AIBU to think dismissal during probation was unfair given autism adjustments?

[SereneRoseRobin]

I’m looking for honest views because I’m not sure whether I’m being unreasonable or whether this was genuinely unfair.

I was recently dismissed from a graduate/analyst role after my probation was extended. I am autistic, and my employer knew this. I had raised the need for clear written instructions, defined objectives, examples of similar work, timelines, and timely/direct feedback. Some support was put in place, including coaching, but I don’t feel the actual adjustments were properly embedded or reviewed before the decision was made.

The difficult part is that the concerns raised about me seemed mainly to focus on communication style, professional behaviour, asking for clarification, Teams messages, and quality assurance under pressure — rather than on whether I could actually do the analytical work. Some recent written feedback said my analytical skills were good, that my work did not contain relevant errors, that I was taking ownership, and that I sought support appropriately. Another person said I had picked up on a complex project well.

The project I was criticised on was not straightforward. I was a first-year graduate with no prior experience in that sector, and I was assigned open-ended/data-heavy modelling work with a lot of ambiguity and short deadlines. Some outputs were expected within hours or by the next day, so there was not much time for structured review. I also didn’t always get timely feedback while I could still act on it. Some feedback came months after the work had ended.
My probation extension was meant to allow support and coaching to take effect, but I was dismissed before the extension period had fully ended. I had submitted evidence of improvement the day before the decision, but I don’t feel it was properly discussed or considered.
The coaching report apparently said the benefit of coaching should be assessed after a longer period, because performance can dip while new strategies embed.

I’m appealing because I think they didn’t properly separate disability-related communication issues from actual capability, didn’t give recent improvement enough weight, and didn’t consider alternatives such as letting the extension run, providing clearer QA/communication frameworks, assigning more standard analyst work, or redeploying me to a more suitable team.

I’m not saying I was perfect. I know there were areas to improve. But I feel like I was assessed against unclear expectations, on complex work, without the timely feedback and structure that had already been identified as necessary for me.

AIBU to think this was unfair and potentially linked to disability discrimination/failure to make reasonable adjustments? Or is this just how probation works, and I should accept it and move on?

Read the ACAS website and watch webinars on employment law changes that are coming up next year and always read organisations performance policies.

I'm neurodivergent. You need to demonstrate proactivity in problem solving, at a higher rate than neurotypical people. Never come just with problems, always come with solutions even when it relates to your own adjustments.

:

Clear written instructions - write your own process notes as you go for different tasks

Defined objectives - ask would success look like in this activity / present a brief plan / make sure your objectives are SMART.

If unclear, achieve one step then get feedback, before moving to the next step. Make each step / chunk of work visible. Share the work in progress / draft (very painful for a neurodivergent person I know!)

Examples of similar work - start to build a professional network, go on workshops, attend webinars, ask for shadowing opportunities, ask chat GPT / Google or look on LinkedIn

Timelines - create your own, share them to sense check, ask what the expectation is

Timely/direct feedback - ask for it / create a Microsoft Forms survey / follow it up / tell people that you're happy with direct feedback / ask for a coffee to chat about any feedback and how you are developing and want to develop / clarify (do you mean in that situation I should have done X / or do you mean that overall you'd like to see me do more of X)

Ask what the purpose of a meeting is in advance. If expected to contribute and not been briefed, ask to send written contributions afterwards.

Take short courses in Influencing skills.

Continue with a neurodivergent coach.

Consider Access to Work when you start somewhere new.

I think many of your requests are basic things a manager should do, or working style preferences. Focus on the next thing because you may be surprised how much you've learned in this role - think of this whole period as being about learning.

How would you translate this into practical advice for op? And what is the poor advice on the thread? Did you see op also faced conduct issues, not just capability?

OP, I’m sorry this didn’t work out but I would move on. Employers are not expected to implement every possible adjustment that would assist you.

Just those that are doable and reasonable.

They tried, you tried and it didn’t work out.

You’re focusing on the micro and technicalities instead of the bigger picture i.e. probation is for them to decide if you are a good fit and for you to decide if they are.

When it’s the right post, ‘passing’ becomes a formality and you will with flying colours.

Here it seems you struggled with some things and despite them trying with what was reasonably within their control, that didn’t help.

Workplaces are busy. As someone else said, colleagues are not twiddling their thumbs and don’t have time to carry team members or write written instructions for everything.

If you weren’t able to sink or swim in 9 months without a lot more support, which likely they didn’t have resource to provide, it maybe wasn’t the right post.

Think about the aspects you did well in, and liked and apply for jobs in those areas. Don’t lose heart either, there are many jobs that wouldn’t be ideal for all of us, so its no reflection on you or them, but to answer your original Q, do I think you suffered unlawful disability discrimination, no.

Those ‘reasonable adjustments’ came across as producing more work for the employer. Take it as a sign that it isnt a good fit for you and look elsewhere. All the best.

Perfectly put.

I think the op is skirting over the conduct issue, to be honest.

I’ve had times when being recorded without my permission, and not knowing where that recording went and who had it, would have seriously damaged my mental health.

As much as the op he reasonable adjustments in place, she was still responsible for a data protection breach. Everyone else on the call had their personal data rights infringed. And, depending on where she stored it, it may not have been stored according to policy. Which is also a breach. As is not adhering to the data retention policies.

finally, there is likely to have been proprietary and/or confidential information discussed in the call that the business now has no idea where it is held and how long it will be retained for.

That isnt the sort of breach of policy that most organisations will just skate over, and the op’s refusal to apologise for that is a fairly big deal.

Edit to add. The op wouldnt necessarily know who has reasonable adjustments that mean they can’t be recorded. Im also autistic so I do understand the challenges, but if the call was being recorded anyway, why did the op need to record it herself? But I don’t have to reveal to all and sundry that I can’t be recorded. That is my personal private information and the world and his wife isnt entitled to know that. It’s supposed to be enough in a professional setting to have a policy around recording. Which will take all parties into account.

They accommodated you by extending your probation. Probation is often three months so you were given a very good trial. You do not meet their requirements.

Appeal if you want but I sense part of your problem could be stubborn refusal to accept a directive.

I would like just to add. I’ve been up half the night worrying that I’ve been recorded without my permission and that these recordings are god knows where. I do recognise that I am spiralling because of my trauma, but it’s not some wee slip up what the op has done. It has real life consequences for other people.

You wonder why you were let go!

OP, it’s you that isn’t helping your situation. If you were anything like this at work, it’s astonishing that they put up with you for any time at all.

I'm pretty sure employers have no obligation to give in to any and all demands for reasonable adjustments. That's not how they work.

What else would you expect of them?! You are an employee there to do work. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ doesn’t mean do what you want; there are many reasons why adjustments would not be reasonable. Some people may never be able to do a particular job (and I’m sure you can come up with your own examples of such jobs). Unfortunately because students have become university’s customers, even very bright students may have the wrong idea about how employment works.

As to the rest, in a non-employment context, people don’t have to adapt for you or the OP. Sure it would be nice if people didn’t express exasperation with the way you process things, but there is no obligation on them to listen to you bang on so that you can process. And this isn’t unique to you or autism; everybody experiences this type of thing. The world, other people don’t work the way any of us would like. I’m not saying it’s not more extreme for you, but sometimes at least you are just experiencing what we all do. It might also be true that the OP might not be able to do the job with or without adjustments and should move on and accept that. I don’t know but I think she needs to examine that possibility.

I think one lesson you need to take from this is that much as there is obligation on the employer legally to make adjustments for your autism, there is more obligation on you to make adjustments within yourself so you can live a successful life and fit in. I say this as an autistic person myself who had a hideous time in life until I learned, through life experience and huge self-discipline, to be what my employer wants me to be. You are expecting a lot of sensitivity from others when frankly, why should they when there are more straightforward but equally efficient employees out there? They are running a business and time is money for them.

To those advising the OP takes her employer to tribunal, to win this case they need only to (truthfully) state that after she committed misconduct be recording a call that they decided to let her go.

It will quite possibly come up in future web searches by prospective employers and so reduce her chances of getting a professional position in the future.

Op, this is the most honest and sensible post on the whole thread, read it and read it again.

I don't think this is an isolated example. It comes up when I speak with those supporting graduates into employment. They've been told they have a right to adjustments e.g. in education, but were not supported in recognising that not all roles or settings are a good fit for them and that they need to adjust too.

I think you need to reflect on the reasonableness of the adjustments you were expecting. Certain jobs don’t suit everyone. I wouldn’t have time to handhold someone to the degree you were expecting.

I think the Op's adjustments just don't work in consultancy - every day is different in this job - there is very little that is standard or usual and it seems that is what the OP needs - and that's ok to need that but it isn't what consultancy is all about - clients rarely ask for specialists for support on every day tasks.
Did the company offer support on finding other employment - a session with a careers coach? If they did the OP should take it, they are certainly qualified to work in the energy industry, their technical skills in Economics will be of use to the regulator, Desnz or the energy companies, just not consulting, it's too fast moving, too unpredictable, requires flexible/on your feet thinking - move to the customer side OP (I'd recommend the regulator)...everything will be that bit more predictable and the pace will suit you better.

You keep repeating this. Do you actually mean ACAS?

Going to ACAS thinking that the op will be able to go to tribunal is pie in the sky. She committed a misconduct - where I am it would be gross misconduct and god knows what else she’s done.

@Organgrinder I think you’ve nailed part of the problem. Op needs a job with a regular structure and format, but the job she was employed to do was more spontaneous.

Also, Op felt that ‘reasonable adjustment’ meant that she could dictate her needs, and the company had to capitulate with this which isn’t the case.

Op also seems to fail to realise that the company’s priorities are the company, not an individual person they’ve only employed for a few months. They don’t owe her anything, especially during the probationary period.

What is the matter with you? I’m autistic and I’m not in a high powered job. You know why? Because I can’t do it. I don’t even know if it’s because of my personality or autism. I used to think it was my personality back before I knew I was autistic. I know for a fact that no amount of training or adjustments could make me a brilliant sales person. So I don’t work in sales. I also don’t like tons of responsibility. So I don’t work as a manager to people or in a job where everything falls on me. Now I’m thinking about everything you’ve said maybe I should start applying for sales jobs where I don’t need to sell anything or a managers job where someone else does the managing part as an adjustment. I could get loads more money!

I think that clicking "see all" on the OP illustrates why she's being let go.
First post = comprehensive, lucid, written by AI

All other posts = no u M8

If your behaviour in the workplace is anything like it is online I can see why you keep having issues. I work with many autistic people and none of them would be as rude as you have been

some of the replies here r not in good faith