To have failed an assessment at work?

[anxiousemployee]

I recently started a new job (2 months ago) as part of a cohort of 10 colleagues, I started around 3 weeks later than my cohort.

We have to do assessments at work with our manager where we talk through what we are doing as we perform a procedure to ensure we are doing them correctly.

The past two weeks we have been having the assessments. I thought the assessments would be staggered based on our start date and levels of experience but we are doing them all together and so I'm already at a 3 week disadvantage to my colleagues but up until today I had passed all of my assessments and just had one remaining.

The remaining assessment was one that I had told my manager I was not comfortable doing yet. It's a procedure I had only done a handful of times during my first week and never again since. For context, most of my colleagues have done it several times a day for 3+ weeks. I had asked to do the procedure more frequently to build up my experience but due to a heavy workload it wasn't possible.

I asked to delay my assessment and was told it couldn't be delayed any further than the end of this week. I had the assessment yesterday and I ended up failing it as I forgot to do one step. It has completely knocked my confidence at work and I just feel so embarrassed and upset as all my colleagues have passed.

I don't know what to do. I'm dreading going to work this morning as I know I'll have to redo the assessment at some point in the day and I will likely fail again as I don't have enough experience to know what to do. I have told my manager this but I think he has pressure from his manager to get all the assessments done ASAP. I feel frustrated my colleagues have had more time and experience before being assessed and they all keep joking around at me failing. I ended up sneaking off to the the loos in tears because I just feel so embarrassed.

I expect to be told IABU in which case please can I just have some advice on how to handle this and brush myself off this setback/failure.

Thank you

Bump

I'm just on my lunch break, think I'm having the reassessment after lunch :(

Can you request more training? What happens if you fail the assessment?
All you can do is your best abs speak to your employer and explain that you need more practice.
Good luck!!

That sounds extremely unprofessional of your manager, given you have pointed out your lack of experience and training in the task.

Good luck - you may have to put something in writing.

I have received training but it's the type of thing you just need time and experience with in order to develop the routine of doing everything correctly. There are a lot of steps and it's easy to forget to do one but you tend to get into a kind of routine/rhythm with it after a while according to my colleagues. I have actually seen my manager make the same mistake before, it's quite common but because it was during an assessment I failed.

I will speak to my manager and ask him if I could possibly do it next week instead after more experience but I think he will say no.

I feel like nobody is acknowledging how little experience I have had and how that was outside of my control. My colleagues are surprised I failed as apparently it's "easy" but they have had weeks of experience.

I would try to remember that you got it all right apart from one step. I'm guessing you're not going to forget that step again as you probably haven't stopped thinking about it - so I totally believe that you can do it.

Your confidence has been knocked and really not helped by everyone saying how easy it is. Forget them and believe in yourself. You almost got it right last time, this time you can get it completely right x

If you're having all these discussions verbally then put them in writing and cc whoever is in charge of learning in your job. You are definitely being put at an unfair advantage.

*disadvantage, not advantage!

Why did you start three weeks later than the rest of the intake?
You've been there eight weeks at this point, are you sure the others passed due to their three week advantage? It seems so unlikely.

I will speak to my manager and ask him if I could possibly do it next week instead after more experience but I think he will say no.

Email him and either bcc in your home address or forward it on afterwards as evidence. In the email, make it clear you have spoken XX number of times before about this, started three weeks after the others and need more experience before doing the assessment again.

Good luck.

@GreyhoundG1rl

Why did you start three weeks later than the rest of the intake? You've been there eight weeks at this point, are you sure the others passed due to their three week advantage? It seems so unlikely.

I don't know why I started after them, that was just the start date I was given by HR.

Yes I've been there 8 weeks but in those 8 weeks I have only had 2 days experience on this specific procedure (which was 8 weeks ago now). My colleagues have had 3-6 weeks of performing this procedure daily/multiple times per day.

have only had 2 days experience on this specific procedure (which was 8 weeks ago now). My colleagues have had 3-6 weeks of performing this procedure daily/multiple times per day.
That sounds odd. Are you engaged in completely different tasks from your colleagues (as in, you aren't really a cohort at all)?

Can you makes notes to follow? Seems almost like they are trying to catch you out
Ask for a copy of the correct process to follow until you are more comfortable
Doesn’t sound like a very supportive place to work. Agree with others about an email to ask for my time as proof you were trying to get help

I would be explaining that before any reassessment you wanted to receive more training in the procedure. They cannot expect you to pass when you have not had more training.

Why are your colleagues doing this procedure so much more than you are?

How are you working relationships?

Also - I would not focus on your colleagues, focus on what you need too - I find that can help in professional situations.

@anxiousemployee try not to catastrophise about this matter. As you say there is a reason why you didn't pass first time and you are unlikely to make that mistake again so take a deep breath and run over the procedure in your mind a few times before re-doing the assignment.

Can you mentally rehearse the steps - running through them in your mind focussing on doing all the steps perfectly. Is there a mnemonic you can come up with so you don't forget any steps?