This is long - so the summary is that I think I might have just been demoted after saying it wasn't financially viable to increase my days from 3 to 4 a week. The detail is below - I could use some advice asap on what to do next. TIA.
I work for a large multi-national firm and I am first rung management (there is one grade below me and two above me).
I returned to work mid way through last year after my third maternity leave to a role with no job title and lacking in clear deliverables. I work part time, 3 days a week. Officially I'm a "project manager" but I am not really managing anything.
Over the past couple of months, I have been asking for clearer direction, more responsibility and more career opportunity. My manager advised me that he was looking for a new role internally and that my department was having a "departmental strategy conference" in April and that it would be a good opportunity to increase my responsibilities. I said I’d be happy to up my hours to 4 days a week if that would make them more comfortable giving me a proper job – my manager agreed this would help, I also spoke to his manager who also agreed it would be easier to give me more to do if I was here 4 days a week.
Last week my manager announced he would be leaving after Easter and I would report to his manager in the interim period before the “departmental strategy conference”.
Yesterday I informed both my manager and his manager that it was not financially viable for me to return 4 days a week (tax implications of earning more plus additional childcare costs) and would like to discuss further – I said in my email that I would still consider it if I was given a genuine role that would further my career.
Today I was informed that the other woman in my team is being promoted to my manager’s role and that I will be reporting to her. We are the only people who reported to my manager, so her promotion is doing what she was doing before plus managing me. We are at the same management level in the company. No reference has been made to my email about my days.
I feel like I’ve been demoted directly after telling them that I had a problem increasing my days. I can’t work out if I am just annoyed that I’m now reporting to a colleague or if I really have been demoted – I’ve always reported to people in the rung above me, and now I am reporting to someone at the same level.
Before I had my first child I was managing a highly regarded team. Each maternity leave has left me in a worse position career wise and my current role is meaningless despite consistently positive performance reviews.
I am going away for Easter and won’t be back in the office for 2 weeks. Do I need to tell them before I go that I am not happy with the decision to change my reporting line the day after I indicated I was not able to increase my days?