Grievance over recruitment

Dark Stranger

My employer recently recruited a person to work with us ,
at a grade just above mine. I feel aggrieved because I think I would have been suited to the job.
They didn't advertise it internally, which is the standard policy.

The person they recruited, had worked for the company previously at the same level as myself.
They then left and didnt work in the industry for a while, before their recent return.

I was told I was deemed ineligible for the role, due to me being on a development program which
is aimed at getting people from my current grade to the next one .(This development program
is standard for all employees ,and I am pretty much finished it. )

My grievance is; a person who leaves, gains no tangible experience, then returns,
is allowed to leapfrog me , who stayed and worked diligently .
They also got to completely bypass the development program which I'm on.
By NOT working, this person became more eligible than me .

I've raised this with management , and been met with excuses and a concerned effort to sweep it under the carpet.
I've thought about a complaint to HR, but I think this would be effectively a waste of time.
They will try to protect the management and themselves, and fob me off even more.
I also think making a complaint like this could hamper progression opportunities for me.

There probably isnt any other avenue I can go down. But just wondering if there are any legal directives
or obligations a company has to follow, in relation to this kind of thing?
Thanks

MrDarcy

I worked in a place once OP where this kind of way of doing things was the order of the day. I remember it being nothing less than absolutely infuriating. Unfortunately it's no small problem in this country with the nod and the wink culture still very much in place. Based on this experience that I had and then also one other that I had subsequently, I decided to never be an employee again in this country, I decided to become self employed and never allow a gombeen employer or manager in this country to keep me down in terms of my wish to use my full suite of skills, knowledge, resources (both in terms of academic qualifications and work experience) and my wider abilities.

Unfortunately the inept standard of management in this country is nothing short of remarkable, any person who has studied management theory or industrial psychology would know and understand the wider negative and unhealthy consequences that consistent promotion on this basis would have within a workplace. What ends up happening is that the person who is promoted with the nod and the wink, then proceeds to promote others on the same basis and next thing you know you have a whole organisation of people who promote their mates and promotion on the basis of demonstrated competency goes out the window.

I can't advise you as to what to do, as legally you really have no relief in this country as the industrial relations legislation is so weak.

My advise to you based on my own experience is if you are not happy where you are then find another competent employer. I know that is no small mission in today's climate, but I found that I just couldn't suffer this kind of incompetence in a workplace, it wasn't an option for me, I had to do something about it and that was to start my own business and I know now, hugely difficult as things are right now for every employer, the worst day now is ten times better than the best day under the previously corrupt regime I found myself in...