Am I going to fail probation

[Greenraintoday]

I'm getting worried, half way through probation, have had 3 unavoidable bouts of sickness ( all different cases and not disability related) been late in to work 4 times and have been reminded to answer emails that I forgot several times

In my defense I have had alot going.on in personal life and this has impacted me

AIBU to think I should be given another chance ?

You may fail probation, based on your performance with forgetting to respond to emails. You said you have a lot going on... have you shared this with your manager?

Because form my experience in HR, we find people only mention personal issues, when their poor performance is raised.

It can be taking on a liability of you've not shown your can do the job to the required standard at this stage.

They may extend your probation to see if you can sustain good attendance. It depends on the company and tbh.. and other factors.

3 bouts of sickness is a lot. Was it a bad cold/flu or did it need doctor? Bad colds you can go in and dose up with lemsip. To be perfectly honest if I was hiring you I probably would fail your probation as you don’t seem reliable.

Yes you’ll fail your probation and shouldn’t be kept on.

If you have no disability then it’s highly unlikely you had to be off all three sickness times. Whilst no one wants to catch a cold etc, whilst you were on probation you should have gone in - even if your boss then sent you home.

Everyone has personal problems, but being late is no excuse. The first time you were late should have warned you that you need to leave home/get up earlier.

As for forgetting emails - that’s your job.

Lots of people have other things going on in their lives. They have to put those to the back of their minds and focus on work which they are being paid for. Employers have deadlines and responsibilities.

Depends on the type of work. It would be ok in my line of work to be off sick or come in late if genuine then you would be given extended probation potentially..the not answering emails sounds like it could be the major issue.
Why didn't you answer them and in what time frame? Is it a desk job? If so then you should be checking and replying as they ping on your desktop. If you are a tree surgeon and up a tree half the day then obviously I would think there is some leeway.

If you were late 4 times in a probation period, I would fire you. Just that on it's own.

You need to grow up and start taking some responsibility.

I would suggest tackling it head on. Ask to meet your manager and say you are aware that you've been late and dropped the ball with emails. You really like your role and the company and will ensure it doesn't happen again and ask if there is anything else you can do to demonstrate your reliability etc. And then you prove that you are as good as your word by never being late, responding to everything in a timely manner and being a good team player.

You wouldn't have the opportunity to finish probation where I worked. Thee sickness bouts in two years non disability related is sackable

Lateness for a train being cancelled is siffefent from lateness because you failed to organise your morning.
With trains I used to take a photo of the train board and email it to my manager on the way.
Lateness due to failing to organise your morning is actually ok if you are a super high performer and surpass their expectations in other ways.
I was mostly always late to my office jobs but I rose the ranks quickly and worked through lunch etc. There were never questions over my performance or commitment.
I did fail one probation once in my earlier career but the job was hideous, it was making me ill and I hated the owners, the company was shit and I thought they were a bunch of twats. So I wasnt sad about it. I just never put that one on my cv when i went fot a new role.

@Doggymummar isn't that mad though - this level of sickness in probation would raise questions but over two years is not a fair reflection of a completely reasonable human and experience.

Completely agree and that's why bugs get passed around bloody Bradford Factor

I could possibly overlook the sickness if I had evidence they were genuine sickness. But no, lateness an being reminded to respond to emails would be the deciding factor in me failing your probation

That is bad even if you’ve been there a year! How long is your probation? 3/6 months. Let’s say it’s 6 months and you’re half way through so you’ve been there 3 months and had that time off for sickness and late 4 times that is appalling.
What have you got going on that you think may justify all that?

So what are you going to do about this? Clearly it’s not acceptable, and you know it. The only hope you have is a complete reset. Apologise to your manager, explain what has been going on, ask for a probation extension. Sort your shit out in the morning and make sure you arrive at least 15 minutes early every single day. Do not take more time off ill unless you are literally unconscious in hospital, if you get a cold or are sick or whatever dose yourself up, wash your hands religiously / wear a mask and go to work. Set half an hour at the end of each day or half day to go through your emails and make sure you have replied to everything. It may not be enough but if you show you can change you may have a chance.

Why have you been repeatedly late into work - is it a public transport issue?

Have you had probation meetings? How have they gone? They may extend your probation if you've shown other positives but if you have to be reminded to do your work that might be unlikely.

I imagine you will be let go and someone else given the opportunity that you have had, that's would be the fairest thing to do.

@Greenraintoday as others have said, it is important to be honest if there are issues affecting your ability to work. If, for example, you had been honest with me about there being something going on in your personal life (doesn’t need to be full detail) I would definitely be compassionate and, if you were underperforming, would consider extending your probation to give you a chance to up your game, unless I felt you were genuinely not up to the job itself. The best of us make mistakes at times; it’s how we handle it/make amends that determines how those around you view you. Likewise, bad luck/illness can affect any of us at any time. However, I’d also be keeping you informed during probation so you would already know how you were doing rather than getting any shocks!

do you want/like the job? Is it what you thought? If not, better or worse? Do you think you are a good fit? Probation is for both you and the employer, not just the employer.

I think you are, sorry, Doesn't sound great.

The sickness is one thing - but not answering emails is just poor workmanship. Are you writing notes and to-do lists and prioritising?

So you cant be bothered to get to work on time, repeatedly "forget" to do part of your job ie return emails and you've had 3 periods of sickness during your probation so far and your only 1/2 way through it and you honestly think that they should still keep you on?
You've got no chance and tbh I'd have sacked you already.
May I suggest that you start looking for a new job ASAP as you're going to be unemployed very soon

It's not looking good.

Personally, I wouldn't keep you as it looks like there is a pattern here.

Even in extenuating circumstances, you would have to provide medical certification to back up your claims.

4 times late is inexcusable, unless again you can provide evidence (train timetables, bus schedules) to show it was out of your control, otherwise just set your alarm clock for an hour earlier.

Failure to complete work. Not good. Sloppy. Half-arsed. Clearly you aren't using any form of work management system or method, like even a simple 'To do' list.

Your probation is about showing your best side and the effort you make, because in a year's time when the honeymoon period is over and you start slacking, you will have become a horrific employee.

We all have personal lives. Using that shows a tremendous lack of professionalism, imo.

I'm sorry but it's a NO from me.

Next!

Do you want this job? It doesn't sound like you're suited to it.

Having been there before, it doesn't sound good unfortunately. My advice would be start looking for something else before you are pushed out. They may extend it, I have had a probation extended due to taking too much time off for a bereavement and my partner requiring emergency surgery shortly after when I had returned to work, both obviously unavoidable but companies just don't care unfortunately.

I was upfront about my issues and the fact that I wanted to resolve any issues where work had suffered, but they had made up their minds and shortly after that, I was dismissed. The job was awful, workload impossible and the company management were a bunch of disingenuous cunts, but in hindsight they did me a favor as I was heading for a full blown burnout/ breakdown.

I would expect to be given some targets to achieve before any dismissal or failing a probation period.

Have they given you any specific targets? if so, have you been working towards them or achieving them? You could ask for this to be put in place. If you have any medical evidence, letters etc from GP concerning the sickness this may help?

Ultimately though, for a probation period it doesn't look great really. If you want to stay you will have to show them you can make changes and stick to them - if they will give you a chance. Good luck.