Advice-Manager left, no contact from HR

[Gormella]

Hi

To cut a long story short, my manager left the company and noone replaced him or his role so I have no-one to work for when I return in a few weeks time (Im a PA). I have heard nothing from HR about a suitable replacement role. In fact, no contact at all with them in the last year.

I presume I should just turn up on the day and see what they say and what suggestions of alternative jobs they have lined up for me.

I feel a little left out in the cold that they have not bothered to try to already find me something in light of the fact that Im due back so soon.

I would actually love to get redundancy and find some work closer to home but I dont know if they will offer that, given the legal rights and protection of a woman on maternity leave?

Should l just wait for them to contact me? Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

x

No advice sorry, just bumping because I'm in a similar situation as my manager is leaving around the date I go on maternity leave and he may not be replaced.

contact HR a few weeks before you are due back, confirming your return date. You couls also ask what role they see for you moving forward as your manger has left. Then let them decide on next steps.

Thanks for your reply, but would it not enhance my case to not contact them and then claim rightly that they have forgotten about me if they don't get in touch before my return? Gives me a little more leverage?

"enhance your case"

What case do you think you have?

If you have any kind of case based on information you are not telling us, an employment tribunal would always expect you to have made reasonable attempts to resolve the situation internally first not just sit there hoping they mess up.

Having 'forgotten about you' isn't illegal. It's how they deal with you on your return that's important.

Don't understand why you wouldn't just contact whoever is now in charge of your department - your manager's manager or the director or whatever, plus copying in HR, confirming that you are returning on x date, you have heard your manager has left so could they please confirm who you should report to and what your role will be.

Thanks Flowery, I was hoping to hear some tips from you.

I mistakenly thought I would have a case if I didnt hear from HR until my return date. I see the flaw in that idea now and will take your advice on contacting them as you suggest and seeing how things progress.

Many thanks for your comments. :)

No problem. Your employer (not necessarily HR particularly) should definitely have stayed in touch with you, kept you apprised of developments and not left you feeling out in the cold as you do.

However you need to make reasonable effort before you can legitimately complain, and the outcome is what's key. If they've been rubbish at keeping in touch but actually do come up with a suitable role for you, it's just irritating but not illegal.

If they didn't keep in touch, have no role for you and (for example) it transpires there would have been a role if they'd sorted it out earlier, then that's a different story.

See what happens when you approach them and if there is a problem, do come back.

Are you sure the onus is not on you to contact them to confirm you are returning? I have a vague memory that that was the case for me but maybe that was an internal policy.... I know Flowery us our local expert bur I also found the Maternity Alliance very good when I had issues around going back to work.

One thing I would say is that iirc you should be given priority if there are any vacancies (at least that is how the Maternity Alliance interpreted the law) & if they haven't been keeping you in mind for any upcoming vacancies they may be breaking the law.

Decorhate the employer should assume the woman is taking her full year maternity leave and inform her of her return date accordingly before her mat leave starts.

If the woman wants to either specify an earlier return date straightaway, or change her return date later on, she needs to notify, yes.

Thanks all,

The whole situation was totally ignored before I left for maternity leave, noone talked about it with me then and noone has broached the subject with me since. My manager has left and noone replaced him so noone is missing me or my input to the company! :)

I have a written formal letter stating my return to work date, which was given to me before I left. The letter states that unless I decide to come back to work early (giving them 8 weeks notice), I need not take any further action, they will just expect me on that agreed return date.

There has been no further correspondence from HR within the last year.

Lets see what their reply is, though something tells me that I think I may be waiting a while ...!

Afaik you are entitled to be paid from your return to work date, even if they haven't found a position for you by then.

Flowery, it has probably changed since my day - mat leave was shorter then but my company gave extra unpaid leave.

Hi

Contacted HR who boldly told me that I should take my 2010 hols and so my return to work date has shifted.

In the meantime they would talk to my boss to discuss my future role. My boss now wants to meet to chat further. He has no role for me in his dept so I suspect he is sussing me out to go back to HR and tell them what my returning plans are.

I'd like to give them the impression off the record that if there was a voluntary redundancy situation, I'd be happy to go along with that. Would that be unwise? This scenario has taken place before with a colleague in exactly the same position as me and she got VR.

Thanks for brief thoughts.

X