Responsibilities reduced during AML & resigning

[raaaasss]

Would appreciate any advice..

While on mat leave (I took the whole year), my role was changed due to restructuring for business reasons. I was told just after my mat leave started there would be a reorg but no details of how that would affect me. I feel that I should have been called to discuss what would happen to my role.

The end result of that for me was a substantial reduction in my responsibilities.

I have been back at work for a few months and already resigned for this + other reasons but not explained any of those to work..yet.

Can anyone help me to answer;

1. shouldn't they have consulted me about this and what constitutes 'consultation'? Surely more than being told 'this will happen'?

2. should I be complaining? Is there any point once I've resigned?

thanks - feeling a bit low and need a kick in the pants if I need to act!

Yes you should have been consulted, to the same level as everyone else. So what constitutes consultation will partly depend on what they did for everyone else, but basically consultation should be telling you what they propose, outlining how it would affect you, and giving you an opportunity to give feedback, make suggestions and ask questions.

I don't know how long ago this was, but yes you should have raised your concerns at the time. In terms of bringing any kind of legal claim, the usual timescale is 3 months from whatever happened, the exception being if there is a pattern of events, for example with discrimination, the 3 months can run from the most recent event.

So if there has been a series of problems and some of them have been more recent, and you wanted to complain, you could include those things as part of an ongoing pattern of behaviour. Ideally you shouldn't have resigned without raising them internally first though, in the form of a grievance or similar.

Are you leaving to another job?

I'm not leaving for another job - although I had other offers, I felt like I needed a break. This stressed me out a bit and I had a couple of offers which were in a different direction so I want to take some time to think about it.

Does the 3 months run from when I realised my new role wasn't the same as previous? (ie on my return to work) - in that case I am still in the 3 months. Surely it can't be from the reorg if they didn't tell me anything about my job changing?

I asked a colleague who'd been in the office (also since left) about whether she had been consulted and she said she'd been given the opportunity to discuss with the people who managed us before and after the reorg.

Since I posted this morning I went through my emails and found one from my manager before the reorg (6wks after baby born - we're in different countries) asking me if I was back at work and if I wanted to chat about the reorg. So I suppose I have had a similar level of 'consultation'

Very strange..I just took a phone call from a passive agressive HR guy in head office who I've never met. He acted like someone I was breaking up with (long silences/occasionally high-pitched agressive/emotional voice tone) and told me I was being perceived as irrational and as if I were taking things personally.

He then told me that in these situations many companies forget to consult with their employees and that as I was on maternity leave I can probably understand that made me even more forgettable!!!

Totally gobsmacked!!