Effectively Demoted - is there anything I can do?

[Nosilverlining]

My dept is being restructured, and as part of this my boss is stepping down from her current role into the level below (level with my peers, her choice). I will still report to her, so the result is effectively a demotion for me as she bumps me a level down, and also a significant reduction in my opportunities for development since she will own all the projects. I'm not happy at all about this, everyone else at my level and above is advantaged by the change, I feel seriously disadvantaged. Is there anything I can do?

Yes, the hierarchy thing has annoyed the hell out of me – people who were my peers will now be senior to me in the organisation – I’ve examined my feelings on this and I don’t think I’m being unreasonable, I think most people would feel the same. I guess as well I feel like she’s shafted me – we’ve worked together a long time, I’ve taken on all this extra stuff on the basis that we were looking to prove the value of me expanding my role. As my boss she was supporting this, and now she’s decided she isn’t happy in the top job in her current life circumstances and shoved me out of the way in order to design herself a job she really wants and nab all the best bits that I’m already doing. I also feel that the risks of me leaving must have been taken into consideration, so the fact that I’m so easily expendable really smarts. What would have been fairer – she could have designed herself a new job without detriment to me I think.

"people who were my peers will now be senior to me in the organisation"

Is that true in any actual real sense or are you just assuming that your managers demotion means your current peers will be senior to you? How will this perceived seniority of your other colleagues manifest itself? Have you seen a structure chart showing them all as being senior to you? Are your decision-making/authority parameters changing? Your job title? Your pay?

Your seniority isn't defined by the job title of the person you report to, or it wouldn't usually be. Is there more?

I have seen an org chart yes. My peers remain where they were before and report into the new head, my place on the old org chart is taken by my current boss with me underneath reporting up to her. No my pay will not change, yes my decision making parameters will change in respect of the project work, since my boss will be taking over hands on management of those projects, with me supporting her.

I'm not sure how I can be clearer, my boss has demoted herself to the level of my current peers, with me reporting up to her. She hasn't created an additional tier just for herself. She's put herself in my place, doing part of my job, leaving me reporting up to her doing the rest of my current job and supporting her in the part she has taken.

Basically, a new member of staff was brought in to take over from my peer who had left and that new member had an additional responsibility. As well as her team reporting to her, she also had me and my team of 8. So instead of 3 senior managers reporting to the director in the original structure, there were 2 and one (me) who reported to another SM which bumped me down a level in the hierarchy. The restructure meant that a fair bit of responsibility was taken away from me in terms of responsibility and that I had effectively been downgraded to the level of manager because I was the only SM in the organisation reporting to another SM.

As I was constantly graded really well by management and my peers (and there was no other departmental restructure) but had had a relationship with a very senior member of the company's management team which I had ended shortly before the new staff member had been recruited there was no reason why my role/responsibilities had changed so significantly.

I know that's not exactly the same as your situation but if I were you I would gather all the evidence you can of what your role is now and what your role is going to be now your manager is downgrading her job. Do you have anything in writing/email about the additional responsibilities? Email yourself copies. If you're even thinking about taking this further, forward any emails to your personal email address.

It may well be that you just have to suck it up. But it may not be so better to organise yourself.

I take it you're not in a union? I would gather up very carefully all evidence of job roles as pp have said. What does puzzle me is that you've said she will not take day to day stuff from you but only the project work, which has been done by you but which doesn't get acknowledged, yes? So is that going to mean an entirely new job deposit created for her while yours stays the same? If so I would be asking HR why your job now reports to hers not the level above when it hasn't changed. But I'd also be applying for other jobs while you can still talk about your current role as involving leading projects. I assume you don't want to move to a different organisation if you can avoid it?

It's not that you weren't clear OP. Your last two posts paint a very different picture with some actual solid reasons for complaint. Previously you only mentioned development opportunities going elsewhere and someone else's demotion, neither of which automatically constitute your own demotion.

Now you are saying you have physically been moved down the structure chart and have had actual responsibilities taken away from you, ie your role has been changed. Those are solid things to complain about and to consider raising a grievance about.

Are you PRINCE 2 qualified at practitioner level? If not ask to go on the training to get accreditation and that will provide an immediate development opportunity for you.

Once you have the quals - look for a better job.

I'm a bit confused now Flowery I think I said the same thing but maybe in a different way, making it clearer. I'm still really upset and a bit ranty probably. So what is the salient point about her and my demotions? She hasn't said I am demoted, but she has shown me the new structure with herself occupying the place I currently have and me reporting up to her. How is this different to what I said earlier about her demoting herself and pushing me down the hierarchy? I need to make sure I have this right in my own mind before I discuss it with her again tomorrow. My level of responsibility in the project area will decrease due to her involvement in the senior role, so I think I am clear on this. Thank you so much for your input.

In answer to other questions, no my organisation isn't unionised and no not PRINCE 2 but it is not necessary, I have other PM qualifications (and actually, she doesn't).

Hi

The point of getting them to pay for you to gain a recognised industry standard was to give you something to look forward to and make yourself more marketable should you want to leave.

Your line manager being demoted does not automatically equal you being demoted, neither does loss of opportunities for potential future development. Therefore complaining on that basis wouldn't be likely to get you far.

However loss of actual responsibilities, physical evidence of demotion in the form of a structure chart, loss of authority in respect of decision-making, all these things are objective evidence of demotion, as would be a change in job title, reduction in salary, removal of a team reporting in to you, those types of things.

Stick to objective things and you'll sound less unreasonable and make it more difficult to explain away.

Thanks Flowery I think it's all a bit hazy. I discussed it with her today, in her opinion it makes no difference, she sees it as a change in reporting line. I see myself in a lower position on the org chart, our perspectives are somewhat different I guess. She denies there is diminished responsibility, I think there is since currently I am the most senior person in my area, reporting to director level but in the new structure I report to her and she reports to director level, so she 'owns' my area. She suggested there is more opportunity for progression in the new structure, as there is her job - erm, yes, that would get me back to where I was before . Maybe I am being over sensitive, maybe not.