Expected to cover another Managers team

[Newyorklady]

So I manage a large team.
25 plus staff.
A fellow team manager has been off sick for 6 months and the my own line manager was covering her (higher level so paid considerably more) has also now gone off sick.
I offered to do some light support to the team to help out.
I then got a message to say I am covering this team fully and that was ‘all parts of the role’. She said as I had volunteered I should now just do this.
There is a lot involved.
Instructed by the manager covering my manager to put my own team work aside and prioritise this team. I feel this is an absurd request as the team u manage is large and we are currently experiencing a lot of change, so I am in demand.
The otter team work out of hours. I do not.
i won’t receive any additional pay for this.
i am extremely unhappy that my offer to assist has turned into me fully covering a full team as well as my own,
I wrote to the covering manager to tell her I felt she had misunderstood and my offer was the light support not fully covering the role.
Her response. Nothing, No acknowledgment. Nothing.
Why is it organisations massively take the p. out of those who offer help/support.
There are other managers offer no help or support. I feel I am being out in considerably.
I feel she has been rude and disrespectful today by not acknowledging or replying and am now backing away from any support.
My lesson here is not to offer any help again.
Whete do I stand in this as they cannot force me to manage another team.

They need to get a locum or another person to step up, not you covering two roles
Talk to your union
keep all email correspondence related to this
if you were to work OOH you need to be remunerated and have adequate rest the next work day
institutionally they have a problem, 2 managers off sick, is the job too stressful? They need to appoint someone eg locum,secondment or acting up

Nhs or local authority?

I understand that can be frustrating and you feel taken advantage of.

You have sent an email explaining you was offering light support, not a take over, so that’s that’s, do no more. If you are pulled up on why things are not done, you can say you clarified the situation with a email stating support only but received no reply. This isn’t your problem.

(If you want too) If they insist for you to take the role over, on top of your own, say you may be willing to consider this with a substantial pay rise, once the contract for a pay rise is in your hand with the new pay stated, you will cover the team.

Don’t let this get to you though, you’ve done nothing wrong, the other manager shouldn’t have assumed, this isn’t your problem to fix.

Do it for a substantial pay rise maybe in corporate or elsewhere not in public sector

Are they both out on stress?

LA

We aren’t being told the reasons for one (suspected grievance) the other is genuine health issue but I do suspect being over worked contributed.
i have no intention of allowing them to do this to me too.
i value my wellbeing and personal life.
I am committed to my role and my team are high performers and we are a well run generally happy team (odd HR issue) but I’ve no intention of this affecting my health.

Do you work in CP?section 45 work etc

Unable to say exactly due to outing but not cp Section 45.

You’ve been Really badly treated, esp when you offered limited cover & good will
Systemically,Your LA need to review the role ,workload and retention.not abuse their existing staff
Do contact your union and keep all correspondence
Wishing you well and take care.

Gosh you can see why everyone is going off sick can’t you - self defence! You can see what the “leadership” will do to you because they’ve done it to others - dump everything on you until you break and then find someone else to dump it all on when you end up off sick too.

I don’t think extra pay is the answer here, it doesn’t make you any more able to do two whole jobs at once does it - plus if it’s an LA I’d be astounded if they would even entertain paying you more.

Oh they’d never pay me. I’ve covered whole teams before without an extra penny.
I'm pushing back as why should I cover anything after the way I was treated.

An update to get thoughts.
I have covered some of the tasks on this team this week.
They are quite operationally important in order for the team to continue tasks.
sent at least 3 emails in to my covering manager updating her.
Response - zero.
No acknowledgment. No thank you. Complete silence.
I have so far ignored this however when I spoke to some peers they say I should address her directly about how poorly I’ve been treated. They say they are appalled at her response.
The reason I haven’t is she will blame me and say I complained about covering even though I volunteered.
Thoughts ?

I wouldn’t get into a direct you said X conversation with her,she’ll deny & obfuscate
Unlikely she’ll say, well thanks for raising that with me, I’ll pop it into my CPD
So, keep the emails. Have a think medium term

Your boss clearly does not care about your wellbeing. Volunteering to take on extra work out of goodwill does not contractually put the work on you forever. If you have already formally emailed withdrawing your offer due to stress caused then in your shoes I would do the following:

1. Self certificate stress for 5 days.
2. Reading between the lines I anticipate your boss will be calling you during this time. So make it very clear (but not in as many words) that you will get your doctor to sign you off long term unless the situation is resolved in your favour in writing. eg say something like 'I need to go and have a word with my doctor to see what needs to happen to make me better. I will of course let you know what they say'
3. If the work is not removed from you then get signed off. Fuck her.

The above depends on you having a low track record of time off sick. You do not want them starting any warning proceedings against you.

Good luck.

forward your complaint email to the manager above the manager. Say you will be going to HR as this is unfair.

then speak to your HR dept about how unhappy you are. They may advise you to write a grievance. HR is there to support managers.

This would be very difficult for me to do as they think the Managers above me can do no wrong and they would blame me. It would be “well you said you would help out”
Plus my own Manager who is currently off sick and I have a good relationship with, is very close to this Manager so I know it would just make things worse for me. No good could come of it.
If she continues to blank me though I fully intend to ask for someone else to manage me until my own Manager returns.
Its not the first time covering Manager has treated me badly, I know her tactics.

Btw the irony of all this is that said Manager has a key role in championing the organisations Wellbeing for staff and takes credit for it.
Behind the scenes doesn’t give a jot for anyone’s wellbeing.