Events related to my job keep being arranged on days I don't work

[kathrynphil]

I wonder if anyone can help me?
I was recently appointed to a new role at the school in which I teach. I work 2 days per week. A key part of my role is offering training to other schools. However training events keep being arranged to occur on days I do not work. I have offered to swap days or take time off in lieu so that I can be fufill this part of my role, but keep finding that someone else (usually the deputy) has already put herself down to run the training. She has normally arranged it, but not consulted me on the dates, and instead informs me that the trauining has been arranged but because it's a day I don't work, she will do it. Do I have any rights to request that I am allowed to work on these days and run the training, as stated I should be doing in my job description? I am worried that when it comes to performance management etc I will look like I have not carried out this aspect of my role. I do not have a regular class that I teach so swapping days in order to carry out training does not negatively impact the school. I feel that I am being denied the chance to carry out an important aspect of my role because I am part-time. Any advice greatly welcomed.

I had a similar scenario where I worked 4 days, was asked to participate in a project undertaking a support role, but the weekly project meetings were on my day off. Come my end of year appraisal, it was suggested that I hadn't contributed to the project as well as I could have because I hadnt attended the project meetings. I had anticipated this so was able to demonstrate what I had done to keep up with the projects progress and my contribution. When asked if I would have done anything different, I said I would have been more vocal about the wisdom of putting someone who didn't work on the day of the weekly meeting on that project.

I believe that, rightly or wrongly, it's inevitable that working part time will mean you have to let other people take on elements of your role on the days you are not there. Are you being left with nothing to do on the days you are there? If you are really worried, speak up now to clarify your position. They may simply think they are doing you a favour by doing the training. But there is always the chance that someone is trying to muscle in on your patch, so start keeping good records of conversations about the scheduling and delivery of the training so that if you are challenged, you can demonstrate what you have done.

Arrange a meeting with your line manager to discuss it. Explain it as you have here: that you feel you are unable to carry out a major part of your job, that you have already raised it informally with X (the deputy) and request that the training is booked on the days you work because "being part time does not prevent me from doing my job but the current process is not working". Then agree how the booming of this training will be managed on an ongoing basis with a review date.

Do not apologise for being part time. The issue is someone circumventing you, not your part time hours. Try very carefully not to blame the deputy or suggest any sort of conspiracy. You could try to tackle this without even mentioning your part time hours.

Keep a note of everything. Your part time status is not a legal reason for removing any of your duties. If duties need to be reallocated there must be a legitimate business reason.

I meant to add that it's quite possible the deputy thinks she's doing you a favour. Most people are not malicious but many people make assumptions and/or don't think.

Thank you both- really good advice. I think I've tried to be too apologetic for my part-timeness and need to be a little bit more assertive about being informed about training events when requests come in, not once they have had a date arranged. You're right to say I shouldn't make it look like I feel there's a conspiracy...although I have to say this particular deputy came from a very similar job to mine and I think is having difficulty adjusting to the fact that this type of training is not now her role. I'm planning to meet with my Head next week to clarify her role and mine and what the process should be when requests for training come in.

For your meeting I'd try to have the current process written down (diagram?) as you understand it, and show what is actually happening and where you are being left out.

I'd also have a second diagram of what you are proposing the process should be, flagged up with what happens if a request comes in on a day you are in vs a day you are not there - sounds like even on a working day if you are running a training course then you may be out, either out of the school or out of contact for the duration of the course.

That way you'll have something concrete to discuss and for the head to easily see where the problems are as well as how the new process will work so rather than asking her to solve anything you are asking her to ok a solution and it should show you've prepared well etc for the meeting which should all reflect well on you.

Do you think the deputy head has realised that she no longer gets to do these training things as part of her role or do you think she is clinging on to them as she likes them?

Good luck getting it all sorted though!

Interesting. If the deputy's doing your job who's doing her job? Something is not getting done somewhere do it's I'm the head's interest to know about this.

I think you're right to toughen up a bit about your part time status. If someone was booking meetings at 7pm in the evening or on a Sunday you'd quite rightly say its not on because it's not working hours. This is no different. The only difference is we're conditioned to find full time working the norm.

Well I check my work emails regularly (even when at home- most days) so there should be no reason why a training request should be responded to without consulting me first. I think this is where the process needs to change- instead of requests going to the deputy and then her deciding what to do, she just needs to consult me first. I will be interested to see how my head responds when I meet with him- I suspect he will not want to say anything that could be taken as critical of the deputy, and I am going to try and present things very factually, to let him draw his own conclusions, rather than accuse her of anything. Hopefully, he may then go away and at the very least make clear to her what the process needs to be. Possibly he wants her to do some of the training. If so, I need it made clear to me how much and how this will be determined specifically when requests come in. I'm not sure if it is her job description too???

I think you can raise this without appearing to be critical though, you just pitch the tone of this meeting as 'seeking clarity' on the process, your role in it and who does what. It may be as simple as there just being a misunderstanding about who does what or, as has already been suggested, the deputy thinks she's doing you a favour somehow. So, I would use this meeting to clarify the process and, provided it is as you believe it to be, make your suggestions for improvement if necessary. Post-meeting, I would then drop the head an email documenting the agreed process plus anything else discussed in the meeting and get him to confirm he agrees to it. You then make sure everyone i.e. the deputy, is 'reminded' of your role and the documented (and agreed) process and take it from there.

If it still keeps happening, then you now have the process documented and a starting point for discussions to find out why its not being followed.

Good luck!

Thanks- I think that's exactly how I'll play the meeting- that is when I ever manage to tie my Head down to an actual meeting date!