Being undermined and sidelined at work

Thank you all SO much for your response- too many to reply personally but I have got something useful from all of them. It seems my post has struck a chord with many of you. Great advice and I am certainly going to take it. Thanks again

Perhaps the old adage Many a true word spoken in jest might help the op. Ha ha Are you trying to steal my job? Kind of thing?

If the poster was a librarian for 30 years and the was 30 when she was dismissed she got the job at a very young age!

leemw711
While I have every sympathy, something in your post doesn’t add up.
You say you were 30 years a school librarian, yet you were marched into the Head’s office , who was 30 the same as you
No schools I ever taught in had a head of HR. Was this a special,sort of school?

This happens to everyone. We outgrow our usefulness and relevance and the young need to push us out to have their turn. While it is incredibly painful it is a good reminder that work isn’t everything and that you need to get the next phase planned.

I would not stand for that I would tell HR and management that you feel that they (management HR) have conspired to undermine you cause you stress and unnecessary embarrassment. If they don’t want you they should offer you redundancy**also tell them that you are seeking legal advice on constructive dismissal. ** [even if they did make you redundant and you accepted there is nothing to stop you taking them to a tribunal] To seek compensation because you only accepted redundancy because of the stress they were causing you. I would suggest you contact a lawyer who is a specialist in employment law.

Personally I recommend a hit squad

leemw711 - if this correct then it is clear case of discrimination and you should seek legal advice.
OP - make a business case for keeping to roles as outlined in your job description and go and see your manager. Insist that action is taken as, for example: a) working relationships are being damaged, b) duplication leads to waste of resources, whatever else you can think of etc. etc. Write a report and insist that managers get to grips with the situation. This is very common today, with junior staff feeling that they should be in charge from day one. Well it's not on so stand up for yourself. Good luck

Re problems at work: for 30 years I was a school librarian and loved my job - according to colleagues I was good at it too. Then one day our “business manager” came in, pointed at me & said “You, come with me” He escorted me down to the Headmaster’s office & the HM pointed at my chest and said “You’re fired, go up and clear all your personal possessions from the library”. I did so, very sadly as I loved my job, I asked why I was being sacked and was told that I was “too old to work with teenagers”. I was 30, the same age as my boss, and was very tempted to ask whether he intended to sack himself but wasn’t brave enough to do so! I miss my job a lot, miss the contact with former colleagues and the chance to get to know pupils. Still feel very resentful of the way my future was dismissed in such a cavelier way... Presumably the HM sees me as a dinosaur?

If you don't know what role the graduate has been given then it seems to be over-personalising the situation to suggest she is not focussing on her own role and job. the fact that her manager is pleased would suggest she is doing what she has been employed to do. If you have an HR department then why don't you get them to explain to you what her role is and how it differs from yours, as you fear inefficiencies and repetitions are occurring at the moment?
Try not to sound bitter and resentful of someone younger than you being good at their job (it is entirely possible that she is an expert in her field) but instead concerned for the smooth and efficient running of the company and desirous to ensure no wasteful repetitions or overlaps in order to provide good outcomes for your customers

I would take a slightly different approach. You have the experience she probably has some new ideas, could you not suggest collaborating on a project? I have been in the same job area for 30 + years & whilst sometimes exasperated by younger colleagues there is often something we can learn from each other. You sound very unhappy I would also talk to her about impinging on your role but avoid the route of formal grievance & constructive dismissal.

If it was me I would do a M0nica suggests - have a word with her personally.
I had a similar situation but in my case it was my boss who sometimes trespassed on my patch, taking over projects I'd started. With his weight as senior he achieved results quickly, whereas I would have had to plod along. There was little I could do except drop a few hints and give dirty looks.
It still niggles me, after all these years.

Definitely your line manager too, if her line manager is so enamoured then you need an ally whilst sorting this out and holding your ground.
Good luck and stand firm and know it’s young ones wanting to strut their stuff.

jenpax is as others have said spot on. I do not think you should 'befriend' this woman. though you can act as a supportive senior colleague. Discuss things as advised in terms of organisational efficiency etc. with your line manager and HR, keep a diary and notify them when this person over steps the mark by duplicating work which it has been agreed is not in her area.

Lets hope that you do not get pushed into a corner and have to leave and do constructive dismissal.

good luck.

If you're not a union member join one NOW. Your HR department and managers are not the people who have your interests at heart. I don't think that there is any point in discussing this with the graduate, she's probably bright enough to know exactly what she is doing. She will report upwards on your conversation, slanted to show herself in the best light and yourself in the worst. You need help and unions have departments of professionals who can advise you on the best course of action and/or act on your behalf.

Your not you’re. Silly autocorrect.
Should have proof read before hitting send.

Our areas are closely related and we are in the same wider team.
Putting your feelings to one side, take a step back and look at what she has been working on. Do you know what brief she has been given?
I was recruited into a role with the specific purpose of reviewing and modernising the processes that had been trundling along unchanged for years. All the existing staff in my department had worked there a long time and were very resistant to change. Senior management hadn’t made any real effort to engage with the staff and explain why the changes were necessary.
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Keep your friends close and you’re enemies closer.

As her work is encoaching on yours, it’s perfectly reasonable to suggest that it has the potential to inadvertently undermine what you’re doing and in order to be more effective, she needs to liaise with you more closely.
Essentially, you need to work out what her intentions are.

I like Blue60s suggestion and I'm not suggesting that you should talk about constructive dismissal unless all other approaches seem not to be working.

I agree that speaking to HR or whoever is senior to you is the best approach. Keep a written record and if it becomes untenable I would throw out the words 'constructive dismissal'. This is often done by knocking people's feet out from under them.
If you let if go on, people will just say 'well it's working, so let's just keep things as they are now'.
I would also send her an email pointing out that you must be included in any meetings which cover areas of your responsibility but not go into much detail or discussion as she may be the kind of person who would enjoy that.
Unfortunately, graduates do often believe that they should go into an organisation at the top, whatever their job description and don't always respect people to reached a high position in other ways.

A difficult situation and one that many of us have found ourselves in over the years. Favoritism is very dangerous in offices as it sets up so much ill feeling.

As your two roles are closely related might it be an idea to think through what an efficient and clear structure looks like - so what's "yours" and what's "hers"? Focus on setting out something that's positive.

You could then set up a meeting with her, her manager and yours so that you can suggest this approach - making it clear that you want to give her the space to shine and do her own thing . Have the tone that her enthusiasm is great and frees you up to do new things- it's all opportunity.

Keep it upbeat - no need to mention previous issues , focus on the future and how you want to develop your areas and want to give her the space to do hers. Maybe gently hint that she has been causing a bit of confusion that you , with your experience of how the company works are trying to smooth out.

If there is project that you could start yourself this would be the time to mention it - again under the guise of setting out objectives and plans for the next 6 months ?

Once agreed it might be an idea to meet with her on a regular basis so that you can both feedback to each other on what you are doing ? Identify areas where you can support each other - even if you won't really be doing much about it.

This is unpleasant for you. Quite apart from the excellent advice from jenpax on here, do remember that the over-confident tend to hoist themselves by their own petards eventually. Then you can smile wryly at the result.
In the meantime make sure that your own work and behaviour are exemplary.

I think jenpax has it spot on. No need for any elaboration.

Befriend her, take her out to lunch and see if you can solve it by the nice approach- ask her about her ideas and approach to work, take an interest in her (young people seem to love that). Try and find out if anyone else has had similar problems and talk to them. If she is being ageist, then go to your manager, if they don’t do anything,then go to HR. Young people want to make a mark, however, they need to learn how to work with other people from all backgrounds and ages . They need to respect other people’s position.

I worked in a very large organisation, and found that if speaking to the relevant manager was not bringing a result or being ignored, I then made my point in writing.

Choosing words carefully is paramount - this is to make clear your position without losing respect or create bad feeling. Avoid any emotio and remain professional throughout.

You could try something like this:

"Following on from our recent conversation, I woud like to bring to your attention that I would prefer to continue undertaking [relevent duties] as is normally expected in my role as [role].

While I appreciate efforts made by (name of person) arranging a meeting for [name of event] I would expect to be consulted or informed if such duties are to be performed by someone else, in order to avoid confusion and create a clear line of reporting to managers.

That said, as the lead role in this area of work, I welcome input from the wider team which would assist us in meeting and providing our service to a high level in respect of our customers' expectations."

I also found that by accepting new team members, advising them and being a person they could trust led to good working relationships and mutual respect. Hope this helps.

Hi first step I'd take is to review and crystalize your job description with your own line manager, so there is no grey area this young person can stray into innocently or not. If you are are in the same division suggest a revamping of all jds and a team meeting to compare and share so you can be a more effective department. Make it a positive to boost productivity etc etc... Any hint this person ignores it (keep a diary f necessary with dates and facts) take it up politely but firmly. You have to defend your patch but not aggressively - just assertively and deserving of respect. I let a similar scenario make me ill but it never happened again once I took control and reminded HR of consequences . I went from Mrs nice buy the cakes fluffy bunny and company joker to being a modified version - still 'auntie' but one that was treated with a whole lot more care and reverence once I showed my teeth. If this person is talented has flair and is younger (last between gritted teeth) once back in her box you might want to mentor her and keep and eye (your enemies closer) you may find a good friend and satisfaction in her rise..