Think my employers are giving my job to someone else to get rid of me.

honeypop

Oh she does know I was always planning to return, it was always made very clear, and also that I have a definite return date after only 8 months of leave. If I wasn't planning to return, I doubt I'd have given a specific return date rather than take the whole amount of leave allowed, but as you say many women do take maternity leave and never intend to go back.

Incidentally, this is the same lady who we got in to cover my last maternity leave (she was a temp from an agency). She did 4 months, demanded more hours which was denied, then left. The next person was so rubbish that my manager begged her to return until I came back, giving her the hours she had wanted. I know she was still in contact with my manager, as the day after I told him I was pregnant she called me asking if I'd need any cover again any time soon as she was available as still only been temping this whole time. I told her I'd let the agency know when I'd decided my leave dates, and if she was available then we'd consider her (although realistically as she knew the job it would most likely have been her we took on) then my manager told me to deal directly with her instead as he didn't want to see anyone else, they had already negotiated pay and hours it seemed.

Perhaps not relevant, but just makes me feel she was always ready to jump in my grave (is that the saying? lol).

Anyway, whenever I hear from her, I do always mention that I'm definitely coming back, she has no reason to believe otherwise.

Strider590

honeypop wrote: »

Anyway, whenever I hear from her, I do always mention that I'm definitely coming back, she has no reason to believe otherwise.

It doesn't matter what you tell her and it doesn't matter what she believes. Do you think she'd repeat your words totally unchanged to your boss? or don't you think it'd suit her better to apply a little "artistic license".

The world is not about pink fluffy bunnies, Tinky Winky
Dipsy, La-La, Po and people who help each other out, it's DOG EAT DOG!!

heretolearn_2

Look at the two possible reasons that I think you have correctly identfied

1 - she wants my job and is trying to dissuade me from returning.
2 - my employers have seperately decided they don't want me back, going by what she was asking me for.

If, as you say, she just wants your job, then reason 1 is very logical. Reason two isn't - why would she help you by letting you know what is happening behind your back? She wouldn't, so I don't think anything is happening.

She is hoping to persuade you to resign.

ILW

I don't think the OP is doing herself any favours by refusing to carry out certain tasks as requested, which she has said are covered within her contract.

Polmop

We have something here called keeping in touch days, could you go back into work on one of these days and see if anything is said to you?

honeypop

ILW wrote: »

I don't think the OP is doing herself any favours by refusing to carry out certain tasks as requested, which she has said are covered within her contract.

They are things I am not ABLE to do, as in I don't have any of the necessary information or training. I can't make sales related calls on products/services I know barely anything about, and no-one has the time spare (or wants) to teach me. It's all very technical (IT related) and having read through info myself to try and learn it really leaves me none the wiser unless someone can explain in depth. One thing was that I was asked to make appointments for sales people to visit by cold calling, or to provide more info over the phone, so what would I have done when asked what it actually IS that we provide, the basic details of the product/service etc. I'd have looked a right idiot when I couldn't answer what were are even providing. Therefore not feeling comfortable doing it, I declined - until someone can train me, which they don't want to.

I personally don't think an admin role covers actual sales related tasks. The admin that arises from sales work, fine. The actual sales work, no. Especially when the sales team are mostly just looking busy (their own admission) instead of doing it themselves.

She is of a sales background and worked in IT before so probably finds it a lot easier to take on.

honeypop

Polmop wrote: »

We have something here called keeping in touch days, could you go back into work on one of these days and see if anything is said to you?

They are all scheduled to take place towards the end of the leave, in order to catch up with any changes and complete hand-over back to me before I return fully on my own. But yes if I continue to think things are going this way, then I may well request one before that, as the days are intended to keep in touch, and that's just what I need to do!

heretolearn wrote: »

Look at the two possible reasons that I think you have correctly identfied

1 - she wants my job and is trying to dissuade me from returning.
2 - my employers have seperately decided they don't want me back, going by what she was asking me for.

If, as you say, she just wants your job, then reason 1 is very logical. Reason two isn't - why would she help you by letting you know what is happening behind your back? She wouldn't, so I don't think anything is happening.

She is hoping to persuade you to resign.

I see what you are saying, but I don't think she realises what she is letting me know. It's only because she's being asked to do some things that I know from the past are done in the slow lead up to someone parting ways with the company. If she does know, then yes why would she tell me especially as she wants my job (and she would have been told to keep quiet about it), so I don't think she does know, but by telling me the tasks she's been given, it has given it away to me as I know what it means - if that makes sense.

getmore4less

honeypop wrote: »

They are things I am not ABLE to do, as in I don't have any of the necessary information or training. I can't make sales related calls on products/services I know barely anything about, and no-one has the time spare (or wants) to teach me. It's all very technical (IT related) and having read through info myself to try and learn it really leaves me none the wiser unless someone can explain in depth. One thing was that I was asked to make appointments for sales people to visit by cold calling, or to provide more info over the phone, so what would I have done when asked what it actually IS that we provide, the basic details of the product/service etc. I'd have looked a right idiot when I couldn't answer what were are even providing. Therefore not feeling comfortable doing it, I declined - until someone can train me, which they don't want to.

I personally don't think an admin role covers actual sales related tasks. The admin that arises from sales work, fine. The actual sales work, no. Especially when the sales team are mostly just looking busy (their own admission) instead of doing it themselves.

She is of a sales background and worked in IT before so probably finds it a lot easier to take on.

She certainly sounds like a much better fit for the job if she is actualy doing these tasks without complaint.

You may have to get usd to the idea they found someone better.

What you think the job should be is not that relevent if they think different.