AIBU to feel frustrated about manager's repeated maternity leave?

[ShesPregnantAgain]

My manager, let's call her Betty, has just announced her fifth pregnancy. I've enthusiastically congratulated her but I'm actually pissed off. She's barely been at work for the past 7 years. She gets pregnant, that makes her ill so she's off for most of her pregnancy, then 9 months on maternity leave, comes back and a few months later does it all again.

The job she used to do doesn't really exist any more. The company's moved on: all the people, systems and expectations are different. They get in maternity cover for her every time so someone gets trained up, actually does a good job, does a handover when she comes back and then leaves. It's so disruptive.

I know the company can't fire her for pregnancy-related sickness or for taking maternity leave per her statutory rights. They can't even performance manage her because she's never here long enough, or appoint one of her covers to do the job permanently. None of us can work for promotion to her level because that would discriminate against her. Her manager does promote people out sideways and upwards but she's just there, filling the role without actually doing anything. We all just get on without her.

I know that women, me included, benefit from these protections because of the crap women suffered in the past. I just think she's taking the piss.

Why does she need cover if the job doesn't exist any more? And why would they want to make the cover permanent?

The cover person line manages us as a team and implements the new systems to keep us up to date with industry standards. Their roles are always specced to look after slightly different people or to focus on different things that the company actually needs.

It's hard to explain but she comes back and uses the new systems to do things like she's always done them, which no one wants or needs any more.

You can make people redundant whilst on maternity leave. You just can't make them redundant due to the maternity leave

Unfortunately as you say there's nothing much you can do about it but yanbu at all to be annoyed and frustrated by it.

I understand it’s frustrating, but she’s not doing anything wrong. Do you think she’s getting pregnant just to stay away from work?

I worked with someone who did this too. And yes, five times. It might have been more but I left. She was barely ever there. And everyone knew that once she was back at work it really was not long before she would be off again.

From what I understand, you can make them redundant but you have to offer them a similar role if there's one available, which there is because it's what her covers do. So she would just take that and do the same thing.

Its kind of wild... so 4 children in 7 years is she just not paying for childcare?
We pay almost 4k pm for 2!?!?!

I worked in big tech which is v generous on mat leave and sick pay but even then youd have large swathes of unpaid months.

Given how annoying you find it im amazed you havent changed jobs on the last seven years.... shes.manged to grow and birth 4 kids you cpuld def have tarted up your cv and browsed linkedin

I barely know her but maybe? She'd accrued so much annual leave after her third pregnancy that she only came back for 2 weeks before getting signed off again. I don't understand why she wouldn't just quit though if she hated her job so much.

So why isn't she doing that role when she returns?

Why is she being allowed to do a redundant role?

No one would say this about a man having five kids in seven years, and it takes two to tango...

It's a really flexible workplace and the job itself is great. It works for me and my family, just like it works for hers. She doesn't pay for childcare because she works from home for the few weeks she actually works and her older children are at school.

I really doubt the man would be taking 9 months paternity leave each time.

I don't know. The actual role is office based with a lot of travel and she's WFH. Reading between the lines, HR don't want to put her through redundancy while she's ill or on maternity leave/return to work.

@ShesPregnantAgain You are incorrect. It’s a job that’s redundant, not a person. So normally you would offer the person another role but sometimes there isn’t one. Look at ACAS guidance,

I would be saying the same thing if it was a male boss who had worked about 6 months total in 7 years. Men don't get pregnancy-related illness or maternity leave though.

This is why I only employ men or much older women . Obviously I never say that in rl and I’m always careful to not ever give it as a reason but presented with candidates I’ll always pick men/older women

If she's got 4 kids under 7 they can't all be at school?

There is another role though. This is from the ACAS website:

If your role is selected for redundancy, you might be able to take another role with your employer instead. This is called 'suitable alternative employment'.

If there's a suitable alternative vacancy, your employer must offer it to you or someone else who is being made redundant. If they do not, you could make a claim to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal...

...your employer must:

first offer the available role to any employees who are pregnant or taking maternity, shared parental or adoption leave – they have special redundancy protection

A man would usually have significantly less time off. This person should morally do the right thing and resign.

No it seems she’s using sick leave to cover childcare

I understand OP it would be so frustrating.

She looks after the younger children.

You are not being unreasonable

Some 40 years ago a friend was an assistant to a University administrator who went off on maternity leave three years running - my friend ran the show each and every time for much less pay

You are being completely unreasonable.

People are allowed to have multiple children. I’m sure she would rather not have pregnancy related illness, but it’s not something you choose. She has a right to work and will need to pay her bills just like everyone else. There’s nothing immoral about getting pregnant while working. It’s also perfectly possible that not all of the children were planned.

It’s because of people like you and PPs that we have those laws to protect women.

I completely get that it is frustrating. I've had/have colleagues who have done similar (law firm) and it makes working life harder for the rest of us. I know some posters will say "oh that is just a management problem" but it's not as simple as that. It's really hard to find good quality cover available (usually if lawyers are any good they'll have, or want, a permanent job). So you get stuck with someone who messes up and the rest of us have to work at damage limitation. Or we just bear the extra workload ourselves.

Then colleague comes back and wants to do 4 days and not work on Friday which means between the rest of us we have to juggle any urgent Friday hearings between us, on files that we don't otherwise conduct so it's very disjointed and stressful and clients get pissed off. Or they can't do hearings that involve travel because "childcare".

Our department is being overhauled currently and it's likely there will be a redundancy consultation. Performance statistics will be a huge factor but the colleagues above will be protected by being on ML or recently returned. I get that is the law and I have kids so I've benefited from it myself to some extent (I always made sure I had plan A, B and C for childcare though!) But sometimes it seems so impractical and unfair!