sorry this is long - about 3 months ago I applied for an internal job - it was a 5 month post with a possibility of it becoming permanent. I didn;t get it. I asked for feedback and was told there had been very little in it but the person who'd been given it just had the edge in terms of a certain area of experience. all fair enough. the woman who got it is pg. at the time, looking at her bump I had thought she would just about get the 5 months in before going on mat leave.
fast forward 3 months. pg woman corners me today and tells me she is DUE in 3 weeks' time. they need someone to cover the remaining 2 months of the original 5 month contract. she said they hoped I'd apply for it and that "a lot of people are very hopeful and excited" at the idea that I'll be able to cover the 2 months. and I might find myself "under pressure" to take it on.
now, I don;t, for one second begrudge her going for and getting the job. However I can;t help feeling slightly annoyed at the way they have handled things. her bosses - the people who interviewed us both - knew 3 months ago that there would be this 2 month shortfall. why did they not tell me that this was at least a possibility - even in my feedback interview when I asked what else they thought I could go for within the organisation this wasn;t mentioned. Further given that I applied and interviewed for the post 3 months ago, was found appointable, and only narrowly missed out in preference to pg woman, I don;t feel particularly inclined to go through that process again for a measly 2 months' work. Nor am I impressed by the assumption that because I wanted it 3 months ago I will be able - with 3 weeks' notice (unnecessarily short)- to rearrange my working life, including taking on 2 more days a week work, and dumping on my current colleagues who are up shit creek with one of our team off badly sick. and as it turns out I can't rearrange my life - because - in part because I didn;t know things were going to pan out like this - I have, in the interim, accepted an additional part-time job elsewhere. my current job is 3 days a week and I am now doing another 2 elsewhere - so realistically this precludes me from doing pg woman's job. And on top of all that one of the most senior bosses knows full well I am looking for other work and knows that I have been offered - and turned down - at least one other post.
so do I just politely decline or do I tell them that they're taking the piss out of one of their long-standing and - allegedly - most trusted employees? as well as her team? and arguably her family? or do I say I'll do 3 days as week - take it or leave it?