HELP is this title change allowed now I’m back from maternity leave!?

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I’m just off maternity leave so not sure if I’m being overly sensitive or whether to start pushing back.

I wasn’t treated overly well during maternity leave by HR/the wider business (despite it being a big company and I’d have assumed would be on the right side of the law regarding this kind of thing)

My current job title is that of a manager, since coming back off maternity leave my team has merged with another, in this other team my counterpart is an ‘analyst’ as her title. Since we both do the same job we’ve split the workload and now have dedicated responsibilities.

An example would be if I was Recruitment and onboarding manager and she was recruitment and onboarding analyst. We were both responsible for recruitment and onboarding, now one of us is responsible for recruitment only the other onboarding only.

My new manager notified me last week he wanted to speak to HR to get my title changed to more accurately reflect one of us now does recruitment and the other onboarding. I assumed this would mean my role would now be ‘recruitment manager’

however I’ve just been sent (unofficially) the new org chart my manager has created and I’m listed as recruitment analyst.

To me the term analyst seems a lot less snr than manager, and it seems to be the case across the business and in other businesses within the sector.

Am I right to be annoyed about this and can they effectively ‘downgrade’ my title if all other benefits stay the same?

Definitely push back.

Words matter.

After what you’ve said about how they treated you generally on leave and how they’ve been with this ‘downgrade in name’, I would for sure be looking for a new organisation to work for, where they valued me and my time.

Couldn’t disagree with you more. Analyst has been the lowest level in Finance in every multinational I’ve ever worked in. Also very senior and have analysts, senior analysts, lead analysts, managers and senior managers in my department. It also doesn’t matter if someone from an org that is structured differently breezes in and says meh, no problem. The OP has already been asked if she’s stepped down, so in her org an analyst is perceived as junior. I would notice this on a CV and it isn’t 100% guaranteed I would believe the explanation even if it didn’t rule the candidate out at sifting stage.

I agree with previous posters that analyst is usually a junior or graduate entry role. I would also resist particularly if you are being singled out. I would also suggest looking at your contract to see what your role is specified as, if it is manager I would note to HR that you don't agree to a unilateral change in the terms of your contact. Also I assume you have control over your own signature block on emails, if your role is set out in your email id change it back to previous job title.

Not quite the same but I had a title change from Officer to Assistant shortly after I returned following a bereavement, no changes to role or pay, just the title - pushed back and was told it was standard across the organisation for my grade, which was the final push for me to leave and go fully self employed, as if nothing else it would have looked like I'd been demoted on my CV if I'd stayed and accepted it! Job titles do matter, much as I wish they didn't.

Hope you're able to push back to get your counterpart's title changed instead of yours.

Oh yes, I’ll be waiting my year out (have to stay a year unless I want to pay back my enhanced mat leave!) and then starting to look - as honestly it’s put such a bad taste in my mouth the whole situation

There isn’t a different job spec

To be fair neither manager or analyst really ‘fit’ our roles, as we are in specialist functions, but manager fits better than analyst since neither of us analyse anything

The title may matter if you leave. I think you and your counterpart need to discuss what titles you would both be happy with, and approach HR together. There should be consistency across both roles, but I can understand why you are not happy about this particular title change.

We had a restructure in our teams (local government) the managers became analysts and senior managers became business partners.
Both manage people but we don't seem to have many manager titles anymore

Then they can legally give you a different job.

It might be less senior. But it's also that when they want to make redundancy, they can make the role recruitment managers redundant while retaining recruitment analysts. It's very common from what I have seen over the years.

After I’m already back?

How long does that apply for?

There is no restriction on your employer changing your job title. They can do so at any time. Whether they can do so without your consent depends on what it says in your contract. They definitely need your consent if the changed title results in a change of duties, salary, grade, benefits or similar.

I think I'm in minority that I don't see an issue, in my team we have 2 'managers' and 4 analysts... analysts are paid alot more and are on the same structure level as the managers!
When it comes to CV's titles aren't that important, responsibilities are.

I get that

i was replying to someone who said that they can change my job since I’m back off mat leave, even though it’s been 6 weeks. Surely there is a cut off for larger changes?

No, there is no cut off.

So I can return from maternity leave, be working for 5 years after that and they can still give me a different job since I took more than 6 months of maternity leave?

Doesn’t sounds right

Your maternity leave is completely irrelevant. As long as you are employed, they can change your job title regardless of whether you have been on maternity leave. However, as per my first post, they may need your consent for the change and they definitely need your consent if it involves other changes.

I am not referring to my title. That other poster said they can legally give me another job.

I was responding to that.

Which is what I am challenging

Teams have merged there’s been a restructuring
I’d be careful you could easily talk yourself into redundancy

A change to your duties, salary, etc. can happen at any time but requires your consent.

Eh considering how many laws were broken and grievances raised during my maternity leave I’d hope they wouldn’t be that silly

Even more reason to tread carefully
some companies will just take the hit at the tribunal knowing full well what they are doing is wrong
Yes they have to compensate but under no obligation to reinstate

Contact the charity Pregnant then Screwed for advice. They advocate and advise on discrimination against mothers in the workplace.

Obviously meant ‘job’ not ‘jib’ - clearly I do need my glasses in the morning 😂

I also worked for a major bank (within the last 3 years), different industries before that. I sort of understand what @Aprilx is saying.

In banking, an analyst is the lowest grade for everything. HR, finance, operations, investment banking, whatever. Then you have associate, VP, SVP, Director, Managing Director. In the US it's the other way around VP is more senior than director.

In other industries I've seen the two terms refer to strategic roles vs day-to-day operations. A finance analyst is the former. Determining profitability, optimising costs, allocating money at a strategic level.
A finance manager is the latter. Budgetary control, forecasting, preparing information for audit and tax. Very procedural.

Someone working for a finance manager is usually a finance/accounts assistant or bookkeeper. Above the manager, a finance controller (if the firm's large enough). A financial analyst is usually the lowest in the 'strategic' hierarchy , then senior financial analyst, and then head of finance for abc department . Or finance business partner for abc department.

I've seen analyst to manager also but not as much as the above, and usually with qualifications. E.,g 'commercial finance analyst' to 'commercial finance manager' .