Hi,
Help!
5 years ago, I asked my boss at the time for a title change from Sr Specialist to Manager. This was to reflect the additional work load I had taken on over many years prior and the responsibility had become more senior in its nature (supporting top accounts etc). He agreed in writing that a plan would be put in place for this to happen at my next review period and that he would speak to my new line manager to get this implemented. My new boss told me he'd spoken to someone in the US and they required more demonstration of project work. So that year I dutifully took on a huge project, presented the findings to America and went off on maternity leave.
..About 6 weeks after I'd left, my colleague contacted me (same level, same work), informing me that he had changed her title and I should follow up with him. I did, to which he told me this would be sorted out when I returned to work. I got back to work and he told me I could work towards this at the end of that year, so I carried on doing more project work. During that year he was moved aside (for bullying reported by my other colleague) and she was moved into his place! I now report to her!! That Manager role was not advertised externally or internally and I was not given the opportunity to apply, I was just informed you are now to report into x.
X was sympathetic and told me she would help support to get my title change to Sales Ops manager but it couldn't be in FY20 as she'd only just got the role. During that year I worked on a huge project that I came up with the original idea, led on and executed presenting the material to senior management. This year I've done even more projects, taken on 2 additional senior accounts, one of which was a lot of support and my name was mentioned in an email to the VP of the company. I was told at the beginning of this year, and half way through the year that she was working on my title change and should happen end of this year. I asked her if she could provide me with a job description as there wasn't one for the role, there is an internal description but that's it. She would not have come up with this had I not asked her to. In August a new girl joined and we were told she could help support our department for 6 months, she does not report into my boss. My boss told me to onboard her on various things, so I reached out and did that, she also asked me to delegate work to her which I did when I had work to give, but I was very busy keeping on top of all the additional project work I was now doing.
..Anyway, at my end of year review on Monday she told me "The title change isn't happening, I thought long and hard about it, but I feel that you didn't demonstrate managerial capabilities because you didn't delegate enough to this girl and she was coming to me to ask questions a lot (they are both located in the same office!! I am in a different country's office! No one can fly due to Covid). I was not made clear at ANY point that this would depend on my title change, also NO WHERE in the internal description of the role does it mention managing people and also the role itself wouldn't require me to manage anyone currently (we havent had the budget to add an additional person in our team for years!), I am her only report, so I'm not sure how that's relevant. She then finished off by telling me she would be reducing her hours next year!! No mention of how that would impact me. As well as the comment "I was a lot older than you when I got my promotion, so you have time"...I mean wtf!!! I've been at the company longer than her and trained her ffs, my only sin was having a baby!
I am beyond annoyed now as I've done everything they've asked. I am absolutely capable of the role and doing the role now frankly and have been for awhile, I am certainly doing a very similar role to her as it is already!
Before anyone says why the hell haven't I jumped ship years ago, its because my son was young and its a very flexible working from home role, for a well known blue chip company, with alot of perks.
We are going IVF transfers at the moment to try and have a second so may well be pregnant next year anyway so won't care so much but I'm just livid that I keep being taken advantage of. I am certain that next year they will try and put me on some kind of promotion plan but if I were to have another baby would the same thing happen again?!
I get consistently good feedback, and am well respected by colleagues. I said to her during the call, look if I'm not going to get the title change, then I need to stop doing all this additional project work then as that's definitely not part of my current job description and I'm working late 3 evenings a week on calls to the US missing out on time with my family!
Can anyone provide me with some practical advice on what to do?