My maternity cover has made me feel uncomfortable

PeppaCoin · 7 July 2017 at 9:24PM

My maternity leave cover started 3 weeks ago. It's been an intense 3 weeks with her sitting with me 8 hours a day for training. I thought everything was going ok, but this morning she came in, said she had an issue at home and left. I have no idea if she is returning or not and I guess I won't know until Monday. Our boss said 'oh i hope she comes back. I don't feel like recruiting someone new now'.

The truth is I was going in this morning to ask my boss if I could finish sooner than planned as I'm starting to struggle and now I feel as though that is all up in the air.

She (the cover) was very frosty with me on Thursday and when I first came into work this morning (Friday), she was having a private chat with our manager (obviously as they both shut up quickly when I entered the room). That same thing happened twice then she disappeared home 10 mins later.

On Thursday I had reminded her about not doing the same thing she keeps making the same mistake on and she seemed to take it very personally. I am concerned that she has told my boss that my training has been insufficient or that I'm not doing it well. I spent weeks preparing her a very detailed role guide and have intensively trained her, so am really disappointed if that is the case.

I have worked there for 2 years and hate the idea that my bosses' views of me could be coloured by anything she has said when she's been there for 15 days. I've never had a wrong word with any other member of staff.

I feel very stressed about the thought of recruiting someone new (I'm in HR) and having to quickly train them in a couple of weeks. I'm 36 weeks pregnant and really ready to wind down. A large part of the role would be payroll. I'm unfortunately the only person in the company who knows how to run payroll for the 200 staff, and am really feeling the pressure of what is going to happen at the end of the month, and how everyone is going to get paid.

I guess I wont learn anything new until Monday but just needed to get my stress out somewhere. Thanks for reading

DCFC79 · 7 July 2017 at 9:39PM

Its not your fault its happened, you don't know what was said but I would hope the manager wouldn't listen to what she said since you have been there 2 years.

just to add don't worry about it, maybe she was a snowflake and takes anything pointed out as a negative.

PeppaCoin · 7 July 2017 at 9:43PM

Thank you - my husband is saying the same and that its not my problem. It my bosses' issue really. I guess she could have walked out a week after I started maternity leave and I may not have even been aware of it and they would have been in the same situation. Why does this kind of thing always happen on a Friday when you have all weekend to stew on it?

DCFC79 · 7 July 2017 at 9:58PM

Yes wait and see what Monday brings, the fact only you know about payroll again it isn't your fault, maybe your manager should take an interest in it or employ another person.

tealady · 7 July 2017 at 10:58PM

Its what I would call an SEP (someone elses problem) - in this case its your bosses probem, not yours

foolofbeans · 7 July 2017 at 11:15PM

PeppaCoin wrote: »

I spent weeks preparing her a very detailed role guide and have intensively trained her, so am really disappointed if that is the case.

Bad move. I did the same thing and was quickly replaced as what did they need me to come back for when all of my job role was written down for any muppet to have hold of

FBaby · 8 July 2017 at 6:47AM

Poor you! It's probably not you who is the problem though as she knows she would only need to see you again for a short time, so more likely to be the job itself. Maybe she realised she is not up to doing it. Or maybe she really has personal problems, maybe some health issues or a a parent with dementia who had been found lost in the middle of town, and she needed to have a private talk with your boss about her situation which she doesn't want everyone to know.

Hopefully she's be back on Monday, but if not, don't worry about it and start to relax in preparation for the birth of your baby.

Spendless · 8 July 2017 at 6:56AM

Unless you've only just discovered yourself or only just told your employer, at 36 weeks pregnant your boss has had long enough to put a plan in place.

What do they do when you are on annual leave? If you became long term ill or handed in your notice, they'd have to find someone to cover your duties.

The baby is going to turn up shortly and at that point your boss is going to have to find someone to carry out your work. Stop worrying, it's not your problem.

Yarrum · 8 July 2017 at 11:12AM

Is it possible that the conversation they were having was about her private home life, the reason she needed to leave?
And was frosty the day before again because of the private issue?

We've had some new people in to cover mat leave and there was no shadowing/handover, we all had to chip in to help.

Good luck x

aife · 8 July 2017 at 2:18PM

It does sound like she might have been complaining about you , but your bosses comments suggest she got short shrift.
I don't think you have anything to worry about from your own point of view but people not getting paid is a terrible prospect
Can you try getting someone from an agency ?

KiKi · 8 July 2017 at 2:32PM

Sounds to me like she raised an issue and your boss had enough and told her to leave, rather than the worst that you're imagining!!

Your boss' problem. You've written everything down, so someone else in the team can follow it and run payroll. If it goes wrong, their problem. You've done all you can.

My maternity cover has made me feel uncomfortable

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