My line manager is rerusing to manage me

[Zigzaglace]

I'm semi retired and doing some part time work on casual hours, that uses some of the knowledge from my experience but is several grades lower than my old job with no real responibility. It's fab 😄

The senior manager who was managing me retired and they haven't directly replaced him. Instead they have asked the woman who works along side me to do it. I don't know what grade she is. Our jobs are similar but different, I assume she is a bit more senior.

She is younger than me and much less experienced, she calls on my experience daily, which is fine, I'm very happy to share/pass it on. She has never managed anyone before and feels uncomfortable managing me - she says it's ridiculous I know so much more than she does.

I've spoken the big boss about the fact that it's a big change to her role and he said she was appointed into a development role and it was always planned that she would take over line management of my role (not me at that time) when senior manager retired. She doesn't seem to recall this.

I've spoken to my colleague and said really, I'll be very easy to manage, I can support with paperwork, do it and then you'll have line management on your CV, but she's not bothered about that as she doesn't want to progress. I've also tried to explain that managers often manage people whose actual jobs they couldn't do. E.g. I used to manage maintenance staff.

Big boss basically says tough, that's her role.

I feel a bit rudderless, which is fine day to day I csn manage myself, but I do need someone to go to re e.g. changes to my very flexible hours according to workload. If I take them to her she passes it on to big boss who takes weeks to reply.

He's also leaving in 3 months (yes definitely a pattern of rats and sinking ships, but I can live with that, I don't need a future and the work and hours suit me beautifully) so I'd like to have this fixed/agreed before he goes.

Because of my previous roles, I often feel that I might be speaking out of turn and telling senior people what to do (because it's obvious to me) but what would you do in my shoes?

What help do you actually need, if he is leaving in 3 months can you get your hours sorted out with him before he leaves. Do you feel a bit resentful that's she's younger, less experienced and doesn't want to be a manager.

I don't feel resentful of her at all. I suppose having been very career orientated I'm surprised she wouldn't see this as an easy way to develop her CV, but I'm very happy not to have her job.

I just need someone to go to on the odd occasion I need something. If I go directly to Big Boss, he just tells me to take it to LM, she says she'll speak to BB and nothing further happens.

@Zigzaglace Slopey shouldered managers are a pain.

The only thing I can suggest is consider how you present the decision to her. For example Dear x Looking at the work load for the next 6 weeks I will need to work 20 hours a week. Unless you disagree I will work 7 hours Monday and Wednesday and 6 hours Friday.

That way no response = agreed.

I agree with the principle. I might flip it around to "I will do xyz, please let me know if you disagree" because then it's even clearer that silence means agreement.

Even better.