Probation extended despite good improvement, should I stay if I pass?

[epe]

I had a mixed mid probation meeting. Some serious concerns but some very good feedback. Had end of probation meeting and was told all my feedback after mid point was good and I am showing excellent improvement. But because the probation is looked at on the whole, they have to extend by 3 months.

I am furious. Going to look at other options. But if I do pass the probation, is it bad to stay?

Another one wondering what the serious concerns were

It sounds like those have been addressed and they still want to keep you, but the rational thing to do is to make sure everything's okay after the serious concern surely

So I would stay if you like it

That's like a 12-year-old's attitude to work and there seems to be more and more of it around

Furious is a weird reaction, maybe hints at some incompatibility. I'd be concerned, keen to prove myself, making a plan to make sure I was up to snuff by the next check in. But to be fuming because you presumably think you're beyond reproach and shouldn't be kept on probation suggests a lack of receptiveness to what they're really saying. You've heard what you wanted in terms of being great lately and the only issues being at the outset. If they didn't have any concerns still, they'd have passed you. They're still not convinced, so if I wanted to stay I'd be set on convincing them. if you're not, leave by all means.

@ToKittyornottoKitty There’s usually a probationary period explicitly agreed and a company accepts the performance at the end of the period and does not factor in the beginning. If op isn’t up to standard NOW, that’s different but how do you take an average of performance and say op still hasn’t met it? It’s pretty subjective and she doesn’t know what the policy says.

As I said, teachers can need a lot of support in the first term but obviously mentors and schools expect teachers to pass by the end of the period. It’s only extended when a further period is required because at the end of the standard probation, they are not yet good enough. If the op had been judged good enough at the end, she should pass because her training has improved her. However all firms should have a probation policy and the op should know when an extension is required - the probation judgements she has written here don’t chime with any probation policy I know.

She has not provided nearly enough information for you to know any of that. And obviously not all companies work the same. This is normal practice in my industry and im sure many others.

Also where does it say she’s not been able to see the policy?

@ToKittyornottoKitty So what is excellent improvement then? It’s not normal to factor in poor early performance if she’s now meeting expectations. If she’s not, that’s different. Normally excellent progress is a big tick! An employee leaving when they’ve been trained is expensive. All employees should expect ongoing training anyway and their jobs should be secure. Most companies find churn expensive.

The “serious concerns” were that I refused to take more work on when overwhelmed/swamped, which meant manager had to do some tasks usually below their pay grade.

@epe That can happen when someone is new. It’s a fairly standard issue. I think it sounds vindictive. So your time management is now good? It also doesn’t sound like a collaborative working environment. A bit hierarchical? Not for me I have to say. I’d be looking to get out but make sure you can explain why and be credible.

Thanks, vindictive certainly is the word

I dunno, you say there's serious concerns about you being overwhelmed and swamped, then you're excellent and then fuming and they're vindictive. All sounds quite extreme/dramatic and the truth is probably much more mundane - that your improvement is good but there's still concerns and they'd feel safer to wait and make sure the improvement continues and they're sure you're the right fit for each other. If you genuinely think you're ace and they're being bastards, hand your notice in. But I'm sure it's more likely caution than some nefarious plot. It's hard to let people go after probation so best they don't make a mistake. If that makes you furious then you're maybe not meant to be working for them.

So basically you couldn’t manage the workload
the problem is none of us on here know if they were at fault because they were giving you an unmanageable workload or you were indeed too slow to keep up with the expected workload
so no one on here can genuinely say if there being unreasonable in extending your probation

It costs more for a manager to complete a task, therefore it's not a good use of resources for a manager to be working on things that can or should be done more economically by more junior staff.

I think it's a leap to describe this as vindictive based on so few facts.

I’d start applying for other jobs. It’s a bad sign tbh.

Granted - but if it needs to be done that day then everyone needs to chip in.

For me it would depend:

• if the concerns are genuine/justified and you like the job then stick to it

• if you have been struggling because of a poor induction, lack of training, unrealistic deadlines and expectatiors from management or because the job is not what was sold to you at interview or the manager is basically an asshole and the organisation is toxic all around then I would leave.

Basically the probation period is also a time for you to judge whether the job and work environment is the right fit, it is not just for the employer's benefit.

I’m getting funny vibes from your tone in your posts.

”I refused to take-on…”
”Everyone needs to chip-in”

I suspect your LM may have (valid) concerns around your attitude.

@Emerald187 At a collaborative work place, everyone does indeed chip
in. Hierarchical organisations stick to JD and seniority. Everywhere would anticipate new staff are slower and cut some slack though. They might not have trained op sufficiently either at that stage. So of course it’s a nuanced response depending on what the job is and culture of workplace.

They didn't say she was excellent - they said "excellent improvement" which would be the sort of positive thing you might say to encourage but where they weren't ready yet. So it sounds like extending probation is fair.

I agree but I feel like she's heard excellent and hence is furious it's extended. The reality as you say is likely more nuanced. They were being positive but that's not the same as the issues having been fully resolved. As for the talk of collaborative workplaces, again the reality is often not the ideal and hierarchies can be helpful too. Extending someone's probation does not make it a deficient workplace. Sometimes it's the wisest decision and that could be the case here.

It's not necessarily about being "collaborative" versus "hierarchical", especially not with one automatically badged as "good" and the other "bad".

E.g. in professional services each grade is charged out to clients at a respectively higher rate. Therefore the budget will be based on everyone doing the appropriate tasks for their grade. If the manager starts doing staff tasks it blows the budget.

It has nothing to do with ego or pulling rank. In that scenario the person refusing to do the work at their grade is the one who's not being a team player. If they had gone back to their manager and discussed workload and priorities, that would be an example of collaborative working in a hierarchical structure.

Simply refusing to follow a reasonable management instruction isn't the right approach in any environment.

@decorationday As my DH ran a very successful consultancy (civil Engineering) of course costs matter. However so do deadlines! Everyone working to together to deliver on the deadline is also fairly usual if it’s tight. At less pressured times, it’s of course important to expect senior people to do senior work befitting their status and experience. However senior people do coach and mentor new recruits and don’t recoup for the company every single day and pricing should reflect this.

I think that has changed to 6 months now so businesses have to decide quite quickly if someone cuts the mustard or not.

It’s not about whether the LM ended up having to do OP’s tasks and “pitch in”. It’s likely more about the OP’s attitude and handling of these things. The language used is illuminating:
”I refused to…”
”Everyone should pitch in”

I personally think the language used here belies a demeanour which may have raised concerns around temperament / attitudes / appropriate & professional ways of communicating about workload and duties.

It sounds like they’re trying to support you to remain in the role, you’ve improved but maybe you still have a little way to go? Maybe approach your line manager and ask if there’s any areas you need to improve still and and ask what training opportunities you might benefit from!
if probation was 6 months and for the first 3 you weren’t performing well enough, then for 3 months you’ve ‘improved’ they probably want the extra 3 months so that they can confidently say you’ve passed 6 months of probation… Maybe you’ve only been up to par for the last half of those 3 months so they want to be sure…
I wouldn’t take offence, just sounds like you needed extra training/time to learn the job… I’ve had jobs where for the first month or two I’ve felt like I’m drowning, but once I get the hang of it I can do the job in my sleep and often better than the colleagues who were frustrated with my early progress…
Stick with it, don’t cut your nose off to spite your face.. remember if you apply elsewhere you still need a reference!!