To think my boss should learn to do her job properly (rant alert)

[pavlovthepregnantcat]

Well to be honest it is mainly a rant. But I might be unreasonable, feel free to let me have it if I am in a gentle manner if you don't mind though eh?

I have been scheduled to run a CBT based programme for alcohol and drug using offenders on two evenings per week, finishing at 9pm. I am also schedule to run another CBT based programme 2 mornings a week, being in work for 8am, the day after I finish work at 9pm. Both of these programmes together take up 28 hours per week, for prep, group, notes. Does not allow for any additional work such as co-tutor meetings with prog manager (one per month minimum 2.5 hours each, so 5 hours a month in total), or repeating sessions for those who might miss a session (1.5hours each), or team meetings or any other business (reading emails, dealing with fights that kind of thing). I work 32 hours a week, usually in the day, but its my 'turn' I guess to work an evening group. So i have 4 hours a week to do all the 'mop up' in relation to these programmes (bearing in mind there will be issues as these are criminals, doing 4 sessions in 32 hours is a tall order normally)

Ok, with me so far? Good.

I had initially asked for the day group to be a morning, I was not pregnant when it was being scheduled, however my boss took so long to sort it out I then became pg!!! I was then told it was afternoon due to room bookings, great, but no, its no mornings (and boss is completely oblivious to when a group runs)

I am suffering with morning sickness (not necessarily just mornings though) and extreme tiredness. I emailed my boss to tell her some concerns I am having, before the groups start in a weeks time. All fine, we have a chat, H&S officer and her suggest OH referral to get a proper 'report' to see what support there might be.

Great, fine. Yes? So my boss sends me a copy of OH referral, saying she has just completed some of it, I need to complete some, and she will then add in my sickness absences to date.

This is what she has put (paraphrase). Pavlov is pregnant. She has had a few days of sick due to pregnancy [3]. She also has had a number of other days off due to sinus problems. I understand pavlov has some personal issues at home which are proving difficult for her at the moment as well as some work related stress.

WTF! What has my previous sickness got to do with anything?! And what has my personal life got to do with anything? (DH lost his job, I told her as I needed a couple of days off when he lost it to sort out some financial stuff) and work related stuff has nothing to do with the concerns I raised (more to do with a complaint I put in about how she interfered and broke my confidence in relation to another matter). I offered to have OH involvement to help my pg/manage operational issues properly in advance and not just take time of sick. My personal issues are nothing to do with work, and this is part of my complaint against her (not a formal one, yet). For petes sake.

She has also discussed my pg with her line manager, who has no need to know for operational reasons (yet) despite me putting in writing for her to inform me of all those she has to disclose this to by law, which in my mind is none, given that not even I have to disclose until later on!

So, am I just being hormonal or is my boss being crap?

Oh and to add to this - she has not yet taken my other work off me (supervise cases, write reports for prisons) so this work still needs doing, and people keep sending me paperwork for reports and there is no-one else to do them. Boss thinks that it is a straight 28 hours a week for a group, no other work involved, no meetings with offenders or extensive prep beforehand, or checking referrals to make sure a mass murderer has not been referred (you would be surprised!). It all starts on the day of the prog as far as she knows. (she took over management of this 'team' in October, does not know about the programmes that are being run).

AAAAAAAAGh

Do you work in probation...sounds like your boss needs to be careful or you will be off work with stress. How do your collegues fell about her?

sounds hideous and very unprofessional of your boss to make comments like that. Does she have any clue about what you do at all? Has she been brought in from somewhere completely different?

Chelli i do shhhh!

I can't really speak for other colleagues, but I do know she frustrates colleagues, for not listening, for just steaming ahead with ideas regardless of the impact on others, or if it will work and things have a tendancy to become confusing. She seems to prefer working with spreadsheets rather than people and her problem communicating properly has been a problem for me (and I know for others in the past, formally and informally).

I told her today things need to managed properly with my pg, I dont want it to interfere with my work and I do not want to take time off sick, and to ensure that, we need to look at things. I also sent an email to her and copied my union rep in stating that my personal life was private, and anything other than fact being stated would be speculation and inappropriate!

Edam - no, would you beleive she has worked for my employers for a very long time, but was managed a different 'team' for a while, and this new team is just that a new team, different dynamics.