Context - financial services industry, senior level role, history of high performance and good relationships with the executives
During pregnancy I faced a lot of 1950s backlash from my nine months of maternity leave being called my year off, to being told having a baby means I probably won’t go for any more promotions.
i did interview for a promotion while pregnant but didn’t get the role. I’ve returned to work reporting into a new person who got that role.
They barely gave me 20 minutes on my first week back to talk to me, late for our meeting and cut it short by answering a phone call. I’ve tried to see how I can support them, set clear expectations, relationship has improved but is frosty.
They hired someone to cover my role while I was on maternity leave, I understood I’d be coming back to my job. They wouldn’t give a straight answer about why I don’t have any of my direct reports, stakeholders or portfolio back. I’ve been given odd projects to do or random tasks from my boss. It’s incredibly demotivating and taken away what I felt I built up.
i have pushed on the plan with my cover, the response was he would be extended to end of the year to help me transition, why I pushed again about my team, I was the. Told it was extended to end of March, recently found out he’s been extended to end of June.
I’ve been given a project that feels set up to fail. I’m doing my best to get it going … but just feeling so demotivated as I keep finding out about meetings I should have been part of, were scheduled without me. Or I’m doing work, that my cover is then saying he has already done - because there’s no communication within the team.
Just writing this is making me cringe. If I read this post my response would be:
”Fk em….go somewhere else” - but it’s challenging to find this level at another place easily, and I don’t want to feel pushed out for what I worked hard for
”Then show them you’re worth it” - this is where I’m struggling with motivation, is that because I’m being too personal or overly sensitive?
sorry this is just a rant but just had another shitty email and it’s tipped me over the edge.