I’ve posted before about my toxic work situation, I now meeting with HR next week and looking for some advice really to influence it in my direction.
Background: not long after I announced my pregnancy last year (March) there was a business restructuring, my role was put at risk and later made redundant (July). I was offered suitable alternative employment, which I accepted and it was shared with whole team in August. New role was supposed to start in October, right before I was due to go on maternity leave. Because of the situation, I was advised by line managers to close down my work and the logistics of the new role would be discussed when I returned to work the following year.
However, from March onward any work I was given was either a dead end, not a business priority or passed onto someone else once I got it to it’s near end point, meaning others took credit. I raised all this with senior managers and it was all deflected.
While on leave, I was requested to do a performance review, which I found strange. But I was told it was just a formality. It wasn’t, it was extremely negative. I was deemed a low performer and my variable pay was slashed. I ended up raising a case through HR, I won the appeal in August. Since then trying to get my line managers to agree to anything had been stonewalled. My rating is still in the system along with the comments, the pay was only actioned after HR chased them 3 times. My maternity return date wasn’t changed from August to end of September, despite the initial request being submitted in January, followed up again in March with HR cc’d in, which my line current line manager acknowledged, and several times after that. Date wasn’t changed. So I got partially paid and it’s now being clawed back. I tried negotiating with payroll but they have a policy on clawbacks, I can’t set my own amount.
Line managers wouldn’t confirm a return to work meeting with me. Nor refer me to OH for reasonable adjustments. I have a disability. They are aware. There is an OH report on it from 2023 but it was not noted as impacting performance. Not until that performance review, but they suggested they have supported my ‘health issues and pregnancy’. I discovered last wee the OH report is not on my HR file but I have a copy and email trail. I’ve had to try and raise an order for workplace adjustments myself but it will still have to be signed off. I returned to work last week. No welcome back message went out to the team or function. No one knew I was back.
Line manager has avoided me in person. Has only communicated through Teams. I had to initiate contact. She has not signed off anything like my mobile app access I need to keep in touch. Won’t add me to meetings. Wider team only found out I was back because my function manager had to acknowledge my presence on a team call on Thursday. It’s noted I’m on the final team structure released end of last week but my functional manager tried to persuade me to take a job that doesn’t exist, that ‘we could write together’ and doesn’t really match my skill set. He wouldn’t put it in writing though. Only thing they signed off is my accrued leave so I have 4 day weeks, and I’m not at work probably.
I have pushed both function and line managers on the job details. I have accepted the role, it’s on the team I have always been on, it’s in writing.
I did get a response on Teams from the line manager eventually that there is no suitable alternative employment on my team.
I honestly think up to the day I came back they were hoping I’d quit. Why not offer me redundancy last year? Why make me quit? I’ve been there a long time with solid good performance reviews. I need the money, I had 2 kids now and a mortgage plus childcare bills. The job market is terrible. It’ll take time to find another job. I have been looking.
I’ve spoken to ACAS, a lawyer and others and apparently in need to get them to the table first and agree to a severance if that is what I want. I also don’t want compromise myself in the HR meeting.
Apparently I have now been added to team meetings, but it only happened on Friday, when I was off. Also a welcome email went out to my team from my line manager. They don’t know I’m there and I was on leave Friday anyway. She didn’t want me to add anyone to my OoO.
I could see line manager was available next Tuesday so asked to catch up. She messaged me that she was off. I can see her diary! She’s in!! But she is off after for 2 weeks. Even if they accept I’m in the role I think the bullying will continue. Any advice on how to navigate until I can leave?