Absolutely Miserable and Need Advice

newmum2be

Hi all - this could end up being a very long post but I need some urgent advice.

I will try and keep it concise.

I have been employed with my current company for a little over two years; I started there in an administrative position and was promoted to Office Manager with one direct report in the first nine months, followed by a second direct report a short time later.

I work very closely with my own team and the 'Managing Director' of the sub company for which I work. We are one company in a cluster of three owned by another company. We were moved in as an afterthought if you like and relations between us and the other companies have been strained for the last 20 months since we moved into their building. We are the most profitable of the group, with the youngest team and an MD who's intentions were always to try and get us back out of the group. None of these things have gone in our favour with our colleagues from the other companies.

The relations and stress associated with working in a playground-esque environment where my team and I have never been accepted has taken it's toll. We continue to work hard but since being there I have lost two pregnancies without any significant support. I have plodded on and, most of the time, actually enjoyed my job and my well performing team.

I am currently 21 weeks pregnant with plans to go on Maternity leave (with SMP benefits) in a few months.

On Wednesday this week, completely out of the blue, our immediate MD was made redundant from the company with immediate effect. This has been a massive and very, very upsetting shock. He has, if you like protected us from our colleagues in the other companies and it is their MD who broke the news to us that we had lost our MD and would now be merging with the other companies and reporting to him.

As I worked so closely and got along so well with our MD, any problems people had with him, they tended to have with me too and I now feel wide open to that.

I felt immediately that if I were not currently pregnant, I too would have been made redundant from the company.

My team and colleagues I can confide in disagreed with me, until we were issued with a new organisational chart. One each was given to me and my team in a meeting room by our new MD and was not discussed in any great detail.

On Thursday I was approached by one of the girls in my team who asked if I had looked at the chart properly. I immediately retrieved it and was shocked to find that my direct reports had been removed and put under another colleague. It was the first I and they knew of it.

I stupidly assumed it was a mistake, approached the MD and was told that no it wasn't a mistake, it was felt to be the right choice for the team bla bla bla. I questioned why I wasn't formally told, why I was told via a peice of paper, and why it was left open to the point that it was actually my 'ex' direct report who had to point it out to me. I was told it was simply an oversight.

What. On. Earth?!?!

I am so upset by what's happened, so upset that they didn't even tell me and so incredibly worried now that this is the beginning of them shutting my role down and making me redundant after my maternity leave. It should be noted there is another Office Manager on the other side who is also his PA...

Is there anything I can do about this? I am certain I'm not just being paranoid and desperate to know if there's anything I can do about the way they informed me, or basically didn't inform me, that I had lost my responsibilities.

If I can't find a way to sort this before the end of the weekend I plan to resign on Monday. I cannot face another stressful pregnancy at the hands of this company and just want to be out of there.

There is so much to this story, so much petty interraction between the companies in the group, so much bullying and so much bullsh*te that I can't possibly fit into a post on here but I feel even more than ever that I am being pushed out.

Please help

newmum2be

I should add, I have a strong and close relationship with the two members of staff who reported to me, they are very upset with this decision. One is ready to bolt, the other is pregnant also and has become worked up about it to the point that she passed out yesterday afternoon after a panic attack.

scheming_gypsy

newmum2be wrote: »

I am so upset by what's happened, so upset that they didn't even tell me and so incredibly worried now that this is the beginning of them shutting my role down and making me redundant after my maternity leave.

Are you sure it's not because of office restructures and your planned maternity leave? if they're restructuring and you then go on mat leave for x months, they'll have to have somebody cover your role.

newmum2be

I don't go on maternity leave until November and up until this week the plan was to recruit full time cover for the full term of my leave, a person who would continue to manager my team. I haven't been told that the plan to recruit cover has changed. There is no link to restructuring the team or line of reporting and my impending leave at this point, I am only half way through the pregnancy.

Sambucus_Nigra

Whatever you eventually decide - do NOT resign on Monday as you will lose all benefits.

It's not ideal, it's not good but at the very least take as much from them as you can.

Uncertain

newmum2be wrote: »

If I can't find a way to sort this before the end of the weekend I plan to resign on Monday. I cannot face another stressful pregnancy at the hands of this company and just want to be out of there.

It is certainly not in your best financial interest to resign. In any case you are legally obliged to give them notice.

I would strongly suggest you see your doctor on Monday who will no doubt put you off sick. This will at least give you some breathing space and even if you do decide to leave at least you won't have to go in during your notice.

Most companies will have the sense to realise that they are playing a very dangerous game if they are in any way discriminating against an employee who is pregnant.

I do suggest you take some time and not do anything hasty.

newmum2be

Thank you both; I am very torn over what to do - I don't want to resign, because I don't want them to win, and I don't want to be trying to find temporary work when I'm 6 months pregnant at the end of my notice. Their maternity package SMP only and so if I do leave now, as long as I find alternative work up until maternity leave would start, I am entitled to Maternity Allowance instead, there is not much difference and so the maternity benefits are not too much of a worry.

I think I may go in next week to tie up any lose ends with my work load, with my MD gone there is no one else to do them and if I leave it undone, the girls who were on my team will suffer as a result being given work they don't have the knowledge to do and I don't want to put that on them, one being stressed and pregnant the other stressed.

Thereafter perhaps going on sick is best, but I do not receive any sick pay and would intend to work my notice if I do resign as I don't want to lose the income.

Really, really don't know what to do - I feel sick to the stomach at the thought of going in on Monday. I have a meeting at 9am with the new MD - to discuss the future - any advice for what I can say to him at this point?

Also, is it worth seeking legal advice about the way they told me about the restructure? We don't have a union, or a HR department!

theoretica

It seems to me that the best outcome would be for the new MD to offer you a voluntary redundancy payment... this is unlikely if you resign first.

A quick glance at the legislation it appears you get statutory maternity pay if you leave your job less than 15 weeks before the baby is due. How long is your notice period? How much of it could you survive on statutory sick pay rather than working?

Very best wishes.

ILW

What exactly is your complaint?

purplepardalis

OP

Try not to worry about the job. It would seem you cannot change things there. Keep healthy and stress free for the sake of your pregnancy. I would say stay at this job until it is time for you to go on maternity leave and resign when it is time to go back and find another job. Try and let the nastiness wash over your head. If they don't care about you then don't care about them and what they say. Please try not to stress out, that company is not worth it and in a couple of month's time you will never have to see them again

X

Emmzi

I think you have all kinds of ideas about the other company put in your head by your old MD, some of which may not be true at all.

I would at least give it a go, with an open mind.

All this fainting and stress about work sounds ridiculous and very drama llama. Apart from "not liking" the rest of the people what have they actually DONE? They've changed your reporting line, and moved some staff. Big deal, happens all the time. Probably trying to show you who the new boss is now you are not teacher's pet any more (as he will see it, not me!)

Head down, work hard, show you deserved the promotions. Decide your next step while on matty leave. Not sure you think will employ a halfway there pregnant lady, if bump shows at all, you're gouing to find discrimination. It's a very tough market atm.

Good luck.