Extended probation period

pbody1985

Hi ,

Just need somebody advises , so I started new job in October last year 6 month probation period the usual , got an email this morning from hr that I was to have a meeting for a review ( 5 months in ) most of it was negative they asked me how I felt I was doing I said yes think I’m doing good and learning every day , my manager turns and says we think your struggling , to say I was shocked is an over statement . I’m good at what I do it’s a hard job prob the hardest in the company , I have made a few minor and these are minor mistakes say putting the wrong referring an email or sending wrong attachement in an email , silly things which I’ve only done maybe a handful of time since I started .

I was told that I need to ask more questions but with my actual job I do maybe 200 files a month and was presented with 2 mistakes I made a out of 200 hundred ( not a bad number I think ) I was told too tAke there advises and check my work carefully

In my job a lot is Manila entry so human error is going to happen , was told my probation is being extended by 3 months - barre in mind my managed went in sick leave 2 weeks into when I started and was out for 2 months , I feel a bit taken back by it as I feel I have been doing good , I was told. It to take the negative away from the meeting and it’s all good and most employees have there probation extended , I feel kind of punished because my manager was not there for 2 months and head is now melted , of course I’m going to make mistakes everyone does and he said so himself , I even pointed out to him a few weeks ago a mistakes he made and he just brushed it off as fine , I like the place and everyone is so nice but feel battered by this now and how do I bounce back from this .

I’ve done no major wrongs , hr said. No complaints from her side and I’m always on time and no sickness or anything.

Oh and he said we could have hired a student to do this , when I interviewed for job I lacked a certain side of the job and said it was something I was eager to learn in new role . And stuff I’m still learning . I just feel like I’m being punished from minor things that everyone makes

Sorry for the rant I just can’t face going in tomorrow and just came home this evening very upset

Creol1

Totally understand why you're upset as you feel your shortcomings are being amplified totally out of proportion. However, the legal protections for employees in the first year of employment are very weak so you are probably best advised to grit your teeth and accept the decision and avoid doing anything that would escalate things further.

Remember, they could have let you go rather than extending the probation so the fact they are extending your probation shows they are willing to keep you on, and I would take that as a positive.

dazed+confused

Just a minor observation, but your spelling and grammar is quite poor.

If you are sending lots of emails or creating and editing documents, this will be quite frustrating for everyone else.

EverythingGood

sending an attachment to the wrong recipient could be a massive data breach, depending on your sector, but at best, its still a big mistake.

qwerty13

Not a career enhancing move to point out your manager’s mistakes to him.

skallywag

First off, I do not think that your manager has handled this well. When I have had issues with someone on probation then I would have had a quiet one-to-one with them without involving anyone else at all. This in itself was usually enough to improve things, as it can often be the case that someone new will just not be aware that they are not delivering on what the expectation is.

That said, I must strongly agree with what another poster has mentioned concerning your writing style. If an important part of your work is with reports and emails, then I would advise you to make an effort to improve here. Take a careful read back over your own post. If you write in the same style in a professional context then it would be a no-go for me.

OMM 0000

I'm sorry to hear this. And totally understand you are upset.

I'm a manager and stories like this always bother me. If a manager has a problem with an employee, he needs to talk to the employee as soon as possible, so the employee knows which aspects of their job they need to improve. There can then be regular meetings for updates.

In contrast, you manager has waited until the last minute (about to finish probation) to tell you this.

So it leads me to believe you have a bad manager.

I agree with you that an error rate of 1% is good.

I think you need to try to stay positive.

1. You still have a job and they're still paying you.

2. You're likely to continue getting better at your job.

3. You have another 3 months to turn things around.

So things are not terrible.

I think though, you should consider looking for another job. Just in case.

Good luck to you.

daheff

id be getting my cv dusted off & checking for other jobs.

while they might be interested in keeping you, in my experience your time is limited at that company.

bilbot79

2 errors out of 200 files may well be a high rate. It depends on the task. You shouldn't necessarily draw your own conclusions about your performance.

Your manager hashed it by waiting till review to tell you. Rookie mistake on their part.

Thing is, they have said you're struggling and it's possibly true. You need to take it constructively and deliver on what they've asked, if not for them for the next and hopefully worthier bosses.

My advice is to accept the feedback, ask for more training and bring the error rate to zero. That's what great performers do.

OMM 0000

bilbot79 wrote: »

2 errors out of 200 files may well be a high rate. It depends on the task.

That's a good point. We don't know what those files are. Maybe they're cancer results or something like that.

Ursus Horribilis

If you intend to continue working in the clerical end of things, I strongly advise you to utilise tools that'll check your spelling and grammar. I hate to hammer you when you're down but it is an obvious issue. It's something that's likely to come against you again in the future.

Sending the wrong files is something that's remembered in an organisation too. It certainly was where I work.

Eoin

OMM 0000 wrote: »

I think you need to try to stay positive.

1. You still have a job and they're still paying you.

2. You're likely to continue getting better at your job.

3. You have another 3 months to turn things around.

So things are not terrible.

I think though, you should consider looking for another job. Just in case.

Can't agree with this enough.

Despite what the cynics say, people whose probation is extended and/or put on PIPs, often do make it through it. Don't look for loopholes or worry about what other people are doing.

Given your manager was not strong enough / bothered to be upfront with you, it might be worthwhile pushing him for specifics on what needs to change, and how that can be tracked. They've shown that they're not to be relied on for timely feedback.