My job description states that my position reports to the Assistant Manager. I have been in my present position for a couple of years now.
About a year ago, by oral notice, I was told by the General Manager that I would be reporting to a different individual, who nevertheless held the same position as the previous person I was reporting to, that is the one of the Assistant Manager. As the line of reporting was upheld in terms of organisational hierarchy I did not seek any further clarification at the time and happily went along with the change.
The two Company’s Assistant Managers are now gone, one having left the job for good and the other being on maternity leave. Again, by a very short oral notice, from Monday to Tuesday, I was told I would be in a different team. Again, I did not seek any further clarification at the time. I believed I would be reporting to the individual covering the Assistant Manager who is still with the Company but who has recently had a baby and is on maternity leave. Surely, if such an important aspect of your job was about to change, it would have been formalized through an amendment to your job description – that was my line of thinking.
This, however, turned out not to be the case. I have only recently learned that I am expected to report to a supervisor of the new team and no longer to the Assistant Manager. I have never been formally advised of that change and I consider it a considerable step down and demotion rather than a lateral move, although my job title has stayed the same. Over the last couple of months I have been experiencing a considerable lowering of my status and prestige within the Company.
I am thinking of bringing this as grievance to the employer, but my experience shows that the Manager is an expert at evasion and telling you it is you who are the problem, so any issues are usually left at that if you want to keep the job! Should I take this as a clue for dropping this altogether and suffer in silence till retirement?
On the other hand, if I ask for a meeting, what do I do in the meantime while my Manager is contemplating for a day or two whether to see me or not, or using excuses of other business priorities to be attended to for not seeing me at all? - go on holidays? get a sick leave? (I am actually experiencing some psychosomatic symptoms because of the situation, including headaches, loss of energy levels, anxiety, shallow breathing and general mental torment). Isn't my carrying on with my duties regardless validating and sanctioning this detrimental change in the eyes of the employer?
Can the employer actually use me against me, so to speak, by refusing to give validity to my grievance on the basis of the fact that I did not bring this issue earlier? (it is been now almost three months since the change, during which, curiously enough, no effort has been made to inform me of the change, and it is only by accident, through what has been taken apparently as an act of insubordination, that I actually realized the change). Am I at fault here? Was I totally wrong to assume that my reporting line will stay unchanged although I was orally informed I would be in a new team? And what could have been done earlier to make it known to my employer that I am not happy with the change?
What does the employment legislation have to say about the employer's responsibilities in a situation where there is a change to the line of reporting for employees?
Should I just shut up and carry on, given the current impossible labor market and the fact that I have family responsibilities?
However, if it stays like this and I do not speak up, I am afraid I will get sick, with the moral damage aggravating and building up every single day, what good will I be to anybody then?
Any comments or advise, please?
About a year ago, by oral notice, I was told by the General Manager that I would be reporting to a different individual, who nevertheless held the same position as the previous person I was reporting to, that is the one of the Assistant Manager. As the line of reporting was upheld in terms of organisational hierarchy I did not seek any further clarification at the time and happily went along with the change.
The two Company’s Assistant Managers are now gone, one having left the job for good and the other being on maternity leave. Again, by a very short oral notice, from Monday to Tuesday, I was told I would be in a different team. Again, I did not seek any further clarification at the time. I believed I would be reporting to the individual covering the Assistant Manager who is still with the Company but who has recently had a baby and is on maternity leave. Surely, if such an important aspect of your job was about to change, it would have been formalized through an amendment to your job description – that was my line of thinking.
This, however, turned out not to be the case. I have only recently learned that I am expected to report to a supervisor of the new team and no longer to the Assistant Manager. I have never been formally advised of that change and I consider it a considerable step down and demotion rather than a lateral move, although my job title has stayed the same. Over the last couple of months I have been experiencing a considerable lowering of my status and prestige within the Company.
I am thinking of bringing this as grievance to the employer, but my experience shows that the Manager is an expert at evasion and telling you it is you who are the problem, so any issues are usually left at that if you want to keep the job! Should I take this as a clue for dropping this altogether and suffer in silence till retirement?
On the other hand, if I ask for a meeting, what do I do in the meantime while my Manager is contemplating for a day or two whether to see me or not, or using excuses of other business priorities to be attended to for not seeing me at all? - go on holidays? get a sick leave? (I am actually experiencing some psychosomatic symptoms because of the situation, including headaches, loss of energy levels, anxiety, shallow breathing and general mental torment). Isn't my carrying on with my duties regardless validating and sanctioning this detrimental change in the eyes of the employer?
Can the employer actually use me against me, so to speak, by refusing to give validity to my grievance on the basis of the fact that I did not bring this issue earlier? (it is been now almost three months since the change, during which, curiously enough, no effort has been made to inform me of the change, and it is only by accident, through what has been taken apparently as an act of insubordination, that I actually realized the change). Am I at fault here? Was I totally wrong to assume that my reporting line will stay unchanged although I was orally informed I would be in a new team? And what could have been done earlier to make it known to my employer that I am not happy with the change?
What does the employment legislation have to say about the employer's responsibilities in a situation where there is a change to the line of reporting for employees?
Should I just shut up and carry on, given the current impossible labor market and the fact that I have family responsibilities?
However, if it stays like this and I do not speak up, I am afraid I will get sick, with the moral damage aggravating and building up every single day, what good will I be to anybody then?
Any comments or advise, please?