Irritating work situation

[PassportPanicFuuuck]

Pretty minor in the scheme of things, but this sort of thing seems to happen quite often.

I don't want to be too specific in case anyone recognises the situation, but basically there is a weekly event and I wanted some of my clients to be involved. Over a week ago I emailed the two people who were likely to be organising this and was told that Person A was going to be in (sole) charge this week. Person B also received this email, so knew this as well. Once I had been told this, I only communicated with Person A so as not to clog up Person B's inbox as they are brand new to the job and so assimilating a lot of information.

This morning I received an email from Person B telling me off because my clients had shown up expecting to be involved and she had already organised other people to take part. She said I should have contacted her earlier about it.

I wrote back, reminding her of the history of the situation. I've received no apology and can't help wondering 1) Why similar things keep happening to me when I feel I've been well organised; 2) Why she feels like she can speak to me like that when she's only been in the job five minutes and I have done various things to help her settle in (not my responsibility, but she asked for my help).

I have not imagined that I communicated everything the organiser (Person A) needed to know in a timely fashion. There was no reason for me to think Person B would also be involved when I'd been categorically told it was Person A's job, and no-one asked me to copy in Person B.

Am I doing something wrong that's obvious to everyone except me?

Assuming I didn't have clients would have made no sense - the only reason for making the enquiry in the first place was to see whether my clients could take part. I think B just forgot.

Well I was reading this initially thinking you may be unreasonable but now I understand you work in education and YANBU.

Schools are just full of egos and micromanagers so your new HOD sounds like they are guilty of this. Especially HOD v SLT. Goodness me.

I’ve never known such workplace ridiculous politics until I worked in a school.

In the future, I’d just copy your HOD into everything and if they feel inclined to step in, they can.

Was it something like the pupils would present or perform that they’d prepared for, or
that they’d join in as audience for?

Thanks for reconsidering!

Yeah, I think I will next time (copy HoD into everything). But it was genuinely a considered decision; the new HoD was in her first week of the job and seemed overwhelmed (from what she said directly to me), plus she had been telling me she hadn't been given most of the information she needed. So I was trying not to add to her overwhelm, but I didn't just leave her out unilaterally as she was copied into the original email in which I asked who was organising the event. Only after I'd been told categorically that it was A did I stop including her.

It's the joy of working with Heads of Music when SLT decide they want kids to perform at assembly and a peri wants their kids to have a chance. No space for the kids that play guitar when the choir want time out of form and lesson 1 (or vice versa for beginner violinists compared to senior brass ensemble/whatever the HoD's particular instrument is or the popular music ones compared to worship music, etc, etc).

If nothing else, remind yourself that the HoD is the one who signs off your invoices or confirms that you're needed for the next term, not the Assistant Head who just wants bodies on the stage to avoid having to speak for longer about ties, skirt length or acceptable standards of behaviour when on the bus.

You sound extremely hard work. Of course you should keep your line manager in the loop especially since you are external. There will be dozens of conversations happening without you. You seem fixated on one conversation as if nothing should ever change again after that. You need to be more flexible and communicative and keep everyone relevant in on your work.

Indeed. If the two senior, full-time, internal people can't manage to communicate with each other than I (the lowly part-time, freelancer) will just have to basically do it for them. It's pathetic, really. The previous HoD who I was quite friendly with complained many times about this SLT chap (Person A) who kept basically stomping all over everything with his size 11s without conferring with her (to the extent of scheduling concerts on days she wasn't even supposed to be in school) and fucking it all up.

I am not "extremely hard work". I have been extremely helpful to this new HoD - above and beyond my role - and was actively trying to create less work for her. Also it wasn't one conversation - I sent the person organising the event three update emails after the initial conversation. I can't be flexible when it's a case of children having this sole opportunity to perform before their exams, and I did keep everyone I was told was relevant informed.

Just state your case and move on OP. Tell B they weren't in charge so you didnt bombard them - ask if they would like cc'ing next time. In a week's time you'll all be thinking about other shite at work.

Yes, exactly what I've done / will do.

Not resentful at all, no. I didn't apply for her job. I mentioned her being new (and I mean she'd been there for literally days) just to say I was mindful of not contributing to overload of information.