Work Place Probationary Period
Congratulations! You've got a new job but there's a scary thing call "probationary period" The name sounds a lot more frightening than what it actually is!
Would you marry someone you'd only met for an hour or two? No probably\hopefully not! You need to first check out whether you're compatible with each other and this is the same with a new job!
The probationary period is a certain amount of time (probably specified in contract of employment) that has a reduced notice period for both the company and employee. There is no set standard length but it can be very short or up to several months in duration.
The reason for this probationary period is that companies are very aware that the recruitment process is a bit of a flawed process for finding skilled workers that match the company expectations. For example, It might be that someone isn't as good or experienced as the impression given by their CV and interview.
It also enables the employee the chance to assess the company and whether they have made a good decision and whether the working environment is suitable or not.
The shorter notice period means that either side can terminate the contract far quicker (maybe just a week or month) than the full contract specifications of something like 3 or more months.
As long as you're sensible and can do the work that's required, then probationary periods are quite straight forwards to pass and aren't really much to worry about. If however, you are struggling in the job, then this will be noticed by the line manager and the decision might be made to either extend the period or just let you go now and find someone better.
It is no good for either party - employer or employee to maintain a position that just obviously isn't working.
It works both ways
In a perfect world, all workplaces would be nice places to be and you get on well with everybody in the organisation and there are no problems. Everyone behaves themselves and the work gets done on time with the required resources. However, speaking from experience, this just isn't the case!
Sometimes, as has happened to myself, the job interview can go really very well, you answer all the questions really well, the people seem very nice and it all looks lovely and rosey - only to find that the actual job turns out to be a living nightmare of a situation and the situation doesn't change however hard you try!
Issues to Examine When Assessing the Workplace
Reasonable Adjustments
So, if you have a disabilities that is covered by the Equality Act, one of the first things to do in a new job is to sort out Reasonable Adjustments to make life a bit easier. It is a two way process whereby you discuss what can and can't be done - some of your suggestions might be possible, whereas other suggestions might be more difficult due to other company requirements.
The only way to know what's possible for reasonable adjustments is ask and it is UK law that a company cannot get rid of someone for inquiring about reasonable adjustments. What is interesting however, from a new employee point of view, is how a company reacts to your request - regardless of whether they say yes or no, how do they react to your request?
If they take it seriously, then its a good positive sign. If however they make it sound that you're just being a nusance then it might be a sign that their attitude and awareness towards disability issues is lacking.
Is the environment good for you? What are the toilets like? Are they clean? How hot or cold is your desk and are there any distractions like flickering lights or loud noises?
People Issues
A lot probationary period asessments for the new employee revolve around people issues, such as the company culture. What is the Colleague Maturity level - do they shoot each other with toy guns and just mess about doing the cool things and not the serious boring work?
When it comes to doing the work, do they give you the resources you need? Do they give you any work to do? Is there enough time to complete your project? What happens if you have questions? If like myself, you need things written down, then are they willing to take the time and give you written instructions on paper or in an email?
You're likely to spend a long time with work colleagues and so how do they make you feel? Do they provide a lot of help and encouragement or do they just criticize and put down everything that you say or do? How valued do you feel? Do you feel part of the team or does it feel like they talk behind your back on a daily basis?
Your line manager is probably the most important person within a company that you'll have contact with. Regardless of their technical function, such as being a programmer, their number one responsibility as a line manager is to sort out any difficulties that you might have, including personal issues.
A very important assesment during the probationary period is how well the line manager copes with their line manager duties? How often do you get to see them and how well do they deal with difficult situations? If you raise concerns on a personal level, then do they take action or do they just tell you to go away as they haven't got enough time to "sort that sort of thing out"
Every Job is different, Every employee is different
These are just an idea of the sorts of questions you should be asking yourself in a new job and assessing whether it is a good place to be. It's not really possible to provide a definitive list of right and wrong issues to watch-out for as every workplace is different and also each employee is different.
A steel works in Sheffield is likely to be a very hot masculine type of place with a lot of male banter. This of course would be completely different to a dog grooming parlor in Salisbury. What's "expected" in a job is very relevant to the type of workplace and culture.
Red Flags
There are however some important red flag issues that you should be very aware of and if these should happen during a probationary period would indicate that something isn't right with the company and the job.
If it is a health issue related to your job, then you have to consider the impact and whether the job is worth becoming unwell. It might be manageable now but what about 6 months down the line when things might get very hectic - will you be able to cope? Will it have a knock on effect to the rest of your life? How would you cope if you became very unwell and unable to work because of this current job? Would it be better to quit now and find a better job that doesn't have such a huge impact?
Health
The first obvious issue is whether the job is affecting your health at all. If you find that you're suddenly not feeling very well whenever you go to work or not sleeping at night, then this is a clear sign that something isn't right for you. As always, go and see your doctor if anything that happens that you're not sure about.If it is a health issue related to your job, then you have to consider the impact and whether the job is worth becoming unwell. It might be manageable now but what about 6 months down the line when things might get very hectic - will you be able to cope? Will it have a knock on effect to the rest of your life? How would you cope if you became very unwell and unable to work because of this current job? Would it be better to quit now and find a better job that doesn't have such a huge impact?
Bullying
Anything to do with bullying is not a good sign for a new job. The TUC union provides the following list of what bullying includes:
- Competent staff being constantly criticised, having responsibilities removed or being given trivial tasks to do
- Shouting at staff
- Persistently picking on people in front of others or in private
- Blocking promotion
- Regularly and deliberately ignoring or excluding individuals from work activities
- Setting a person up to fail by overloading them with work or setting impossible deadlines
- Consistently attacking a member of staff in terms of their professional or personal standing
- Regularly making the same person the butt of jokes
Harrasment and Breaking the law
Another red flag situation is anything that breaks the law, including harassment as covered by the Equality Act of protected Characteristics:- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
So although having a laugh with mates down the pub about having sex or religion might be considered to be normal. It is actually illegal in the workplace and the person making illegal comments and the company itself could be taken to a court of law.
Trying to change the situation
It's important that you are proactive and raise any issues with the line manager or HR department and assessing their response should form a large part of your decision about the probationary period.
If for example, it is a good positive indication if you find the lights above your desk are too bright and someone fixes it quickly. If however they seem uninterested and keep telling you to move to an identical desk with an identical bright light, then it means that there's not much chance of finding a solution.
Another example is whether the line manager sorts things out now or do they keep delaying taking action and say that they'll do it next week but it never happens?
Is there another team that you can move to if If you find your workmates are a bunch of idiots and what is likely to happen if you complain about workmates? Is your line manager understanding or are they part of the problem? Is it going to be like a boomerang that comes back and hits you in the back of the head? Will it turn working with a bunch of idiots into being sat in the middle of a lions den?
Usually things will get resolved and the problem vanishes. However, it can also be that it becomes obvious that a difficult situation will never change then it might be a sign to move on.
Conclusion
Ultimately, assessing the suitability of a company comes down to the employee involved and how they feel about the situation. However, If they find that it is not possible to do the work for which they have been employed, then it is a clear sign that it is not the correct job.
There will come a time towards the end of the probationary period, when a new employee will have to decide whether or not they want to stay in a new job. Hopefully, if all goes well, the answer should be yes! However, the above considerations need to be taken into account as to whether a job is viable or not - will it be sustainable over a long period of time if the same difficult things keep occurring?
No such thing as a perfect job
No job is ever going to be perfect and there will always be little niggly bits that aren't right and so the decision has to be based on whether those niggling bits are just a bit annoying or a long term problem that will probably never go away and make your life hell?As previously mentioned, the Red Flag issues are of serious concern as they indicate that something is seriously wrong with the culture and organisation. There might be more subtle signs - such as shooting each other with toy guns - that might indicate that they might prefer to be in the playground than working in an office.
Staying in your job will mean that the notice period will increase to several months and it becomes more difficult to move on if things are difficult. Therefore, you need to be sure that it is a good fit with niggly bits that you can cope with.
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