daughter keeps failing her probation periods at work

[barbsbarbs]

Ok, my 19 year daughter has tried different jobs, she trained as a hairdresser between 16-18 but wanted to move away from that, so she got a job in an office, where she did data entry but was let go after her probation period and just now she has been given a letter from her employer as he probation period was already extended to Dec after six months, but they want her to come in tomorrow for a probation review, from the letter it looks like they will sack her. She keeps saying she cant do anything right, shes rubbish at everything, how can I advise her? as I know this will completley dent her confidence.

Do you know the reasons she is not passing probation?

I'm not sure how any of us can help without knowing at least in general terms where she's going wrong.

i have no idea where shes going wrong, Im not in the workplace, but not hitting targets, making mistakes, that sort of thing.

Im looking on how to advise her, encourage her, as they are empty words faced with the reality of what is happening to her.

To help she needs to be honest to herself about why she’s failing. However from a general perspective, per my experience, a young usually person fails their probationary because they aren’t proactive / take ownership over training / learning and the manager may decide for whatever reason they want someone more experienced. It sounds harsh but at her age she will only impress if she appears older than her age. If she’s immature in any way it might be better for her to go back to full time education - universities and colleges often offer training in how to get and keep a job and the skills employers are after

Sadly I think you’re right and it’s highly likely they will sack her tomorrow. What was the reason given for extending her probation and why did the previous job let her go?

You need detail. Is it:
a performance problem in that she can’t do the work.
A time keeping problem, r.g. Late a lot or frequent sickness
An attitude problem. She falls out with people or doesn’t do as told
Just doesn’t fit in
Something else?

Example: If she makes a mistake instead of allowing others to find it she needs to error check her work and proactively correct it. If she isn’t hitting targets she needs to proactively seek help before it’s a problem.

I was like your daughter, struggled at work, had my probation extended several times. Does she struggle with social interaction, did she find it difficult at school? If any of these ring a bell, try to persuade her to speak to her GP & ask for an autism assessment, if she is diagnosed, she would then be eligible for extra help & support to help her be able to be employed in a job that she can do with confidence.

What is this job? Is it quite similar to the last one?

Sorry x posted with you. If she’s young and relatively inexperienced then it’s an important lesson to ask for help when you need it, push for training and take detailed notes to refer back to rather than carrying on making mistake after mistake. Maybe going back to college to improve her skills is a good option. It’s shit for her right now but hopefully she can learn from this and move forward. Best of luck to her.

shes really reliable, good team player, gets on well with everyone, is inoffensive, Im guessing its because shes not proactive enough or not fully committed to making sure she looks at the small details, its just that when your not that kind of person its really heard to be that person. I just dont know how to go forward with helping her, without critising her as you can only be who you are and if shes not the sort of perso who will be proactive I dont know how to help

yes both jobs were simlliar, office target based

If she has failed probation she needs to get detailed feedback as to what went wrong and what she needs to focus on for the future.

Some young people who are new to the world of work struggle to transition into an adult environment in which there are certain norms and expectations which may not be immediately obvious coming from a school environment.

That said, she needs to act like a grow up, turn up on time, be proactive and show willingness to learn.

That said this might not apply to your daughter which is why feedback is crucial.

Maybe she needs to try a different type of job. At your daughter's age I rarely focused on details and made lots of mistakes at my data-entry-type job. I did well as a waitress and barista, though. Something where the job is more physical and fast-paced might work for her?
She may well become more pro-active and focused on details as she gets older, and if she knows these are her weaknesses now she can begin to work on them at her next job.

all this is really helpful, thank you all.x

What did she dislike about hairdressing, was her feedback better there?

Office work is not for everyone. Has she thought about what else she might be good at? Would she like to do an apprenticeship? She may be eligible even if her previous roles were apprenticeships.

Yes proactiveness / attention to detail is where a lot of young people fall down. It comes with the territory with office jobs. I have dyslexia but find with effective use of Microsoft Tools I can manage the small stuff - she needs to do similar in her next job. Ie set up meetings with herself in her diary at the end of the day and beginning to check her diary / deadlines / emails / work. She needs to go around introducing herself to other people and finding out what they do and then leveraging on their experience when she needs help but in a ‘look I’ve completed a draft would you be able to cast your eye over it before I send it out’ rather than a ‘I don’t know what to do, help!’ way. It will come with experience though.

I hire and employ graduates so I am willing to help. Please PM me when she tells you the feedback she’s received - I should be able to send across some resources

GrumpyHoonMain thank you, thank you

even with the hairdressing, she didnt get the sack but she didnt particularly thrive either

IME office jobs at that level are more about whether or not your face fits. Chances are she’s working with people a bit older than her who struggle to relate to her and she’s making work a bit awkward just by being that much younger and inexperienced and maybe passive and everyone of struggling to find common ground. If in addition to that she’s not much good at the job then they probably feel it’s easier to just replace her which is awful for your daughter. I was a lot like that myself when I was younger. Hopefully she’ll find something soon that sticks.

Sometimes you just need to find your niche.
I’ve had loads of jobs and have failed probation a few times. Mainly council/admin/office type jobs.
I got good grades at gcse, a-level and have a degree.
I now work in retail and sales (the sales part is commission based) and I absolutely love it. At 36 it’s the first job I’ve enjoyed and not something I ever considered doing.
I flew through probation and 3 years later I’m one of their top performers.

I was also self employed for 8 years before my current job.
I found it easier to be accountable to myself than a boss. Now I’m slightly older I find it much easier to get on with people and see the purpose of a job.

If she has little or no attention to detail, maybe she is applying for the wrong jobs?
Maybe a more active customer facing role would suit her better.
Or get some more experience in hair dressing, 2 years training is not enough to build up skills and experience.

Ask her to get detailed feedback - what they thought her strengths were (there must be some otherwise they wouldn't have hired her in the first place) and what should could have done differently. She should have also had this feedback when her probation was extended but may not have recognised this as feedback. Ask her to write it down so she remembers it. It should describe something + have evidence of her skills and behaviours.

I'm a big supporter of going with your strengths and what you're good at. She may not be experienced enough to know what this is yet so is a good time to try something new. Does she know the type of environment she'd like to work in eg with other young people (advertising is great for this), for a social cause etc. as this may help with her enthusiasm for something. I'd also recommend she speaks to the Young Women's Trust as they support young women who are looking for work in lots of different ways.