Please come and help my guilt - I did a bad thing at work and looked after my own interests today!

[Ceebee74]

Trying to put this in a nutshell, I am on mat leave at the moment and due to return in September. My department has undergone a restructure in my absence and there was a meeting today to decide which geographical areas each person would be responsible for.

I had initially be put down for an area that would require quite a bit of travelling and my colleague (who hates driving anywhere more than a 10-mile radius even though it is part of the job!) had been put down for the surrounding area to where we both live.

Now I wouldn't normally pull the 'childcare' card but I will have 2 children in nursery, DH works away a lot and no family support so all dropping off/collecting falls to me and I cannot be late. My colleague does not have any childcare issues plus she is doing the job on a temporary basis.

So I didn't demand that I got the local area - I just said I would feel more comfortable doing the local area as I wouldn't be far away if I needed to get back etc. She agreed, on the basis that the allocation had been pretty random anyway (from what I could tell) and my colleague is only in the job temporarily so I should probably get preference.

I just know my colleague will now be bitching about me to anyone who will listen, and from past experience, probably in tears and threatening to go off sick too! I feel bad even though I would have regretted not speaking up about it.

I am hoping she might have got over it in 2 months time when I return to work

Well if you both live in the area and you have family responsibilities and she doesn't, you being allocated that area makes sense and she would be most unreasonable to bitch about you. If she threatens to go off sick because she doesn't get her way about something she doesn't sound like someone the management should either be concerned about upsetting or looking at retaining long term anyway.

Presumably she will be cross as she was initially allocated your local area instead of you? Why was that? It sounds right that it was changed, but how was the initial decision made?

Hi Flowery

I don't know how the original decision was made - the director and the 2 managers had a pre-meeting and it was decided then but no idea how the decision was reached (although I am fairly suspicious as the colleague I have upset is acting up for one of the managers (who is also acting up - tis very complicated!) so I suspect that that manager wanted to secure her own interests for when she returned to that position in a few months time ) I think I put a real spanner in the works tbh - I think they were probably hoping I wouldn't turn up for the meeting!!

(Congrats on baby no 2 btw )

Well, if the meeting was to discuss who got which area, and she agreed with the swap, then she shouldn't then go and bitch about it - the meeting gave her the chance to express her unhappiness at changing. She didn't. End of.

As you say, it makes more sense for you to have the closer area because of the childcare for one thing (less disruption to work if you have to get back in a hurry).

Hi and thanks

Sounds all a bit dodgy, and as though the right decision was made in the end. I wouldn't worry about feeling guilty, you have to stand up for yourself and your family.

As AMIS says, it makes business sense anyway, as this way your employer won't have to put up with you needing to leave early when there's a childcare issue or something - the impact of your domestic responsibilities on your job will be less this way, which is better all round.

try not to feel guilty about it ceebee; it's obviously in your interests to think of your family situation and it sounds like you are actuially thinking of your employers and how it will impact on the job if you were allocated an area further away from your local area.

I'm sure your employer is happy with this decision and as AMIS said, if she didn't speak up in the meeting then she has no right to bitch, especially as she is only doing the job on a temp basis.

enjoy the rest of your ML and try not to stress about it

Thanks ladies

I have spoken to another colleague (who is not involved in this) and, yes, I am being blamed, bitched about and there were tears

Apparently her and another 2 colleagues were going to see our manager this afternoon to complain about what they have been given - so things might change anyway although not without me being consulted I hope!

Daisy you are so right - office politics suck If only I was cut out to be a SAHM....