Am I being discriminated against?

[Express]

I've changed my name for this so please don't out me if you recognise me

I currently work 4 days a week for a large company, in a managerial role. Recently, all the managers in my department, as well as some more junior staff, were sent on a 3 day conference/course to learn management skills and also to discuss a project which everyone in the department is working on. Well, I say "all", but actually the only one who wasn't invited was me!

My boss has been on holiday since I found out about this course, so I've not been able to find out exactly why I wasn't invited, but this is not the first incident where I have been sidelined. I am seriously considering cataloguing the incidents and would like to know if I might have a case for discrimination.
I have worked at the company for 9 years, 5 of those at 4 days a week. The company would not relish bad publicity.

[themoon66]

Are you in a union? They could advise you. Sounds quite shocking to me!

[fortyplus]

If your role/job description is the same as others' then yes, definitely. But maybe your boss misguidedly thinks he should keep the pressure off you if you have a young family? He may be trying to be 'kind' and not realise that you want to be included - especially if he's older, in which case he'll be living in the past. Raise the issue with him - he may be mortified that you feel this way because of his actions. Good luck

[harpsichordcarrier]

well it would seem to be prima facie discrimination if you were excluded (I think a tribunal would assume that it was because you are part time) but I would definitely arrange a meeting with your boss asap to ask why
I would also make a diary of other issues of being sidelined and - at the right time - arrange to meet with your boss (and someone from HR) to discuss them
but be clear about what you want...
what DO you want?

[Express]

Thanks for the responses. I'm not in a union, but there is a staff association which would help me. Part of me does wonder if they didn't want to put pressure on me regarding sorting out childcare etc (which wouldn't have been a problem at all) but there was a man on the course who has a newborn baby and I bet they didn't hesitate to ask him.
So it looks like it might also be sex discrimination along with the part time discrimination.
HC, it's a good point about what I want - my company is very adverse to bad publicity, so if I won a case (hypothetically speaking) then I would probably get a decent payout. However, as the main breadwinner, I have to work, and part time jobs in my profession and at my level are rare as hens' teeth . I have tried in the past to get a new job elsewhere, but have never managed to find anything without crazy hours and loads of pressure. My current job suits me just fine, apart from a series of blunders by my boss.
Unfortunately, she's not back for another week, so I can't have a meeting with her until the 22nd. I just thought I'd try and test the water first, to see what my comeback could be, when she explains why I didn't get invited.

[harpsichordcarrier]

yes good idea.
I think it is vital to have your game plan sorted out first. because - to be frank - whether you "win" or not is rather beside the point if you want/need to carry on working there.
If your game plan is - leave and claim some money then that's one thing.
if your game plan is = start being treated with a bit more respect/being involved then imo you should concentrate on that and leave aside any talk of sex discrimination because that will just get people's backs up and maybe single you out as a troublemaker sorry to be blunt. I would say, for example, it is better to use the words "being treated differently" rather than sex discrimination. that is not to say that you shouldn't be assertive about being treated properly but it would be worth your while to consider your approach thinking about the reactions of others/
the other thing I would say is to concentrate on the effect this exlcusion/different treatment is having on your profressional development, on your earning capacity, and on your ability to do your job and progress and whatever is relevant. concentrate on the practical consequences so people can't dismiss it as "just whinging"
good luck and let us know what she says

[Express]

Thanks HC, that has been really helpful in getting my head straight. I've been talking to a sympathetic colleague who thinks that my boss may simply have forgotten to invite me on the course . It was booked in August though, so there would have been plenty of time to rectify the situation, as they only went on it a fortnight ago.
It's not the course per se that really bothers me, it's the perception that I'm not worth investing in or maybe not even worth remembering . And that perception will go across the entire dept (who don't really know me that well as I was off on a year's maternity leave when many of them joined, and I work in a different building to them, though on the same site) as well as to the most senior management (the top level bosses went along to the course for dinner one evening).
Is "forgetting" a decent enough excuse to get out of being accused of discrimination? That's the question.

[UCM]

I would write to your boss and state that you have concerns as to why you were not included in the recent course/training session. Get an answer first, this gives you an audit trail and catalogues the fact that you have concerns IYKWIM. Then as time goes on, you can take it from here. To have a good case, you need to have some evidence, so this is a good way to start.

[UCM]

If you do this at a staff meeting, make sure you ask for a copy of the minutes/handwritten notes as well. Good luck.

[redkarma]

Hi it redkarma,my husaband is branch sec of a union and says:keep a daily diary of anything u consider to be victimisation or harassment or bullying.verabally speak to your boss.If not satissfied with explantion then start the first stage of the greivence procedure.pls look at acas site: www.acas.org.uk/
and try to join a union at all costs.
You DO have a valid case!.
post back and we will help if you need.
Good luck!

[smittenkitten]

if you are being excluded from developmental work and training because you are part time then you may have a case for discrimination (though you need to articulate what detriment you've suffered as a result). however, most workplace issues boil down to a simple misunderstanding and i suspect if you talk to your boss and explain your concerns it will be sorted. in the meantime, it can't hurt to keep a diary of events.

[harpsichordcarrier]

hello express, sorry I haven't been on for a few days.
no, of course "forgetting" would not be a valid excuse and in fact in itself the fact that you were "forgotten" is indicative of the fact you are being treated differently.
good luck and let us know how it goes