advice needed re: huge change in my role

[twittergirl]

Hello,

Some huge changes were made to my role recently at work and I was hoping maybe someone might have some advice, especially on the legal front, about what to do next.

It's all a bit complex so I'll try and keep it brief. At the end of last year I was moved from one dept to another with no consultation. This meant a change in the focus of my role that I was not happy with but I was told to give it a go and see how things workout. Fastforward to now and I am so unhappy. My role has completely changed and been stripped back. Most of what used to be my job has now been given to someone else. What remains is really rather junior for someone with my experience. At no point has anyone consulted me about these changes and I even found out about one of them (actually the worst one) via an email I wasn't meant to see.

As far as I can see, someone else now has my job, and I have been given a different, related but more junior role. I have asked my new manager in my new dept for a new job description but all he will give me is some bullet points.

My plan is to raise this with HR but not sure what, if anything they can/will do. Is this constructive dismissal? Do they have to offer me redundancy? Do they have to give me my old job back?

Help gratefully received. I am so miserable but not sure what to do for the best.

Bumping for you twitter - I am in a similar situation. I used to love my job, now I drag myself in every day.

Thanks Suncottage. Sorry to hear you're in a similar situation. I also used to love my job but now dread going in.

Did your role get changed too? Did you speak to anyone about it?

Any ideas why it happened?

In strict legal terms then so long as your title, pay, and other terms remain the same, they could argue that your extra experience was needed in the new department, that all employees are expected to trfr between depts if the business needs require it and that nothing has actually changed, which is why the motive is essential to get to the bottom of. It is definitely not redundancy if they have given the old role to someone else, but they could also argue that it would be unfair on the new person to give you your old role back.

Have you complained to HR and what was their response?

And also, how exactly has the role become more junior? Is it just because of your relationship with your boss? In our organisation secretaries are moved round all the time, even if they don't want to, and the more experienced ones get the 'newer' managers. Which would be horrible for someone who has had such a good relationship with one boss that she was effectively carrying out a PA role and then moves on to another boss who does nothing but ask her to fetch his coffee.... but horrible as it is, it isn't 'wrong' for the organisation to do this and doesn't give someone grounds for a grievance.

It is entirely different of course if you have been singled out for some reason.

Thanks for the reply. I really don't know why this happened. I think you're right that there was a thinking that my new dept would benefit from my skills, but I'm sure there could have been better ways of achieving that without hacking away at my role so much.

The person they have given most of my role to is not new. He does a similar job to me, and stayed in the dept I was in. When I moved, he took over a lot of what I used to do.

I haven't complained to HR yet but am planning to soon. Not sure what response I will get really. I want me old job back but it's very unlikely that will happen.

My role is more junior now because key responsibilities have been taken away from me and given to the other person I mentioned. I have 10+ years experience and what I am being asked to do now could be done by someone with half that experience. You're right that my title and salary haven't changed, but almost all else has.

See what HR say. It is possible that your new boss is just pretty incompetent and needs a nudge to make sure you get appropriate work for your skill levels. Managers rarely get taught how to manage so can be pretty rubbish sometimes, but good HR people can assist if that's the case.

My post was meant to be temporary to cope with a rush of work. That was five months ago and now they want to train me up to use new systems. I am getting sucked into a post I neither wanted nor would have applied for.

It is meant to be for 'just another month'. If it is then why spend time and money training me up to do it? HR and my manager know I am very unhappy but they keep spinning it out.

Thanks. Here's hoping that HR are helpful!

Same here - also stuck in a post I would never have applied for. And it's difficult for me to look elsewhere as I work p/t, am currently buying a house and also trying for a second baby! If I'm not pregnant by the time the house move is complete I will probably look elsewhere.

What does your contract say about your role? If your role has changed as significantly as you say, without your consent, there could be an issue. However, this has been going on for some time, so the employer could argue that you have accepted the change. Is there a record of your objections?

Perhaps your best option is to raise a grievance. See what the result is. If you are still v unhappy, you could claim that you were constructively dismissed. ie by that I mean that the company was in breach of contract, and that the changes / lack of consultation eroded all trust and confidence between you and company.

This is not easy to prove - something like 10% of claims are successful, and the changes of a big payout are v v v limited. It will also be stressful, so think carefully before you go down that route.

Thanks fedup... Yes, it really has changed a lot with no discussion, let alone consent. I have been in this situation for a few months now and have raised my concerns with my new manager several times but he just keeps reiterating that this is my new role and that's that.

Yes, I had been wondering about constructive dismissal but as you say, I've heard it's very hard to prove so I am a bit worried about that, plus as I understand it, I would have to actually leave before I could bring a case?

I agree that a grievance is probably the best route but just not totally unsure what it will achieve if they refuse to give me some/all of my job back. At least I will have tried though. My current situation is just humiliating as I used to be relatively senior and now have virtually no autonomy at all.