Does this situation justify a grievance?

LyamB

Hi all,

I'm a Section Manager at a company. I've been working there for just over 9 months. There are two types of Section Managers:

Section Manager L1 Section Manager L2

I was L1 which is less pay than L2 due to responsibility, accountability and the general difficulty of the job.

After working there 3 months, the Section Manager L2 went on long-term sick. I stepped up to the position with no formal arrangement, just verbal. After 3 months, I questioned if I'd receive a "step-up rate" or "additional pay" for the role. My question was responded with "you should be grateful for the experience, etc..." which I was fine about and left it.

After another 3 months, I asked the question again and escalated it to the Operations Manager. We verbally agreed I'd be seconded to the role which would include an increased rate of pay, amongst other things.

Two weeks after the conversation, the original Section Manager L2 returns and I immediately get moved back into my original area. Again, this is fine.

Now, the problem is, a Section Manager L2 recently resigned (on an opposite shift) and a Section Manager L1 took their place under an official secondment which includes all the perks that were offered to me, but received immediately - prior to starting.

In short:
-For 7 out of 9 months, I have stepped up with no additional benefits
-I was verbally promised a secondment, but didn't receive
-Someone in the same position as me received a new contract for their secondment prior to their new role

This isn't about the money, or benefits, but this is about the principle and respect. I feel they've used me and me being quite trusting, took their word for the secondment.

Any advice?

Thanks!

ohreally

I wouldn't go to grievance, pick you fights.

Do you see a future with this employer?

LyamB

To be perfectly honest, I did see a future. However, after this I'm beginning to question the integrity and ethics of my employer.

Also, the fact that someone at the same level as me received a secondment prior to the role and I did the role for 7 months without secondment seems to be rather inconsistent.

sangie595

LyamB wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm a Section Manager at a company. I've been working there for just over 9 months. There are two types of Section Managers:

Section Manager L1 Section Manager L2

I was L1 which is less pay than L2 due to responsibility, accountability and the general difficulty of the job.

After working there 3 months, the Section Manager L2 went on long-term sick. I stepped up to the position with no formal arrangement, just verbal. After 3 months, I questioned if I'd receive a "step-up rate" or "additional pay" for the role. My question was responded with "you should be grateful for the experience, etc..." which I was fine about and left it.

After another 3 months, I asked the question again and escalated it to the Operations Manager. We verbally agreed I'd be seconded to the role which would include an increased rate of pay, amongst other things.

Two weeks after the conversation, the original Section Manager L2 returns and I immediately get moved back into my original area. Again, this is fine.

Now, the problem is, a Section Manager L2 recently resigned (on an opposite shift) and a Section Manager L1 took their place under an official secondment which includes all the perks that were offered to me, but received immediately - prior to starting.

In short:
-For 7 out of 9 months, I have stepped up with no additional benefits
-I was verbally promised a secondment, but didn't receive
-Someone in the same position as me received a new contract for their secondment prior to their new role

This isn't about the money, or benefits, but this is about the principle and respect. I feel they've used me and me being quite trusting, took their word for the secondment.

Any advice?

Thanks!

Well, in the first place, they didn't break their word to you. They didn't offer you anything extra until the end, and then the secondment didn't happen because the employee returned to work. Secondly, what someone else got is not your business and has no bearing at all on what you got - the likelihood is that they negotiated what the deal was before they stepped up, which is what you should have done.

And to be honest, I definitely wouldn't be putting in a grievance if you want to continue to have a future at this company. After not negotiating any extra benefits first, you asked the question after the event twice and escalated it to a more senior person over the head of your manager. That might be the right process, but after only nine months with the company, it is also coming to their attention in a way that isn't generally thought of as positive. Managers don't like people going over their head, and they don't like being overruled. You might have been "right", but you should have done this before taking on the duties - not left it three months and then started complaining, a point at which, in law, you had accepted the extra duties for not extra pay. If you now come to their attention again with a grievance, you won't get anything as a result - what was, was, and you accepted it as that - but you will be marking yourself as trouble.

System

In order to upgrade your role are they obliged to advertise it? That's what my employer says to me

If they form a contract with you they are committing to you doing that role permanently, so whilst in fairness you should be paid more while you step up (if your employer agrees to you stepping up), you can't expect automatic long term commitment. If your employer was not willing to second you to step up youd be within rights to not step up, maybe they are using you, or now see that they don't need to pay you extra to achieve the same results, but 9 months isn't long in a job

LyamB

sangie595 wrote: »

Well, in the first place, they didn't break their word to you. They didn't offer you anything extra until the end, and then the secondment didn't happen because the employee returned to work. Secondly, what someone else got is not your business and has no bearing at all on what you got - the likelihood is that they negotiated what the deal was before they stepped up, which is what you should have done.

And to be honest, I definitely wouldn't be putting in a grievance if you want to continue to have a future at this company. After not negotiating any extra benefits first, you asked the question after the event twice and escalated it to a more senior person over the head of your manager. That might be the right process, but after only nine months with the company, it is also coming to their attention in a way that isn't generally thought of as positive. Managers don't like people going over their head, and they don't like being overruled. You might have been "right", but you should have done this before taking on the duties - not left it three months and then started complaining, a point at which, in law, you had accepted the extra duties for not extra pay. If you now come to their attention again with a grievance, you won't get anything as a result - what was, was, and you accepted it as that - but you will be marking yourself as trouble.

Thanks for the reply!

I would think someone who goes through a mirrored scenario and is treated better is my business. Perhaps they negotiated, perhaps they didn't. Bear in mind, like you rightly said - I'm a relatively new employee. When I stepped up, I wasn't willing to negotiate a higher-rate of pay as I'd only been there 3 months when I was (unofficially) seconded. The person I was seconding was off on sick. Neither myself, nor my manager knew when she'd be returning, so they asked me if I could step-up in her stead.

However, after 3 months, I believed it was within my right to start asking for an official secondment. As for the escalation process; I followed the procedure.

This whole situation, in my mind, is wrong: that would be the foundation of the grievance.

sangie595

LyamB wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!

I would think someone who goes through a mirrored scenario and is treated better is my business. Perhaps they negotiated, perhaps they didn't. Bear in mind, like you rightly said - I'm a relatively new employee. When I stepped up, I wasn't willing to negotiate a higher-rate of pay as I'd only been there 3 months when I was (unofficially) seconded. The person I was seconding was off on sick. Neither myself, nor my manager knew when she'd be returning, so they asked me if I could step-up in her stead.

However, after 3 months, I believed it was within my right to start asking for an official secondment. As for the escalation process; I followed the procedure.

This whole situation, in my mind, is wrong: that would be the foundation of the grievance.

In your mind it might be wrong. But it wasn't. It was what you accepted. They actually didn't do anything wrong. And following procedure may be what you did, but following procedure doesn't stop managers from thinking "that LymB is always whinging about something" or words to that effect. Being "right in your mind" isn't the same thing as not !!!!ing off the managers. And you still have a long way to go before you get protection against unfair dismissal. The balance is, being objective, it was your fault for not negotiating something before you stepped up. So you think they were wrong, but it could just as fairly be argued that you were.

Chalk it up to experience and know better next time. Raise it again, and if another opportunity comes up, you may be the last on the list of people they will pick. You have the experience and ability, and you can evidence that. Settle for that now for when an opportunity comes up, and then you may be at the top of the list.

And I wouldn't judge the company by this alone either. They didn't do anything a thousand others wouldn't. You didn't ask, so they didn't give. If this is the only thing you have against them, there are a lot worse things in workplaces.

sangie595

MatthewAinsworth wrote: »

In order to upgrade your role are they obliged to advertise it? That's what my employer says to me

That might be your employers policy, but I doubt it as they would never be able to cover a temporary situation. In reality I think they are shovelling you a load of b******t. And it certainly isn't the law.

LyamB

sangie595 wrote: »

In your mind it might be wrong. But it wasn't. It was what you accepted. They actually didn't do anything wrong. And following procedure may be what you did, but following procedure doesn't stop managers from thinking "that LymB is always whinging about something" or words to that effect. Being "right in your mind" isn't the same thing as not !!!!ing off the managers. And you still have a long way to go before you get protection against unfair dismissal. The balance is, being objective, it was your fault for not negotiating something before you stepped up. So you think they were wrong, but it could just as fairly be argued that you were.

Chalk it up to experience and know better next time. Raise it again, and if another opportunity comes up, you may be the last on the list of people they will pick. You have the experience and ability, and you can evidence that. Settle for that now for when an opportunity comes up, and then you may be at the top of the list.

And I wouldn't judge the company by this alone either. They didn't do anything a thousand others wouldn't. You didn't ask, so they didn't give. If this is the only thing you have against them, there are a lot worse things in workplaces.

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, this will definitely be a learning curve. I'm not one to complain, but if any of my staff stepped up, I'd be sure to make sure they were rightly compensated for it, perhaps that's the difference between me and my managers.

System

Paying more to staff when you don't have to isn't in the businesses best interest...

SandC

It's basically not the same scenario because you were covering for someone on sick leave and as such were 'covering' with no knowledge beyond current sick note how long you might be doing it for. Had the original Manager left and not come back to work it would have been at this point that your situation would have been equal to the person who has recently been upgraded.

Keep working hard, they know your capabilities now, it won't work in your favour after 9 months service to bring grievances up based on what you consider unfair, sometimes these things just happen and it's how you deal with it that counts. It's something I would save for appraisal time and then it will be (should be) noted on your files that you've stepped up when needed and hopefully next time something comes up you'll be first in line for consideration. Not sure this will be the case if you raise a formal grievance.