Suitable Alternative Position Advice

DonPatch

Can I ask advice please - I was made redundant at the end of August and I will be leaving at the end of the year..

A year maternity position became available which I applied for and the company went external and offered to somebody else. It is a role that combines business duties with assistant duties. I previously did the business role and the assistant part has been added which is diary management etc. I covered this part when I did the Business role as the assistant was off for an operation and had about 4 months off.

I thought that employers had a duty of care to find you suitable alternative employment and maybe I'm wrong but I would have deemed this role as that? When I asked HR said that suitable alternative employment relates to the role you were doing when made redundant, not whether you can actually do the role.

Could someone clarify for me?

Many Thanks

mgdavid

There's a lot of flexibility within the rules. If somebody doesn't want you there any more they will simply find you unsuitable, you mustn't beat yourself up over it. With a bit of luck and a good positive attitude you'll find a better job with a better employer; onwards and upwards!

Sarastro

They're right - suitable alternative employment applies to the role you were last doing. The fact that you can do the new role is coincidental. If you had applied for it, they should have considered you according to the same criteria as all other candidates. However, as MGDavid says, companies do bend these rules to suit. although in fairness, they could be applying them ultra-carefully and haven't exercised any leniency in interpreting them to include this role as suitable alternative employment. Tough call, but it sounds like they've applied the rules scrupulously to me (unfortunately for you).