Complain or just sit tight to job hunt when on Mat leave

[Latecomer131]

Apologies in advance, this is long and it has been typed from a phone, so I haven't been able to give it an in-depth proofread before posting.

I am almost 2 years into my role which is quite technical and specialised. Last year, I was put on projects where I led on the technical aspects. I received a great 360 performance review in terms of my ability to do the technical work, manage my aspect of my projects and teach skills to junior colleagues.

I was told by my line manager that I should be thinking about going for promotion, and things were looking great, until this year, when most of my time was assigned to assisting a senior colleague (one grade above me) with the technical aspects of a project.

To give context, this senior colleague is extremely experienced and knowledgeable in a technical area which is also an area that I work in. My skillset is somewhat different in that I have a broader range of technical skills related to the job whereas my senior colleague is extremely specialised in this one skill.

My colleague gets overworked due to being the only person who can use this skill on more complex projects, so our boss's idea was that assigning me to assist her would allow me to build on my existing knowledge and for her to delegate aspects of the project.

The issue, however; is that while this colleague is very gifted in this area, she is atrocious at giving explanations. She talks at the speed of light without pausing for a breath, never starts at the beginning, and jumps ahead and goes off on weird tangents whenever she describes a task. Also, despite her complaints about being overworked, she has no real interest in delegating anything, and has micromanaged every supposedly delegated task.

It's a vicious loop: her explanations are terrible, so I inevitably don't deliver what she wanted and she then uses this to justify micromanaging. It's soul destroying and making me extremely stressed, especially as her lack of delegation will affect my promotion prospects, as I have to demonstrate leading in certain aspects.

I have tried bringing this issue to my boss's attention, and his response was that I needed to give it time because being able to delegate and explain well was something my colleague needed to demonstrate for her own promotion move up to the next level, therefore she should have a personal interest in getting better at this.

It's three months later, and I still have no autonomy over my work and said colleague is still gatekeeping me from properly understanding the technical aspects of this project via her awful explanations. I have had enough, and really resent having my own promotion prospects derailed via being some sort of test case for someone known to lack delegation skills.

I am pregnant, and due to go on maternity leave in a few months, so my question is, is there any point in making my work life difficult by telling my boss that his plan for my colleague to learn delegation skills via working with me is still failing miserably? It's starting to seem more sensible that I just keep quiet and start job hunting as soon as I go on maternity leave in the autumn. (My role will involve frequent future collaboration with the difficult colleague, so the sensible thing seems to be to cut my losses and move on).

Posting here, as it would be useful to get the opinions of some neutral outsiders.

Do both tell manager and know you will have the opportunity to job hunt whilst on maternity leave?

Can you not suggest that explanations of process and requirement of task are submitted to you by email from now?

Speak to your boss about that suggestion, ask for a meeting between you, your boss and this woman to outline a new process going forward, so that it is all documented in writing.

He knows she cant explain or delegate. She knows as it is part of her performance criteria for promotion so it wont be a surprise to anyone if you ask to try a new method. The current way does not work.

And look for a new job too, just incase.

I'd definitely keep flagging. It's too easy to go from stellar performer to being rated average due to forces outside your control. You don't need to make a monstrous deal of it just put it on record consistently at your 121.

@Brokenpencilsarepointless I have tried that, but she said she was "too busy" to give explanations in writing.

What's been happening is that I have tried my best to write something coherent based on her awful explanations, and I then send it to her to revise. She then uses the amount of corrections she has to make to my write-up of our meetings as evidence that I don't understand, can't be delegated to yet, etc.

I do wonder if some of this is deliberate; that she purposely wants to keep me in the dark so she can hold on to her status as the team expert in this area. However, it's sabotaging her own promotion prospects!

Hmmm you definitely need to discuss it with your line manager.

I would also ask if she could feel threatened and perhaps is sabotaging thing subconsciously

But that's the problem. You're asking her.

Go through your line manager. Explain what you've said here.

I would flag it up with your manager that the situation hasn't improved and your progress is being hindered by her complete inability to explain. I wouldn't hold back. She is criticising you for not understanding concepts and not delegating as a consequence. You are clearly not stupid and she is the senior person with more knowledge. It is fair to say she is not doing what she has been asked to do and needs direction herself.

In the meantime, I would be looking for something else. Could you transfer internally?

Can you record all her verbal instructions then.

As she states she hasn't got time to write things down, this would be the most expedient next step surely

The issue with flagging it with my line manager again is that he line manages both me and the senior colleague, so it's sort of an indirect criticism of him. I also worry about being seen as a pain in the backside and therefore vulnerable to redundancy when the pregnancy is also added into the mix.

An internal transfer might be feasible, but it would require my line manager’s approval. He might be reluctant to agree, as it took about six months for them to find someone with my experience when they recruited for my role.

It's not a criticism of your line manager. The truth is his subordinate is ignoring his instructions.

Well he isnt managing very well, is he? So it is a criticism of him but it is a fair one. And his job is to deal with this.

How can you be at risk of redundancy if they spent months trying to recruit someone with your expertise, and wont be able to replace you easily so wont transfer you? Either you're not necessary, or you are hard to replace. Cant be both.

You obviously don't actually want to so anything about this. That's fine. You dont need to deal with this if you dont want to. Look for another job.

I have sadly worked for this type before.

Senior colleague is insecure and fears becoming dispensable if she is no longer the only expert in her particular area. She is undermining you to avoid losing this status and will find any excuse to discredit you.

Your Line Manager is unable to take effective action against her because (presumably) she is well thought of by senior management as she delivers consistently within her narrow area of expertise. Sadly this is of greater value to the company than avoiding damage to the career of a highly performing slightly more junior employee.

Sorry I can’t be more positive but you need to seek an internal transfer or get another job ASAP.

Thanks @Nammamua, I have decided to get out after my maternity leave, and have been in discussions with a recruiter this week.

I think you can simultaneously pursue both options and I think there is another avenue you should be pursuing. You appear to have placed all chances of learning this new technical skill on one person, it simply cannot be the case. I would be looking to find different ways to increase my knowledge and have often done independent research to close my work knowledge gaps, not simply expected more senior people to teach me.

@Aprilx, that would normally be my approach. I have a PhD and have largely self acquired my existing research skills.
However; the issue is that my workplace are pioneers in the particular technique that my senior colleague specialises in, to the extent that it's normally just us vs. one other company who bid for contracts involving this skill.
I can't use my usual route of looking at academic research and text books to self teach the skill, because such resources don't exist. My senior colleague is one of maybe two or three people in the country who carry out this stuff. It's a very new area.