Return from maternity leave to disaster!

[IdreamofClooney]

Hello

I am really, really fed up and cross about what has happened to me since I returned from maternity leave and would just like to have a bit (!) of a moan and hopefully get some sympathy and suggestions as to whether I should make a point!

I am an administrator for postgraduate programmes at a university and took maternity leave from May 2005. Before I went on leave I spent a considerable amount of time sorting my work out and creating detailed instructions for the person who would replace me. I gave plenty of notice that I was taking maternity leave but things were left to the last minute and the temp was not in place when I left.

While I was on leave I heard all kinds of negative things about the temp not doing the job properly, one being the Head of Department begging me to come back as she was so hopeless. I, niavely was flattered by this, and did not for a second consider what I would be coming back to.

Anyway to cut an already long story short, when I got back to work I realise that the temp had barely done the job - I spent the bst part of last year totally stressed out tryng to sort out huge cock ups she had made. I brought the issues up with my line manager who said that she thought the temp was doing fine, and various academics (who we work for) had given good reports. When I mentioned to the said academics that things had not been done they told me that she had had no idea what she was doing !

It transpires that the temp did the very mimimum amount of work required not to be obvious but spent much time reading books, drawing cartoons and phoning her friends - this had been brought to the managers attentions but as the academics said the temp was doing ok she did nto act on it.

I am very angry and feel totally let down - I have ended up in tears on several occassions due to the sheer stress of the whole thing - it is hard enough coming back to work and leaving your baby without this crap to deal with.

It was so bad that I started to look for another job as I feel so undermined and unfairly treated and I start my new job in two weeks. However I am still very angry about how things were handled and I am considering writing a letter to my manager's manager outling what happened and why I am leaving.

Can anyone offer any advice on this issue?

I'll post this on returning to work too

Thanks a lot

I doubt that they have done anything wrong themselves, but if it would make you feel better, then write the letter. If nothing else, they might learn something from it!

The fact that I am still this angry and upset 9 months on is not good and I feel that writing a letter to someone higher up would hopefully give me "closure" on the whoel sorry mess!

When I brought up the issues my manager turned it back in me saying that as I had "extended my leave" it was my fault that there was no handover. I took the one year I am entitlted to and told them very early on of my intention, as far as I can tell the temp would have resigned before I came back whenever I came back.

I am a bit pissed off with the actual temp as she was clearly taking the piss, getting paid a nice salary to read Harry Potter all day, but I am really angry with my manager for allowing this to happen. I work so hard and care about my job and in the end I am forced to leave the department I like as I am so resentful about beign unfairly treated!

Just wondered if anyone else had similar experiences of returning to work angst!

Do you have an HR department? Can you talk to them at an exit interview and let them have the full picture? Who arranged the temp? I would say that the agency should know also how crap this person was.

Sorry you have had such a rough time.

what an awful thing to have to go back to its not nice having to go back after maternity leave at any time but to have to go back to such chaos must have been awful.

I would write a detailed letter to someone higher up and send copies to HR and your manager setting out as many of the problems and cock ups as you can remember, also point out that these isssues were raised at the time with your manager, and say that this is the reason you are leaving because you feel let down, undermined and unfairly treated. Basically put everything you have put here in the letter so that they know exactly why you are leaving.

I think it brings your manager managerial skills into question that as far as she is concerned there were no problems, which is why she said everything was fine to say otherwise would be as good as admitting that she had not supervised the temp closely enough.

I left my full time job to just have a bank contract at the same place because they would not let me work the hours I wanted even though the hours I wanted were very unpopular night shifts. I wrote a letter to my manager with a copy to the trust director saying this was my reason for leaving and that I
knew many other staff were leaving due to their inflexibility, it didnt change anything (as far as Im aware) but it made me feel a damm sight better!!!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I'm with Helen. This reflects extremely poorly on your manager, i.e. if the academics don't complain there can't be a problem. What nonsense. You should definitely outline your reasons for leaving, the knock-on effects for you as well as the department as a whole, and best of luck in your new role!

thanks guys

I am going to another post within the university so am not sure whether it is a good idea to make too big a fuss as don;t want to be labelled as a trouble maker!

I just feel so let down by the manager and other staff. It's the injustice that really gets me but as people keep telling me life is unfair.

It does feel like a form of sexual discrimintation - as the case with the refusal of your manager to let you move shifts - as the reason this happened was maternity leave.

I think I will write a letter detailing everything as it wil make me feel better even if I never send it. I know that I have worked hard for this department and if they don;t value that then it is their loss! so there.....

I work at a university.

If you are in the union speak to your rep, they are usually a fountain of knowledge and will tell you what your rights are and position is.

Can you right the letter "constructively"? as in, pointing out the issues that you have encoutnered and suggesting how they could have been resolved. Perhpas pointing out that academics saying that there is not an immediate problem did not mean that there weren't problems piling up and that a more pro-acitve managemnt style would have helped avoid these issues arising.

ie Dump your manager in it, but with an escape ladder!

That way you look like you still have the unversity's best interests at hear, but you have also managed to get your feelings of resentment off your chest.

I also work in HE. Please talk to your union rep about the way this has been handled and provided you have a new line manager to go to, I would request that exit interview with HR and get your experiences documented.
The next person in your job could also need to take maternity leave and fall victim to this sort of shambles. You could do something to improve things...?
It took me three years of stress and angst to rebuild a relationship with a colleague, who was left dumped with all my work as well as theirs, thanks to the inertia and incompetence of a senior manager while I went on mat leave.
That manager was eventually sacked and now my line manager handles everything like this transparently and fairly. We are all much happier and better motivated for it and the difference is huge.
I went through hell when I returned from mat leave for the first time and I sympathise hugely with how you are feeling.

Thansk I think I will speak to the union for some advice.

I am sorry to hear that you had a hard time too Marina - glad it is better for you now though. I am hoping that when I start my new job (very similar role in a different department) this resentment and anger will start to go as I really feel it is taking over me at the moment which is not good!

My self confidence has taken a real knock (not that I am particularly confident to start with) as what has happened makes me feel that I am not valued despite the hard work and dedication I have given this job.

TBH I think that part of the problem is probably the fact that I work on the administrative side of things which academics do not place much value in and do seem to think of admin staff as being disposible,or is that my inferiority complex again?

For some, we are the bureaucratic clodpolls who prevent their untrammelled creative genius from achieving its full potential.
Oh and we are manifestly losers for not bagging ourselves contracts while allow us to clear off from the end of June to mid-September.
You however do know that the department would collapse in a sagging heap without us HEFCE-pleasing, paper-shuffling proles, OK?
Best of luck with the new role. To be honest, I had not really revisited how hideous my first few months back were, because of one manager, until I read your OP and it struck a fortissimo chord...
Time is a great healer I think

If it's any consolation I had a very similar experience when I left my last HE job (not for maternity leave) - months later people were still calling to ask me about stuff because the temp never did open the procedures book. I've worked both sides of the fence in 3 unis and I can confidently assure you that 99% of academics have no clue about admin - if they, personally, are not having a problem, there isn't one! Don't think I have to mention who would've copped the flak when it all, inevitably, blew up in their faces, however. Hope the new post works out. Being a working mother in HE - potential for a whole 'nother thread, there...