Being made redundant 4 months after mat leave - any advice?

[Pagetta]

Hi, I wondered if I might get a bit of advice please. (sorry its so long!)

I work in a middle management role, previous to going on mat leave there was me, managing my area, and I had an assistant, someone on a lower grade than me.

I hired my mat cover, (a young, single man), and then shortly after I went on mat leave my assistant left, so over the course of the 12 months, two different temps fulfilled this role.

A month before I was due to go back I met with my boss, who suggested that instead of hiring a new assistant, they keep my mat cover on and keep the two of us doing the job at the same grade. Now, this rang alarm bells for me, but I thought maybe it was worth a shot, as at least it took a little pressure off me being back at work full time with a toddler, I would have an equal as opposed to someone to manage.

Also in my absence they had implemented a whole new software system for the things I manage. So I was untrained and unfamiliar with this.

I was really unconfident back at work, and I'll admit a bit unfocused - I felt like there wasn't enough time in the day (my husband works away and I have no local family) and I was very stressed trying to get everything in my life done and keep things ticking along. It didn't help that my mat cover was not terribly forthcoming with helping me out on the new system, I think he assumed I should just crack on. All the work now flowed through him as I'd been off for so long, so I had little to do, and I think he was worried about appearing to 'delegate' work to me as we we're equal, but I also found it hard to constantly badger him for work and help on the new system as it made me feel so inadequate - this just knocked my confidence more.

Then my line manager told me someone had complained to her I was 'unfocused', which not only knocked my confidence more but upset me as I thought I got on well with my colleagues and they'd respect me enough to talk to me instead of telling tales to my boss.

So, four months after returning I was informed that the structure wasn't working, there were too many managers in the team, and that mine and my mat covers' roles were being changed to a manager and assistant (as before) and the same was happening with two other roles. Basically, we both had to apply for the manager's job, and whoever didn't get it they'd try to relocate within the company or it was redundancy. With confidence at an all-time low, I withdrew from applying for it as I felt it was inevitable I wouldn't get it. Me, limited on time and with no experience on the new system, or a young single guy, who could stay late etc who'd been working on it for 12 months - let's be honest here it's a no brainer. I couldn't face not getting my own job.

So now I'm being made redundant, I'm about to be unemployed for the first time in about 17 years.

I think I'm the victim of poor management decisions, but my family and husband think they're in the wrong and that I could bring a case - any advice or thoughts on this would be amazing!

A couple of questions about the situation:

You say you both had to apply for the manager's job and whoever didn't get it would be reallocated if possible. Why didn't the unsuccessful person automatically get the assistant role?

What have they done in terms of trying to redeploy you?

Did you actively say you didn't want to be considered for the manager role, or did you just not apply?

There is a lot of stuff in there and you might well have a potential case but these things are very fact dependent.

1. The unsuccessful person did have the chance to apply for the assitant role if unsuccessful for the manager's role, but it was lower grade, lower pay, and would be a step backwards career wise.

1. the HR effort has been pretty woeful I've largely done it all off my own back over the 're-placement period'. we're had regular meetings with our HR support lady who co-ordinates all this, but the team that actually place people haven't approached me at all to try to place me, the only potential roles were from me approaching execs and touting myself out across the business, but timings are such that there's nothing for me right now, despite best efforts from some people who want me to stay.

1. I actively said I didn't want to be considered for the role. I withdrew myself from the running.

Hope this all makes sense - as I say, I'm not sure if I'd have a case but my family and husband are up in arms about it all. Its also a BIG local company so I don't want to make a bad name for myself.

I think that there is enough in there that it would be worth working through with a lawyer who can really drill into the details (many will have an initial chat free of charge). I'm a bit out of the loop these days with the enforced conciliation,etc but it might be worth speaking to ACAS too if you can't find a lawyer.

Leaving aside the maternity, the redeployment stuff is worrying. The unsuccessful candidate should have been offered the other role as they could clearly do it. They should also arguably have considered you for manager based on what they knew of you regardless of whether you applied (though formally saying you didn't want to be considered may well have knocked that obligation on the head).

But the bigger worry is the timing of the reorganisation. Woman returns from maternity leave - two roles made equal- instead of reverting to old structure, redundancy implemented is sounding an awful lot of warning bells for discrimination and if I was advising your employer I'd be concerned for them.

thanks so much for your reply, i have a good friend who is a solicitor and has offered to go through details with me as he is convinced I have a case - mainly based on timings as you said. I do think its very shaky ground for them. I'll let you know how i get on!