Returning from maternity, altered role

[ARealFake]

I don't know where I stand with this, I don't want to rock the boat as I love my job but I'm not going back to the exact same role.

I'm returning from a year's maternity leave next year and I've dropped my hours by one day. I work as a Personal Assistant, my contract says PA to XXX so a specific person. Because of the drop in hours I've been told I cannot go back to the same role, I will be in the same team, the same line manager, the same everything but I will be PA to someone else, I'm not happy about this as have a great relationship with the person I PA to but they want someone full time.

Would you say nothing and see how it goes? My maternity cover is now going to do my job full time, I feel really upset by this.

I believed that in practice, there is little difference between the rights of an employee returning within the first 26 weeks of maternity leave and those of an employee returning after 26 weeks because it is very difficult for an employer to argue that it is not "reasonably practicable" for an employee to return to the same job as they carried out before they went on maternity
leave. Your employer can't just keep your temp maternity cover in your job and transfer you elsewhere - if your job still exists, it can't just be handed to someone else.

If I were to return full time

You asked for part time, that’s what you got.

I understand your upset but you've told your employer that you no longer want to work full time, what did you expect would happen? That theyd turn it into a job share and recruit someone for one day a week?

Have you spoken to your old boss about it, do you know if she/he might be prepared to reconsider

I know you are upset but the job is the same job, the person is irrelevant, your job is pa
You created the change in contract by requesting to go back part time
The original person you supported will have agreed the 4 days for your return and are clearly happy enough to have the other person supporting 5 days

I'm an ea, i support two people, last year i was given a new person to support, they had a bad reputation and the previous ea had fallen out with them so I was reluctant however it was great, we got on brilliantly and no issues. Change happens. You created the change, there is no illegal thing happening you have your old job bs k with the days you want. The person is irrelevant

This. Personally if the person you support is a busy person I don't understand how this job can be done part time. You're literally a personal assistant.

I don’t understand the issue. You were told you could go back to work for XXX but it had to be full time, you didn’t want to go full time if I am reading this properly? So you did have the choice.

Also don’t understand your question about being consulted, you have been consulted, as in you were asked what you wanted.

I honestly do not see any issue here, XXX requires a full time assistant, you didn’t want to do that, you have been offered an alternative. I think your organisation has acted entirely properly.

But what do you expect that person to do when you're not there? Do it themselves? I'm really surprised that you don't think this is a big deal (unless you don't do much anyway). I worked somewhere where someone had every second Friday off, and it was an absolute nightmare as the rest of the staff had to pick up the slack. Your job does still exist, but the requirement is 5 days a week

This is a really good post.

Op, i’m struggling to think of anyone I know IRL who hasn’t had lots of change at work that also involves working for different people or big change in their roles. I’m thinking office workers, teachers, NHS staff, retail workers etc. Please don’t be so afraid of change. Companies change after a whole year. Please embrace the change.

Can you speak to CXX about it directly? I know some senior people who will cut across all HR rules to have someone they like and are used to supporting them.

I get it OP. While they are not doing anything wrong, like others have said, it would have been nice if when you initially said you’d like to come back four days a week they had given you a heads up that reducing your days would mean you couldn’t support CXX anymore. It would have given you the chance to say well in that case I’d prefer to come back full time and keep supporting CXX. Is it too late for you to go back to them and say actually you’ll work full time if you can have the same job back? If that is what, on balance, you would like to do.

Why would you think that XXX would not have been consulted on this already? . I would be just about certain that XXX would have been asked if four days was sufficient and they said no I require support five days a week.

So you put in your flexible working request, it was approved and you were told your role had changed? When was this? I think that whenever you were told this then that was the time to say - hang on, if my role is changing then I'd prefer to withdraw my flexible working request and return to the same post.

Essentially, I think they could change your role anyways as they only have to offer you a similar role but they no longer would have had the reduction in hours as a reason to change it.

Would you expect to lose your job if the role of chief xx was no longer there?

Companies restructure all the time. A company can even get rid of a CEO role and replace with something else.

You returned after 26 weeks and on different terms. I get you are unhappy. I get you feeling your mat cover is rubbing it in your face. But how would she know you wanted that role. As far as she knows you wanted to work 4 days. That’s what you got. Why would they have any clue you are unhappy or that you want that role? I think that might be projection.

I don’t understand how you thought you could go back on less hours and didn’t think that it may require a change of role?

@FredaFox makes an excellent point. If that person left the company would you expect to be made redundant? I also agree that change is good and is likely to be better for to have a chance to learn some new skills working with someone else

But you went to them very clearly requesting to reduce your hours to four days. It wasn’t presented as an either/or situation so they couldn’t have known you were flexible. Unfortunately for you, they have done everything correctly in the best interests of the business so I don’t think you have any redress.

As for your maternity cover lording it, I had this - it was my choice to do a lesser role - they will settle down. They are probably feeling unnerved you are back and how pleased people are to see you, when they now have to prove themselves in the job. Be breezy and polite and don’t let it get to you.

Your job wasn’t just handed to someone else.

Your previous role was a 5 day a week role. You chose not to work 5 days a week. It’s incredibly naive to assume you can return, after 26 weeks, to less hours and keep the exact same job.

If who you worked for was so important why didn’t you ask? You could have asked if the role you did for the person you did it for could be done 4 days.

You need to consider that you have chosen yourself not to return to the same job. Because you wanted to reduce your hours. Ultimately your employer has accompanied you on that.

Is the real bugbearto do with the status of the rile you were in prior to maternity leave? PA to Chief XXX is higher status that PA to Chief YYY? So you feel that you have been pushed down the ranks as punishment for taking maternity leave?

Are you sure your upset is not partly just because you are leaving your child after a year. It takes some adjustment. Whilst I understand it might have been easier to go back into the same job they didn't have to keep it open and it might not feel the same after a week or so because the other role sounds more pressurised and your old boss might be annoyed if you are less efficient than you were before.

If you have seen your replacement around it must be still a fairly small office or at least you are near to former workers so I would try to embrace the learning opportunities in your new role.

Good post from
@FredaFox

I am sympathetic in general as going back to work post mat leave is hard and I've seen a lot of women feel displaced and insecure about their position. Becoming a mother generally is a time of massive change and can be difficult to navigate.

BUT I don't really get your point on "if I'd known I'd have gone back FT!"

If you'd really wanted that you'd just have gone back fulltime...

You, as I understand it, went back saying I want to work 4 days. Because you want time with your child who rightly is a priority

They (graciously) accommodated that in the same role just not for the same person.
They then made business decisions based on your ask.

The whole mat leave cover "rubbing it in you face" seems childish and like it's not quite the reality of the situation....

I honestly don't get why you would care what's she's doing? It's the same pay and you get the workload balance you want and need.
If anything I'd be jealous of you...

You need to give your head a wobble and accept your current situation and the choices you made.

The company have behaved properly / well here. This is your own insecurity/ fear of change coming out.

IMO they wouldn’t necessarily have been unreasonable to require you to work for a different person, even had you been working FT. They’ve given you back the same role.

Sadly, if CEO wanted you specifically she or he could have asked for you.

Would focus on doing a good job for the person you’re now PA for, and on the overall transition back to work as a parent.

OP, I just want to say I totally understand how you feel - I was a PA for years and who you work for and their job and how interesting it is, is what makes the PA role enjoyable not diary management and travel booking. The rapport and relationship is key. So I get why you’re upset - I think people who haven’t done it, don’t understand and genuinely think it doesn’t matter who you work for.

I sadly don’t think you do have a leg to stand on but you could raise it informally but it might rock the boat. I recommend you just “lean in”, enjoy your day off in the week, build a good relationship with your new principal and make the choice to love it.

OP if you feel this strongly you should go to HR on Monday and ask if you could have your old job back if you retract your request for a four day week. Hopefully they will agree.

Your maternity cover was literally there just to cover your position for you while you were away so there's little doubt that you would have returned to the same position if you had gone back full time in the first place.

They’ve already agreed the contract change because OP has gone back. Unless the company’s policies are more generous she’ll have to wait 12 months to make another request.

I do agree with you that they should have said yes you can reduce to a four day week but this will mean you will be supporting Chief Y as Chief X needs full time cover. It would have been decent of them to let you know in advance and give you the chance to decide whether you wanted to return full time instead. In your position I probably would have also assumed that I was returning to work for my original boss four days a week.