Am I going to fail probation

Sickness....I'd give the benefit of the doubt especially given the time of year.
Lateness....once could be forgiven but 4 times no.

In 5 years I was late to work once due to childcare and that was because the road from my estate to the town was closed 8.30 to 3.30 with no prior warning so I had to drive to a different town and then come back on myself to reach the nursery from the other direction. . It would usually take me 10 minutes to drive to the nursery I would leave at 8.40 getting back home to start work at 9. We had core hours of 10-4 but as it took me over an hour each way I didn't get to work until 11. The nursery was 3 miles away so not possible to walk. The next day I left the house at 7.45 to make sure that I could get out and back before the road closed.

The being reminded about emails unless only in the first week or so would be the thing that kills off every thing.

Probations are there for you to prove you can do the job, demonstrate your skills and determine if you are a good fit for the company and the role. To do that they need to see you doing the role and if you have high levels of sickness they won't necessarily have had chance to see that. They want someone who they can count on to be there and do the job. If you are repeatedly late they won't see this and if they are having to micromanaging you and remind you to do your job well you have failed to meet the first criteria for what probation is there for.

I wouldn't be thinking right now about passing/failing probation. From what you have described you would be lucky to pass. I would be working on discussing an extension to the probation. I think you need to be open and honest about the situation and how it is not good enough. You can't changed what has been done but you can turn things around if they are willing. You would be looking at doing the rest of the probation and any extensions with a flawless record for time keeping and doing to job to an excellent standard.

Like others have said the sick days by themselves not necessarily a problem. It happens and we’d maybe extend probation.

But the lateness and poor work definitely an issue. Possibly fixable but I’d want to know how you were planning to improve this and would be considering your general attitude to the job.

You absolutely have not had the flu 3 times during your probation period. And you don’t need to be off work with a cold 3 times in such a short period, and while on probation. You go to work.

I am a single parent. I managed my childcare. To be late 4 times for the same reason? No. I’d get rid of you.

Not doing your job while you’re there is another big problem. Why do you need reminding to deal with emails you’ve received?

You don’t have much chance to pass this. Any chance this is your first job in a while? Sounds like you’re only going to work coz you’ve been made to if your kids have aged out of you getting UC without working.

Sorry OP. I wouldn’t be keeping you on. Unreliable. All your listed issues you need to find a way to work round or through.

We are all doing our best, many with much bigger challenges but the new workers bill don’t think is going to give day one unfair dismissal rights after all, even if it did capability is a fair reason for dismissal as too is not meeting acceptable minimum standards via a contractual probation period.

Hope for the best, you might get lucky but either way being on time and not taking time off for common cold be a start.

Exactly. In my previous life in management, I had to let people go for behaving the way OP describes - regular periods of sickness, turning up late and then zoning out and not doing their job properly when they were there. They were just taking the piss and it wasn't fair on my other staff who were having to work even harder to pick up the slack.

Support is reserved for people who are doing their best, turning up on time despite all the shit and who are genuinely struggling - not people who clearly can't be arsed.

I’m guessing you are not a manager, and never have been one, as that’s not how any business runs, not one which will stay afloat anyway. You can’t fire people for lack of empathy ffs.

Setting aside concerns about her attendance, timekeeping and performance, would you not have concerns about the attitude of an employee who thought that all of these issues combined weren't a big deal?

I'm about as flexible and accommodating as managers come. I bend over backwards to support staff and to help them fit work in around their other commitments and obligations. But if I sniff a hint that someone is just taking the piss, then that changes everything because it isn't fair on others in the team to have staff who don't make an effort.

For what it's worth my employer is very flexible and understanding as am I as a manager. We all have children in my team, we've all had crisis points from bereavement to long term illness etc. The difference is these people proved themselves in probation and continue to prove themselves to be worth the long term investment by working hard, offering to make time up, inbetweem crisis points are generally reliable and hardworking etc. General day to day, week on week flakiness is really tiresome and not something me or my employer put up with.

Then you wouldn't be a very good manager if you let your employees take the piss out of you.

I reserve my empathy for people who deserve it, not people who don't turn up to work on time and who don't bother to do their jobs even when they do show up.

Well if I was her manager I wouldn’t sack her, I probably would reserve that right for people who seemed to lack empathy and took pleasure from someone having a harder time than them.

I’ve worked at a number of major banks and they have been very accommodating where people have had issues with child care and illness. A good employer doesn’t want you to come in when you can’t work, and a good manager understands that no one can foresee a child’s nose bleed, wetting themselves on route to nursery, or an epic meltdown just as you are heading to the car. Who knew charities were less forgiving than financial services…..well I guess I do now!

It never ceases to amaze me when people try and justify sickness as no one cares and companies certainly dont they just have rules they have to abide by, they need people in work and if you wont do the job they will get rid of you and find someone else, unless you are brilliant at your job no i doubt they will keep you on

Is it just mums you have time for or do others qualify for this as well? Or do you believe that only mums can have a difficult time with things in their lives? Where does this stop or is it fine for everyone to be late, take lots of sick days and not actually do their job?

Why don't you offer her a job then? And she can turn up late, call in sick and not bother to answer her e-mails on your time and money instead.

Good for them!

I’ve yet to have a sick day and I’m never late, but I have a lot of time for mums (and people in general) whose lives aren’t as easy as mine.

People like the OP are why workers shouldn't have all the rights from Day 1 (in the new bill). AFAIK you can still be dismissed without reason (with notice) up until 2 years in a job.

If you were working for me, I'd probably give you another 3 months probation to see if your performance improved, but others may just let you go.

Being sick is understandable- stuff happens, but lateness, child care issues, and failing to respond to emails all point to a piss poor employee.

Not just for the company but for other colleagues who would inevitably have to pick up the slack, this risks them feeling put out and seeking new jobs, so losing valuable workforce. A shitty employee can cause all sorts of problems.

Its not looking good. You sound unreliable.

I have a nice employer. Time one or two, yes they'd understand and try to help. Time three, four...plus three absences and basic not doing the work. No. Its not to do with nice.

Occasionally sickness will be overlooked if you are doing a good job.

Sounds like this isn’t the job for you though. Start looking for something else before you are pushed.

You literally have been given another chance, many times. The fact that you keep wasting those chances by messing up again, is entirely on you.

And responses like these show exactly why we have a snowflake workforce. Do your ruddy job. Everyone has struggles but dont use them as an excuse to slack off

When I started a new job 4.5 years ago I made sure that my husband was lined up for school emergencies so I wasn't that person having to leave to pick up sick kicks early on in my role, I had my parents on stand stand-by too to help if needed and I have the teens a good talking to about how I needed to show up for this job etc. If I didn't have that then those first 3 months I would have had to leave early several times, takes days off for sick children and also had covid worked from home. I appreciate I'm lucky to have good back up. The amount of people I see come and go who think they are somehow doing the work place a favour is mind boggling! I've had so much flakiness in the first 3 months which I have also been guilty of overlooking but honestly in all cases it's been indicative of what we were getting into in the long run. If someone can't prioritise and get their shit together for probation then it doesn't look good.

The thing is, OP, it isn't even about the sickness or the lateness or the emails.

It's glaringly obvious from this post alone that you have an attitude problem.

I would be willing to accept that a new employee had been particularly unlucky with their sickness. That they might have had unavoidable issues with their childcare that might have made them late several times. And while I would be annoyed about the missed emails, I might be willing to at least extend the probation to give them another shot. I understand that life happens and sometimes gets in the way of people performing at their best.

But if you were giving off vibes that said you didn't think that any of these issues were a big deal, then I would want you out as soon as possible.

I'm a firm believer in workers having rights. But they also have responsibilities, and you don't seem to have any concept of that.

This is absolutely how it should be. Flexibility, kindness and understanding when it's earned and needed.

And what about all the other mums in the workplace who do show up on time, don't take three lots of sick leave in as many months, and actually do the job they're being paid to do?

OP is taking the absolute piss. "Be kind" is such a load of bollocks, honestly.