because people claiming tax credits can't work overtime as it affects their claim; and you may need to talk to HR to nip this in the bud.

If weekend working is required then they need weekend staff. Or staff on contracts that require weekend working.

just because FT staff do extra doesn’t mean PT’ers should join the race to the bottom. Rather than complaining that the PT’er isn’t as put upon as them they should be asking the new manager what they’re going to do about the lack of staff.

Speak to HR or your manager’s manager.

Say ‘I was told in my 121 that ….. first, I think it was highly unprofessional of new manager to tell me what was said in other people’s 121s. It is not conducive to workplace cohesion or morale (mine or my colleagues). Secondly, I am now very concerned my colleagues don’t think I am pulling own weight and yet I am working the hours/shifts in my contract and nobody in management has raised an issue with my performance in the past. Do you or new manager think there is a new issue?’

Then start looking for a new job.

I think this type of moaning is common where one or two members of staff have been given contracted hours and all other staff are on a flexible rota. The manager cannot change it legally so then puts pressure on the employee to volunteer for extra hours, shifts, change in rota, usually trying to make them feel uncomfortable or implying they are not a team player. Could this be happening with you OP?

For example I have witnessed it in the health care sector where staff are employed on 12 hour rotas, and social care where they have to be flexible and cover all shifts including weekends. There have been a few staff who were given fixed hours at some point and will not or cannot deviate from those hours. Colleagues constantly complain and managers put pressure on the employee to be more flexible but I've heard the employee say if they agree to be flexible then the manager will deem this as a change of contract. Catch 22 for the employee.

Your manager should not be entertaining those sort of complaints, she should be nipping it in the bud. However It is also common for the manager to be frustrated because it makes their rota more difficult to manage. A retail manager told me that she would rather not have fixed hours part time staff as she had to work her rotas around those employees and it always caused bad feeling. I'm sure it happens in other sectors.

Why don't you work the same shift as them? Maybe the do have something to complain about if by you doing half days and no weekends you are less productive and they have to do overtime - why don't you do extra hours? If you are the only one not doing them it does seem like you have preferential treatment and maybe your colleagues are wondering why if their working life is made harder by having you employed on the contract that you are?

Do you have a part time contract? If so then your manager should have had your back.

Surely you have a part time contract which excludes weekends? Yet your pay would reflect this - I'd be going to HR too

New manager not someone who can keep conversations confidential, or is trying to harass you into working more hours. Does seem worth referring to HR.

People are weird op , I remember when my 2 dc were quite young I worked for a big company full time, but never did any overtime when offered simply because I had 2 young dc and dh worked shifts . Colleagues would pass comment that I didn’t do overtime ( I’m not sure what they expected me to do with dc ) . I’ve no idea why it had no impact on them in fact the less overtime I did more for then and they always willingly did overtime. I think that’s why I’ve always worked my arse off feel like people will pass comment , shit really. Op you don’t say that you are doing contracted shifts so if that’s the case I’m not sure why your manager didn’t shut them down . I’d have said but that’s my contacted hours so if you need someone else you hire someone else .

I look forward to reading about your new manager's dismissal. Or, given the state of things, her rapid promotion to Senior HR and Data Protection Manager. Dreadful behaviour.

It's not surprising that colleagues aren't particularly happy about someone who doesn't take their share of weekend shifts, but if that's what's agreed, it's nothing to do with them. That doesn't change them finding it unfair though.

Manager should be telling them that's how it is and what's agreed amd supporting your flexible working rather than passing the comments to you as a problem though.

I can well believe this. A few years ago I started a new job managing a large team. All women, lots of part timers including several people who had 'better' working patterns than others as they had negotiated them on return from mat leave....some of their babies were now at Uni or had babies themselves. I did 121s with everyone and there was a lot of grumbling about other people not pulling their weight/being team players. Noone named names but I worked out fairly quickly who it was, and tbh it was mostly the part timers. Not so much for just working their contracted hours as most people did that, but refusal to swap their days / shifts when we had staffing issues. So the full timers always bore the brunt of sickness / holidays etc as they were there day in day out on the days where we were unexpectedly short staffed. Funnily enough the part timers with young children, incl 2 single mums were the most flexible to help out where they could because they appreciated the flexibility we gave them. It was the people who had been there years with no caring responsibilities who used to say sorry no I don't work Fridays, or no I finish at 4 or whatever. But they expected full flexibility back when they wanted to swap a day or come in late / finish early. It was infuriating but not a lot I could do about it.

You can equally get full timers with the same attitude it's just there is less opportunity for them to exercise it - you can't say 'sorry I don't work Fridays when you do, and you can't say sorry I can't stay til 5 when you are contracted to!'

Since when is it your responsibility to solve your colleagues’ issues? If management have messed up rotas and rosters in the past, that’s on them. You could have another part time job for all they know!

Did you ask your manager how they responded to your colleagues moaning about you?

That'll tell you what kind of manage they'll be.

If they said "I told them that you are on a part time contract and are doing all that is required of you" - then they have your back. If not, you may have to tread carefully.

I'm sorry OP, us part-timer workers often get a raw deal in terms of attitudes of colleagues (or managers) towards us.

Even when I worked full time I never understood people who moaned about part-timers?

My experience in many jobs is that employers respect part time hours and those people are never asked to do overtime or change their days to suit the business, whereas full-timers are expected to come in early, stay late and work overtime.

Of course you can refuse but in reality you just end up pushed around and bullied to do it anyway.

That's just my experience from working full-time in retail for a decade. I left, lol.

People do like to moan. I used to do a job 9:30-330. I negotiated it to fit in school hours. Accepted minimum wage as by the time I pay childcare for a better paid one I'd be worse off.

Lots of moaning about me sauntering in at 9:15 and grabbing a coffee. I made a point of point of saying that I was running early but it didn't work. I took to sitting in my car till 3 minutes befores I had to clock in. Found a new job too.

How unprofessional

But absolutely none of that is OP's problem.

I have a manager like this. Fond of ‘discussing’ colleagues performance with others. Half the team have left and the other half have a foot out the door. Someone who thinks this is an appropriate way to manage people isn’t going to change unfortunately.

There's nothing to say OP isn't taking her "share" of weekend shifts - if she's not contracted to work weekends then she's just doing her hours? Not her problem.

I've negotiated my contract and hours for childcare purposes & permanently WFH on certain days. If other colleagues want to moan about that then frankly I don't care as it's not like I'm not "pulling my weight" - I am literally doing what I'm paid to do as per the terms of my contract.

Your manager is a shit stirring piece of shit!
she had NO right to tell you what others have said. She had no reason to tell you except to wind you up & cause problems.

Jesus wept!

Part timers work part time for a reason. They often don't have, or don't want, any flexibility outside their contracted hours. So OP doesn't have "a fair share" of weekend shifts. FFS.

And this new manager needs a shit across their bows. They need to learn management skills, not putting colleagues against each other.

I agree with this. I work in a team where the majority are term time or have arrangements to take summers off via annual/unpaid leave, and that's respected, but the full timers work unpaid overtime all the time as there's too much work in the team. It's a management issue, of course, but it's human nature to be resentful.