Return to work after 6m maternity leave

[Myfirstbaby1]

I have returned to work after 6m maternity leave!, its been 4 weeks now and my boss decided to conduct an appraisal. I was shocked as during the appraisal he told me that I would need to performance managed.... but he didnt think that would 'work'. What's really upset me if i had taken the full 12minths I would be with the company 2 years so therefore would have been eligible for redundancy pay.
What can I and should i do ?????

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/employment_issues

Maybe try employment issues, or legal.

I sympathise - I never got back to work because my job was sort of merged into other things in my absence.

You are still protected from discrimination even though you have been there less than 2 years.

Useful info here as a starting point; they have a helpline too.

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/dealing-with-problems-at-work/

Did he give concrete examples of what was wrong with your work?

Why did he say that performance management would LBT work?

How had your appraisals been before you became pregnant/took maternity leave?

Is it a big company with an HR department? Are you in a union?

If he's conjuring this up out of nowhere, you could file a grievance against him.

Thank you so much

Try the ACAS website if you’ve actually been dismissed.

Is your role actually being made redundant though, or are you being fired? I'm not clear from your post. How was it left, what's the next action your boss wants to take?

He ended the conversation by saying have a think of what you want to do. I had one appraisal in my first year long before I was pregnant in that no issues were raised.
He said i could be performance managed but in the same breath said that it wouldn't work but it felt like what he was insinuating was i should resign. I panicked and just froze as it wasn't something I was expecting. I have a follow up meeting and been so anxious

Definitely give ACAS a call to discuss it in more detail. Or Pregnant then Screwed are a charity that help women returning to work after maternity. They have a free helpline open Monday and Tuesday nights.

Ok.. first of all deep breath and don't panic and don't assume the worst. It's that time of year when performance appraisals have to be done (I've been doing loads) as people are assessed for bonuses etc. You may just have an inept manager.

Having said that, being told you will have to be "would need to performance managed.... but he didnt think that would 'work'" is quite elusive and needs to be challenged.

ACAS can also provide free legal advice on these matters. www.acas.org.uk/contact
Give them a quick call - they are brilliant

Please make sure (this is vital) that you write up all conversations. I would suggest you write up the conversation you had with your manager in an email, CCing or B-CCing your private email.

I suggested that to a female ex-colleague and it meant the difference between her leaving the company with no maternity pay and her leaving the company with a maternity payout plus a whopping redundancy payout. It's important.

Ok well then he's bordering on constructive dismissal, when you feel like you have no choice but to resign. Did he explain what the performance concerns were? Did he ask if you thought the same? Did he provide you with examples of where things didn't meet expectations? Did he explain why performance management support wouldn't work?

Do you have a HR department?

Try not to be anxious.

I second AnotherEmma's suggestion to look at the Maternity Action website and contact their advice line. If you have home insurance which includes legal cover, this should pay for a private solicitor.

It is worth pushing back on this. Even if you can't get your employer to back off, you should be able to get a decent settlement agreement with a payout.

Smells like sex / maternity discrimination from here but you need more evidence.

Get him to set out what the issues with your performance are exactly with examples.

Challenge him if those issues and examples are bullshit. If he ignores you submit a grievance.

If issues genuine ask for a 6 month performance plan with clearly defined targets and appraisal dates.

You might be within your rights to resign and claim constructive dismissal but that’s a v high risk strategy.