Overlooked for promotion

kleapatra

Just after some thoughts really

I work in a small dept with just me, my boss and 2 part timers who report to me. I have worked here for 8 years (never had a payrise in that time) with the plan that when my boss moved on, I would take over. I am really good at my job and have been running the dept mostly on my own to be honest as my manager is regularly not around.

About a month and a half ago he announced that he was leaving and I immediately told the chief exec that I would like to be considered forhis post (I made this very clear). My manager has since told me that he recommended that I be promoted when he left. Nothing has been mentioned since the resignation about what would be happening on his departure until yesterday. I was asked to go and see the chief exec and she ‘announced’ that my boss’s replacement would be starting after Christmas and coming in next week for a handover. The new person is being called an ‘interim’ and is for an initial period of six months.

Now I’ve given eight years to this place with very little thanks or reward and pi**ed off would be an understatement. I didn’t expect to just be given the job however to not even been considered or consulted on the matter is just one step too far as I’m concerned. I should also say that the post was not advertised anywhere and no interviews were held. I feel I’ve been completely screwed over. It would have been one thing to be interviewed and turned down but to not even get the chance to be interviewed. My staff are also hacked off as I had their full backing and they are feeling let down as well.

I had thought that after my boss left I would have to run the dept on my own for a while and that this would be the time that I could prove myself, now I’m not even being given that opportunity.
I’m not in the position where I am able to just walk out of a job despite feeling like I should on principle so I don’t know really what to do now. My initial thoughts are to send a letter to HR but I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad idea.

I just don’t know what to do for the best, I just don’t want to feel like I’ve been walked all over and that they’ve gotten away with it

Thanks in advance for any advice

duchy

If you feel you were treated unfairly because you expressed an interest in the position but were not interviewed you could raise a grievance

If you feel there was some form of discrimination -eg if both your boss and the new appointee were both female and you are male or vice versa then you could also raise a grievence if you felt this was a factor..

Is your company big enough to have an HR dept ? If they do you should asking them how and when the vacancy was advertised and if the Chief Exec had informed them that you had expressed an interest first of all.

teabelly

I'd ask the chief exec why you weren't considered even though you have all but been running the place and you understood from the boss that they had recommended you.

Be open and honest and say you are disappointed in this decision and that you have put all this hard work into the job and feel like it wasn't really appreciated and that it was the first time in ages you asked for anything from them even after working all this time diligently and without a pay increase even though you've increased productivity/saved money etc etc. You at least expected to be interviewed for the position like the new appointee was.

However annoyed you are you have to be tactful. Don't do anything hasty even though you feel like it

RobertoMoir

What kind of job is it? There are some companies where you can "express an interest" all day long but you need to formally apply for the job before anything happens about that.

Was the job vacancy advertised anywhere? Did you apply for it?

Takeaway_Addict

kleapatra wrote: »

Just after some thoughts really

I work in a small dept with just me, my boss and 2 part timers who report to me. I have worked here for 8 years (never had a payrise in that time) with the plan that when my boss moved on, I would take over. I am really good at my job and have been running the dept mostly on my own to be honest as my manager is regularly not around.

About a month and a half ago he announced that he was leaving and I immediately told the chief exec that I would like to be considered forhis post (I made this very clear). My manager has since told me that he recommended that I be promoted when he left. Nothing has been mentioned since the resignation about what would be happening on his departure until yesterday. I was asked to go and see the chief exec and she ‘announced’ that my boss’s replacement would be starting after Christmas and coming in next week for a handover. The new person is being called an ‘interim’ and is for an initial period of six months.

Now I’ve given eight years to this place with very little thanks or reward and pi**ed off would be an understatement. I didn’t expect to just be given the job however to not even been considered or consulted on the matter is just one step too far as I’m concerned. I should also say that the post was not advertised anywhere and no interviews were held. I feel I’ve been completely screwed over. It would have been one thing to be interviewed and turned down but to not even get the chance to be interviewed. My staff are also hacked off as I had their full backing and they are feeling let down as well.

I had thought that after my boss left I would have to run the dept on my own for a while and that this would be the time that I could prove myself, now I’m not even being given that opportunity.
I’m not in the position where I am able to just walk out of a job despite feeling like I should on principle so I don’t know really what to do now. My initial thoughts are to send a letter to HR but I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad idea.

I just don’t know what to do for the best, I just don’t want to feel like I’ve been walked all over and that they’ve gotten away with it

Thanks in advance for any advice

Have you thanked the employer for keeping you in a job for 8 years? It does work both ways.

Sounds like they head hunted someone, would you rather they played the game and interviewed you and then turned you down? Would you not be writing this same post saying similar things?

Your staff are hardly going to say 'thank goodness you didn't get the job' to your face are they, they might genuinely be disappointed for you but take their responses with a pinch of salt.

By all means ask why they didn't consider you (they may have considered you and decided to go in another direction) right for the job but be professional whatever their response and expect if you want a promotion then you will have to move companies.

kleapatra

duchy wrote: »

If you feel you were treated unfairly because you expressed an interest in the position but were not interviewed you could raise a grievance

If you feel there was some form of discrimination -eg if both your boss and the new appointee were both female and you are male or vice versa then you could also raise a grievence if you felt this was a factor..

Is your company big enough to have an HR dept ? If they do you should asking them how and when the vacancy was advertised and if the Chief Exec had informed them that you had expressed an interest first of all.

Well my outgoing manager and new manager are both men and I'm not............. but all the other managers inc the chief exec are woman

We do have an hr department, maybe I should have a talk with them.

KiKi

No, I wouldn't go to HR. I would ask the Chief Exec why you weren't considered.

There is no law that jobs have to be advertised, and unless it's company policy to do so, HR have nothing to answer for on that front. It sounds like you were told you could have something, had expectations and they didn't work out. Which is horrid for you, but without a contract or job offer, they are allowed to change their minds.

The fact they've brought in an interim is interesting, though. And suggests to me that there's more happening that you perhaps know about. I'd bring in an interim if I knew changes were going to be happening and I didn't want someone in a position permanently, but didn't want to tell any of the staff that, yet... Could that be a possibility?

KiKi

kleapatra

teabelly wrote: »

I'd ask the chief exec why you weren't considered even though you have all but been running the place and you understood from the boss that they had recommended you.

Be open and honest and say you are disappointed in this decision and that you have put all this hard work into the job and feel like it wasn't really appreciated and that it was the first time in ages you asked for anything from them even after working all this time diligently and without a pay increase even though you've increased productivity/saved money etc etc. You at least expected to be interviewed for the position like the new appointee was.

However annoyed you are you have to be tactful. Don't do anything hasty even though you feel like it

I'm pretty sure the new appointee wasn't interviewed - he was just offered it!

KiKi

kleapatra wrote: »

Well my outgoing manager and new manager are both men and I'm not............. but all the other managers inc the chief exec are woman

We do have an hr department, maybe I should have a talk with them.

I really wouldn't do that. Just ask the CEO. There's no evidence of any wrongdoing here, just hopes and expectations based on conversations.

Perhaps the CEO doesn't rate you, despite your boss' recommendation. But I certainly wouldn't go to HR, and I absolutely wouldn't be suggesting it's discrimination.

kleapatra

RobertoMoir wrote: »

What kind of job is it? There are some companies where you can "express an interest" all day long but you need to formally apply for the job before anything happens about that.

Was the job vacancy advertised anywhere? Did you apply for it?

Nope - not advertised so couldn't apply. It's a financial job

KiKi

kleapatra wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the new appointee wasn't interviewed - he was just offered it!

Interims often aren't interviewed - they are headhunted, or friends of the CEO to do a temporary job. There's no law that people have to be interviewed for a role.