I'm posting for a bit of insight really as to my current job. Things are getting me down and my boss made some comments in my supervision today that, after thinking further on them, I'm quite annoyed about.
I work in a sales role and I've been with the company for almost two years. Last autumn 2 of my colleagues left and my boss had to try and recruit. I took it upon myself to step up to the plate and try keep things going as much as possible, so that my team (where there was only me left) could go some way to hitting our annual target. I worked my arse off and kept things going until my boss employed two other people. For the whole year I exceeded my target by £75k and the team target ended up being hit (and exceeded too). My role has a commission element to it so I did do ok out of it, something which my boss never ceases to remind me.
In April I got a promotion to lead for my team. I have no responsibilities of carrying out supervisions, just of supporting the team to make appropriate decisions and of advising them of processes we use. I was doing this anyway when the two new people were employed. I was told I was being promoted as a reward for my hard work but my boss did drop in to the conversation that they couldn't legally give me a higher target than my newish colleagues, so the promotion would come with a higher target. I tried to negotiate the salary increase, but only roughly get £2400 extra per year. In addition to this our commission scheme was completely overhauled because I'd done 'too well' and the targets went up by quite a lot.
Out of the two people that were hired one has left, the other is still in our team (I'll call her A) and we've recently hired a replacement third person who I've been responsible for guiding and advising as is my role. Today was my probation review within my supervision for my role. I'd been told to bring examples what I'd done to meet my increased responsibilities, which I did do. I pointed out that these were mainly aimed at when we have new starters but I was still doing some of these things with the new person. My boss started to talk about how he may need to add some additional responsibilities in there, as A could argue that when I'm not in the office (I only work 4 days per week) she provides advice in my absence so she could ask for a promotion to a lead role. Now A has been here less than a year and while she is also good at her job, she's not pulled in the numbers like I have or carried the team and been the only person there to do so. Also so far this year she is behind her target accumatively, whereas I'm above mine.
A is very vocal to the point where she will continue to go on at our boss and he will generally just give in for the easy life. She also doesn't use the proper channels for things - for example, as a team we have an issue with the current targets as they are. Last month A and I were discussing this and I mentioned that I had my supervision that afternoon and I was already going to raise a number of points with our boss. She sat for a while and then announced she was going to write a letter and hand it to our director. She was going to try and do this without showing the letter to the boss. She was trying to get me to write a letter too but I said I'd prefer to speak to our boss first and go from there. He asked me to wait until he'd had his supervision with our director the following week so I did. A had her supervision the day after me and boss asked to see the letter. A showed him and he agreed she could give it to the director. The outcome was favourable to our team but the director talked about the letter and the issue being brought to her attention that way. I've mentioned this issue a number of times in my supervisions and boss has always said he's spoken with the director about it before. I stressed to my boss on the last occasion that I wanted an answer by the following week but listening to the director talk it was almost like she wasn't aware of this issue. We've always been asked by our boss to raise issues to him and he will raise it higher up. I've always done this but A doesn't.
Recently one of my DC was ill. I said to boss I could work from home and did so. He was fine with this and whenever I've had to leave work to pick up ill DC before I've been able to work from home. A was off on the same day due to one of her DC being ill but she didn't work from home. Today a comment was made by my boss that strictly speaking he wasn't meant to even let me work from home and that A didn't have the facilities to do that when she was off. He then went on to say that it benefits both me and the company that I can do that. I'm confused to why he has mentioned this, as on the odd occasion where I've had to do it previously it's never been a problem and I don't know if something has been said by A to make him raise it now.
Finally (and thank you so much if you've got this far, I'm sorry for the mega essay!) I'd raised something in the supervision as my father in law is currently dying of cancer. We don't live close and my husband can't drive. My husband has severe depression and my MIL isn't coping so well with the situation. Our DC are also finding it hard. I know when my FIL dies I will need to provide support and be there for my family. I've spoken with HR about potential compassionate leave as the rules aren't 100% clear. To try and minimise impact on work I asked today about the possibility of being able to have a work laptop if I did need to be at my in-laws, so I could continue to try do some work here. My boss said that he didn't know about that and he'd check with our director. He said that it might depend as someone before me may have had that request and it might have been denied so they couldn't be seen as treating me differently. I said that I was just trying to think of all possible avenues and be prepared. Surely though this should be on a case by case basis and it shouldn't be anyone else's business on whatever arrangement was made? My boss also made the comment that my DC should be at school in the inbetween bits of FiL dying and the funeral as kids 'move on' quickly. My father died in April suddenly and unexpectedly by suicide. My DC do not know the method but he was otherwise very healthy and only very early 50's. It hit my elder two quite hard. FiL only found out about his cancer afterwards and it's fast progressing, he's probably only got a matter weeks left and I'm anticipating this hitting DC really hard after also losing my dad. FiL is only 64 so still quite young.
I don't really know what to do. I am struggling with all of my 'home' situations but still trying to do my very best work wise and I know work have no issue with my performance, but the comments by my boss today have really annoyed me and I want to arrange a meeting on Monday to discuss the comments from today. I also want to discuss the whole A situation with him as I do feel she oversteps the mark sometimes and doesn't get pulled up on it. He also gives into her if she keeps on at him about things and then she thinks she's in the right. If you were me what would you do?
Thank you again for reading and for any advice you may have 