Hi MN, posting here for traffic and advice.
Been in my job just over a year. Passed 6 months’ probation without any problems. A couple of months after that, I was told I was having issues with:
• not being proactive in getting work;
• being defensive when receiving criticism; and
• my output not being 100%.
My area is law and I am quite junior, with a year of mat leave thrown in post qualification, and coming back to work PT in this new role, 3 days a weeks. So my experience doesn’t match my years of qualification which they recognise.
In the same meeting I am put on an informal performance improvement plan (PIP), I tell my manager I am pregnant. A month later, even though I have been working extremely hard to improve (and been getting positive feedback on some pieces of work, being recognised that I am working hard to build a pipeline of work, not perceived to take feedback badly), I am told they are worried that I don’t have the ability to legally analyse which is obviously the fundamental part of my job. There have been a few instances of where I have looked at something and got the wrong conclusion (nothing sent to clients) and I’ve been told it’s just plain English language and they are frustrated I don’t understand. To a point, I can see that but a lot of it is learning what the words mean is by experience. But I take responsibility for not understanding and perhaps rushing to get work done and not being methodical/thorough enough.
I am worried about being put on a formal PIP (not sure how long it will last, manager is getting advice from HR this week) and how it affects maternity, and also my job prospects. I would leave to avoid being let go but as I am visibly pregnant (3rd baby, due late Jan) I doubt anywhere else would take me on currently.
My priority is to really improve... I am just scared I don’t actually have the legal analysis skills they have talked about. I trained at a top 20 firm and worked for 2 years at another top 30 firm before moving here and never had such an issue.
Do you think they are just managing me out at this point? It’s a large team, quite clique-y, some of the senior people don’t like PT parents and I don’t think I’ve had enough time to bed in. I’m so worried and upset, have barely slept. Any advice, including how to sharpen my legal analysis skills, would be greatly appreciated.