anybody's maternity cover person got too comfy & how did you deal with it???

[daisydodo]

I'm due to return to work in a few weeks. The girl doing my maternity cover has stepped up a couple of grades to do my job for the last 9 months. (I was on £15k more than her before she stepped up as have 6 yrs experience that she doesn't have and she was working in a different dept).

However, she's become increasingly more and more confident, being quite vocal about what she expects when i return to work.

I've requested part-time hours, so they're considering keeping a f-t post and having a p-t one, as the job can justify the extra hours. I've requested flexible working and have told my boss I feel the post can develop in another area, which I have previous expertise in and he's happy for me to try that out. She is telling me which bits she's willing to do and which we will need to discuss between us as she's not prepared to do some areas. She's told me she's found me another desk (i.e. she thinks she's going to stay in mine) and has told me she'll cover some bits for me for the first month, but not after that.

I don't see my boss very often, and seeing it all written down it sounds a bit petty so I wouldn't want to discuss it with him at this stage, but there have been lots of little digs along the way where it feels like she's undermining my confidence (I would rather be a SAHM but we need at least p-t hours to pay towards the bills) and thinks she is going to take over my post permanently.

My understanding is that on return to work from maternity leave, it's up to any individual (inc. the person who has covered for you) to apply for any job that remains after you've changed your conditions, not for them to specify what they want and what you should be doing to fit in with their plans. I'm not overly ambitious, but have ended up in a good job through study, hard work and working my way up patiently. She's had a lucky break as I persuaded my boss to give her a go in the cover post - he didn't even want to interview her as she didn't meet all the criteria, but there wasn't anybody else interested due to the short period of cover required.
I don't really know the best way forward, has anybody dealt with something similar? Be grateful for any advice - bearing in mind I do have to work with her for a few months at least. TIA.

I think everyone feels nervous when going back if their maternity cover is still going to be around.

I know I did and it all turned out well. However this is a different situation and if you play it carefully then it could work out to both of your advantage. I know you don't want to hear this but it sounds as if your mat cover has done a good job and the best way to deal with this is to acknowledge this gracefully and publicly, but from your own desk !

Strictly speaking if you go p/t it is up to your manager to decide which parts of the role you keep. I would write a list for your boss of everything that should be covered between the p/t and f/t position and then put forward your suggestions of how best it could be split then suggest that you have a discussion with your colleague and your manager about how they see it. I'd keep it professional and amicable and I would keep in mind what the end game is, which is to get the hours you want and hopefully doing the parts of the role you prefer.

thanks. the thing is my manager has said he is happy to go with what I want to do - and I have acknowledged publicly and often that she's done a good job - the difficult part you see is that we have become friendly, - which is why I encouraged her to go for the job and persuaded my boss to give her a go! It's all been put in writing to my boss a few months ago, the prob is he's v.busy and trusts me to get on with the job, so I have minimal supervision etc.

the tricky thing atm is I popped in the office last week and said I'd thought about the desk issue and would like to have my own desk back when I return to work . she was funny about it and I ended up mumbling well lets see next week. I REALLY do want my desk back but don't know how to get it without making a big deal now. I know it sounds ridiculous - I can't believe I'm writing it all down, it sounds like classroom stuff, but I never imagined she's be like this!

Daisy I'd be quite firm. You have said you want your desk back, I'd just act as though that's what's going to happen, ignore her being 'funny', just don't acknowledge it, that way if she has a problem she'll have to come out with it and spell it out rather than just being sulky or whatever. If she has to do that she'll sound ridiculous.

It sounds like you are allowing her confidence to undermine your own. I don't think you have to make a big deal to get your desk back, more that you should act all matter-of-fact so that she has to make a big deal for you not to have it back, iyswim?

Regarding your division of responsibilities, again don't let her say what she is and isn't willing to do. As cookierookie says, if possible have a discussion with her, look at all the work that needs doing, see if you can work it out between you, identify those tasks which neither of you are keen on, and divide them up fairly. Bottom line, if you can't agree, it's for your manager to decide.

thanks sounds sensible!

daisy, you've got it the wrong way round! It is your desk, I can't believe she is being so cheeky as to try to claim it! Tell her you are taking it back, no ifs, no buts!

daisydodd

Exactly the same happened to me. I recommended the girl who covered my maternity because I knew she would do a good job, but she completely took over and it was a living nightmare when I went back to work.
I had left specific instructions about the new intranet she was supposed to be building in my absence, and she ignored all instruction, used different software, and managed to launch it the week before I returned to work so there wasn't a lot I could do about it!
She kept vital info about work close to her chest, so I ended up looking incompetent as I wasn't aware of certain work issues. Fortunately, she got a job closer to home and left, but she left me with a lot of problems to sort out.
The only advice I would give to you is to be assertive. I wasn't, and I got walked all over. It was YOUR job, and YOUR desk, and whilst I agree that you should publicly acknowledge the good job she's done, you need to take charge of who is doing what, make it clear what responsibilities you will be undertaking, and what you think she should be doing.
I know I'm only reiterating everyone else's advice, but I'm still seething about my own experience, and sympathise in a big way

thanks for the extra replies! Makes me feel am not being weird about wanting my desk back! cheers.

I am also still seething about my experience.

I left my job after 4 months back from maternity leave because I couldn't bear the girl who had acted up in my absence (and then gone back to being a junior staff member managed by me on my return).
I made a huge effort not to step on her toes and to include her in decision making on my return, because I had been in her position before, and didn't want to step on her toes. Big mistake. She shafted me big time - bad mouthed me to management, sabotaged my work, spread gossip about me around the office, made my life unbearable.
Unluckily for me, my extremely supportive and wonderful boss at the time I went on maternity leave moved to another department, and I had the woman-hater from hell as my new boss. He had no experience of my work, and sided with her. I took it to HR, it dragged on for weeks and was absolutely awful. In the end, I left.
I don't regret my decision (it was time to move on, anyway - I have since embarked on a career change and am much happier) but the memory of how I was treated in an organisation that I had worked for for almost my entire working life still makes me boil with anger.

Be firm. Set your ground rules now. Record details of every interaction between you and keep emails etc just in case the worst happens.

I don't want to be pessimistic, just talking from bitter experience.

Hi ! Just on the desk issue,I am 12 weeks into my maternity leave and when I popped in the office,my desk had been nicked as well, even though there were plenty of others ! And, to top it off, we are moving offices which I knew before hand and I requested to have a decent seat, but suprise suprise, as I am not there I have been forgotten...do they not realise how it makes you feel to be excluded ? I've only had a baby, not died !

My team has moved while I was on maternity leave and my things were in boxes which have been lost

I really feel for you daisydodo. Luckily my cover was a temp but she was convinced she'd be made permanent even though she was hopeless and no one ever intimated her contract would be extended. She didn't tell anyone outside the team that she was going either so I'm now having to pick up pieces which makes me look extremely incompetent.

If you let her have your desk, it will be a small victory and lead to other IMO. I agree with flowery - act like it's rightfully yours (as it is) and ignore any silliness on her part.

Oh what a timely thread! I've just gone back to work after almost 10 months off. I insisted they cover my job while I was off (they weren't going to) because there was the potential for everything to slide. They transferred someone in from another office and she liked it so much she asked to stay on Unfortunately the colleague I worked closely with got a new job a month after I went on leave so his replacement and mine have it all sewn up.

Then to cap it all someone else has transferred in because she has moved house. She has taken over my desk and I've been bundled downstairs into what is effectively a corridor

My boss has put me on an area of work I have never done before. The 2 "new girls" have both got experience of this work but are doing the work I am experienced at. I'm not being very productive because I'm not really in the right frame of mind to be picking up a new (and it seems very boring) task.

I can't do anything about it either. I might try and have a "chat" with my boss this week and ask why they picked me for this. The other unfortunate factor is I only got this boss about 4 months before I went off so she doesn't know me and I don't know how many waves I can make with her.

Doesn't make you feel any better about being back, does it?