HR HELP

[Couldntthinkofausername24]

I am currently on maternity leave and just need some help with the below please. Just as I was about to finish for maternity leave I took a week off sick and came back to find out my colleague had been promoted to manager. Her new job was a none existent job and was never advertised. I was advised when i returned by whatsapp 'oh by the way I am now your boss' nothing was put in writing and I had no idea this change was happening. According to acas, you don't have to advertise a job however it is in your best interest to do so if you have someone under the protected characteristics I.e me as I was expecting at the time.

Since then her old job role has gone up for advert but I wasn't advised on this and the post has now been closed

Is all this allowed to happen? Should I have kept an eye out on the company vacancies on my maternity leave.

I really don't know how to deal with it all. It seems really dodgy to me

Thanks

Moving someone into the role without advertising it is legal - you may feel you were discounted because you're pregnant but it's more difficult to prove this as I assume some time has passed?

The new vacancy was advertised but you weren't notified - there is case law showing that to be sex discrimination as you were on maternity leave and your employer should be alerting you to suitable roles.

Depends if you want to take it further.

@jollyyellow thanks so much for your reply.

This all happened in November of last year.

Regarding the new made up job, she asked for a pay rise originally but it was declined so she threatened to leave but as she is very close with our director she suddenly became manager out of the blue.

I'm pissed off obviously because I'm on mat leave with a new baby and feel a bit vulnerable and wouldn't even know where to start in terms of taking it further

You are possibly too late or within days of being so anyway. And your have to PROVE you were discounted due to the pregnancy - so why was everyone else discounted, were they all pregnant too?

Honestly, by your own version of events, she was going to leave, they acted to keep her. No other reason than that.

I understand that you are disappointed, but you have a huge mountain to climb, and I don't see it...