Advice needed please - secondment not gone well

Zimara

Not sure if this forum is the right place for this but i know I've always received good impartial advice so here goes!

I've been with my employer for almost 7 years and have been in the same role for the majority of the time up until October last year when i started a secondment for a role at the same level.

The secondment is for a year and was put in place to project manage a company large company project to do a series of reviews.
Even though i officially started in October i was still doing my old role and handing over to my replacement. I started working on the project in Jan this year at which point the reviews started. Due to the lack of preparation the project started to run behind and adjustments to the deadlines date needed to be re negotiated. At this point i had racked up over 70 out of work hours over the course of 2 months and was suffering from work related stress, my line managers manager stepped in to help get the project back on track and assess whether the project is achievable with in the given timetable.
I have now caught up with the back log and i have put in place a solid process going forward. I have achieved this by only running three reviews at a time but it has always been their intention to run 6 reviews at a time, something i had expressed my concerns about.
Yesterday i was called into an informal meeting with my line manager and their boss where they told me they were taking me off the project as they feel that when they start to do six reviews at a time they feel i will not be able to cope with the pressure. They said that their decision only had my best interests at heart.
They said the secondment would end early (in August) and the role would no longer exist, though they would be getting someone in to project manage the company project. I would return to my existing role and hand over the project to "new post", however once back in my existing role i would need to be performance managed as some issues had arisen since i'd been gone. They wouldn't elaborate on specific issues, just said things had been missed that someone at my level should be challenging. This was a real shock to me as in my original role I've always been told i'm doing a good job and this has been documented in PDR's and 1-2-1's.
They then went on to say that if i felt uncomfortable about going back to my old role and being performance managed that a financial package would be put in place should i chose to terminate my employment.
At this point i was so upset that they terminated the meeting and sent someone in from HR to sit with me. They told they would set up a formal meeting next week with HR where i need to tell them what i have decided to do.

I am so upset and confused right now i don't know what to do! My husband suggested i get some advice as he thinks yesterday meeting was not done correctly and it should have been more formal and i should have had someone with me.

I also cant help feeling that i'm being used as a scape goat. They put me in the role fully knowing my skill set and now they have to back track to the directors about putting in that role. I almost feel like they are performance managing me in my old role to justify my job level cause i didn't do so well in another role at the same level.

Sorry to ramble on but really not in a good place atm!

gibson123

It sounds to me like you started off in a no win situation, you started the project late due to having to maintain your previous workload, and instead of renegotiating the time-scales you just decided to play "catch up".

The problem with catch up is that you will run out of energy pretty quickly on what sounds like very challenging time-scales and targets.

It also sounds like your replacement in your substantive role has been picking over the bones of your old job and finding areas where you were in a could do better situation. Most of us have bits of the job that are always on the backburner, or where we cut a few corners. There could be reasons why your old job is being looked at, but you need to find out exactly what it is that they are finding fault with.

So there are two issues.

The perceived under performance in your secondment which given the parameters described was almost inevitable.

Also the perceived under performace in your previous role which has not been qualified by your employers.

You need to ask yourself an important question

What would I like to happen next? Once you know the answer to this you post again.

theoretica

Zimara wrote: »

however once back in my existing role i would need to be performance managed as some issues had arisen since i'd been gone. They wouldn't elaborate on specific issues, just said things had been missed that someone at my level should be challenging.
[...]
They told they would set up a formal meeting next week with HR where i need to tell them what i have decided to do.

I don't feel they have given you enough information. Do you know what performance managed will involve? How long it will last if all goes well? 'Things have been missed' could mean anything from a couple of small things that are infact of no significance on up to 'we want to completely change your job' and how can you make a decision without knowing which?

ValHaller

Zimara wrote: »

At this point i was so upset that they terminated the meeting and sent someone in from HR to sit with me. They told they would set up a formal meeting next week with HR where i need to tell them what i have decided to do.

theoretica wrote: »

I don't feel they have given you enough information. Do you know what performance managed will involve? How long it will last if all goes well? 'Things have been missed' could mean anything from a couple of small things that are infact of no significance on up to 'we want to completely change your job' and how can you make a decision without knowing which?

I agree with theoretica here. They need to outline the issues on your presecondment job before you can decide on any option.

I suspect that what has happened is that the person covering your old job has decided to stitch you up and make your job their own. Coupled with a perception of poor performance in project management, they now have doubts about you.

It is unfortunate for you - project management does not suit every personality type and it is a poison chalice to project manage something you are implementing because you cannot see the wood for the trees. Management too tends to be too blase about putting people into a project role putting people who are new to it into projects they both manage and implement in the mistaken belief that it is an easy start.

You should not feel bad about yourself out of this..

Zimara

Thank you all for the good advice!

After reading your posts, having a glass of wine with my big sis and getting a decent nights sleep I've come to the conclusion there is not decision to be made until i have all the facts.
Going to enjoy the rest of the weekend and the good weather.