h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...or not.

So, the boss's boss invites our team into a meeting room for a little chat. We might have heard some rumours she says, about some redundancies since the 'merger' (we were taken over - only management in our old company refers to it as a merger) and she wanted to tell us the truth - but it isn't official yet. 25% of us overall are going to be made redundant, and our department is going to be disproportionally hit by the cuts. The process will take 2-6 months, we should brace ourselves.

My boss, who is also our team business analyst, got a telling off from her boss over the fact that her projects always overrun and she doesn't ever produce good documentation. A serious failing when documenting requirements and putting together the high level design spec is your job. Did she take this on the chin? No. She blamed me.

That is right, she blamed me for being too demanding and difficult to manage - her reasoning went like this: one of my staff (that is how she refers to her team - as her staff) who, as a job, has to provide the technical solutions to project requirements, keeps insisting that she documents those requirements fully, and gets her solutions agreed with the customer. When work is done from her documents her staff keeps bothering her with questions about what was actually intended.

Her boss pointed out that as it is her job to do what I keep asking her to do and the fact that I have to keep asking lots of questions which she has to go back to the customer for answers to shows I'm doing the analysis better than she is.

So, with a backdrop of huge redundancies, my direct boss is attempting to shift the blame for her own incompetence on to me. I don't want to be working for someone who's first thought is to dump on the members of her team to defend herself from well-earned criticism. Just how bad of a manager does that make *her* look?

Fortunately I think the boss's boss can see the situation clearly, but I don't know how to handle my boss at the moment, now that I know she has tried to stab me in the back.

*sigh*

And I really don't want to be made redundant soon - we're hoping to start a family very soon and I won't be able to find another job if I'm pregnant, and even if I do I wouldn't qualify for maternity benefits

And the whole going to work thing is made infinitely worse when you know your boss is actually a total cow. Ick.

Wonder if my numbers came up tonight?

and

At least your boss's boss was seeing things as they are and not buying you as a scapegoat.

But I see what you mean about 'handling' you boss, now. It is a difficult one. Have you got a union representative or somebody else to share it with and ask advice?

If you get pregnant as soon as possible, you can apply for some maternity leave and then take them to the Court of Human Rights if they fire you.

B

trust you!!

kelli

They sound like a complete shower, Kelli. And horrid to feel trapped there.

B

Kelli, I'm concentrating on your boss getting the ax and you stepping into her job.

MB - don't think I haven't already considered that!

Thanks all - the thing is, I'll probably be ok through this wave of redundancies as I have managed to wangle myself onto the only game in town. One project is going to survive the merger and I'm on it, plus, other than by my direct boss (it seems), I'm pretty well respected here. My boss was on that project too, but after her little outburst she has been removed from it as she can't be trusted to do the work...

Hyp, I don't really want her job, I want mine without the random acts of manglement. Seems very likely she'll go now though.

Ben, it is odd feeling trapped here, while not wanting to be made redundant! It is this whole babies thing. If I was kicked out tomorrow it wouldn't be so bad, I could get another job but when we do have a baby I would only qualify for minimal maternity benefits - most companies like you to have been there at least a year before you get anything other than the state minimum.

If I get made redundant when I am already knocked up then it is a disaster (unless I can successfully sue them, but as this happened to them last time they sacked a load of people I would imagine the lawyers have done the requisite asscovering) - I can't see another firm taking me on so I won't get any pay while pregnant, nor any when I'd otherwise get SMP, and I won't find it as easy to go back to work afterwards to anything like similar levels of pay. Gah!

It is just crappy feeling like your boss has tried to drop you in it. I had very little respect for her before, and none at all now. Am professional enough to be civil etc, but I can't see me being friendly towards her any more!

*sigh*

<>

Is it really a surprise that she did this? Surely it's everyone out for themselves if there are redundancy rumours.

The bosses boss does sound like she/he has a handle on it.

It's not easy to rush into pregnancy though.

Alex.

It is a surprise - everyone I have worked for before has defended their team from outside pressures - in this case there was nobody except *my manager* attacking me, and only when her own shortcomings were being drawn to her attention. It is pathetic really - if it hadn't been me it would have been another member of the team. All she has done in the eyes of her own boss is highlight her lack of job skills by underlining her lack of people management ability and shown what a team player she isn't. Foolish woman.

I'm not intending to "rush into" pregnancy, beginning to try for a family has long been on the cards for this year - I don't want to delay that because of work pressures as I'm getting on a bit now, so the result of getting made redundant will be that we will be financially worse off for years to come. Mind you, that isn't the end of the world either, just very, very annoying.

Can you have a chat with your bosses boss about the situation with your boss Kelli?

Indeed often tlaking things through can put minds at ease and all that.

I would, except that I'm not supposedly aware of the details of the exchange she had with her boss - I got this from someone very trustworthy who sits within earshot...

I'll let it stew this week I think, and may have a seemingly unrelated chat to the boss's boss about my career development next week. This isn't unusual as my boss isn't trusted with that sort of stuff.

Sounds like a good plan you got there Kelli.

I had the career development chat but in the meantime we've had a reorganisation and I now report direct to the boss's boss

Things are going pretty well with the new role and (for the first time in two years) I am actually enjoying my job. So when do I throw the spanner in the works?

Looks possible that I might get sent to Ireland for 2 months soon so will have to tell them before that to ensure that I can get the flexibility I might need (for scans and stuff) but ideally I'd leave it until as late as possible.

And no, I didn't get knocked up just to avoid the axe!

The axe is swinging though - look as though the ex-boss will be the first to go. I do feel a bit sorry for her, but I can't help thinking she rather brought it on herself...

Hurrah! Glad things worked out for you.