Re-structure whilst on maternity leave

[Rarfy]

Hi

Wonder if anyone can help. I work for a large organisation and started maternity leave on 2 January 2019.

Im due to return on 2 October 2019 unless I extend my leave however I have just received communication from work saying that they are undergoing a restructure and u have to complete an expression of interest for a post whilst I am on maternity leave.

The first I heard of this was when colleagues got in touch and told me, I received a letter in the post a few days later from HR with all the info.

Can they do this? I was hoping to return part time and have contacted HR who have told me I have to discuss with my line manager however I won't know who my line manager is until the restructure is complete.

I am meeting with HR soon. What should I be going in with? I am taking a union rep.

I am so pissed off I am stressing about this when I am supposed to be home enjoying time with my beautiful dd. To complicate matters further I have a complex pregnancy history and had a stillbirth. I feel ill having to return to a new team who won't know my history and will just think its lovely I have my dd. Its stressing me out thinking about having to explain to new people and I know that's a choice of course I do but my stillborn son is very much my son and I don't want to choose not to discuss him as though he didn't exist but I also know people don't like to talk about it, don't know what to say and quite honestly have no idea what it's like to go through that.

Help.

Can they do this as in, can they restructure while you’re on maternity leave? Yes absolutely, they are not expected to put business plans/needs on hold because a member of staff is on maternity leave.

They should communicate with you and involve you, which it sounds like they are doing.

If your own job is made redundant while you are on maternity leave and there is a suitable alternative vacancy available, it should be offered to you, without you having to compete for it. A ‘suitable alternative’ would be the same or no less favourable terms and conditions, including hours.

Do you know when the restructure is due to be complete? As you’re not due back until at least October, with any luck you’ll have a new post sorted in plenty of time to enable you to put in a flexible working request for the new post.

As far as I am aware I have to look at jobs available and complete an expression of interest for 3 posts I would be interested in.

That's the bit I guess I have issue with - that I have to spend my time on maternity looking into all the posts. Reviewing the plans for the restructure. Completing an expression of interest and praying I get something I asked for.

What if I get a post then apply for flexible working and get rejected but may have had a better chance in a different post. I feel like I would be misleading them applying on a full time basis to then go in and say actually I only want 20 hours or whatever.

Hi OP- I am in the same position as you and I suspect we work for the same organisation. I went on mat leave in december knowing that the restructure to my area was being implemented in feb so I submitted my 3 choices of role before leaving and was allocated my new role. I am due back in september however I have no idea who my line manager is (went back to visit the office a few weeks ago and was told the person who i thought my line manager was didnt even work in the same building). I still need to submit my flexible working pattern which i need to discuss with my line manager so I am currently stressing about that!
I agree that it is annoying and we should be enjoying maternity leave not having to worry about what unknown situation we will be returning to however I think there is little you can do apart from put your choices in and submit a flexible working pattern based on the role you are allocated.

It's a nightmare isn't it.

I agree we should be enjoying maternity leave and I wish I could just forget about it but it's playing on my mind.

”That's the bit I guess I have issue with - that I have to spend my time on maternity looking into all the posts”

What would you prefer though? The alternative to spending some time during maternity leave looking at posts/getting your head round this would be not doing that, and leaving all the input/decisions about your own post up to them.

Don’t worry about ‘misleading’ them by applying for flexible working afterwards. That’s fine. If you want to know which posts might be more accommodating, you’ll need to ask.

Just keeping me in the post or a similar post that I already do so I don't have to highlight my skills and match them to the posts available really.

When everything is changing its not like I can pick a team I would like to work in and the role I do at the moment is very specialist. I can't see them doing away with that role so it seems silly to move me as I'm the one experienced in it.

If they won’t do away with your current role, put that as your number one preference and you’ll probably end up in it.

Get in touch with Pregnant then Screwed, they have a free legal helpline that might point you in the right direction

Thank you.

Yes I suppose that makes the most sense to put it as my first preference I just didn't know whether it can be expected that I need to do this whilst on maternity leave but it sounds completely appropriate from your advice so I will just have to suck it up.