Feeling

Lillozza

I have just had my probation period extended until end of January in my job. I am getting very worried I’ll be let go of and be jobless.

My old boss has left to be replaced with a new one who is frankly a bully. My mental health is at an all time low thinking about what a mess this is. My question is, if I get signed off sick for a week to get better, could they fire me? I really do think some time off will help me improve.

[Deleted User]

Yes, they could.

But a week off work won't help you get better. You'll just avoid the problem for a couple of days.

Think about how you'll address the issue in the long term.

Dakta

I'm not knocking taking time off for recovery, but the above poster is right, if the new boss is the problem this would literally just be kicking the can down the road (by a week, which will fly). So if you did take the week I would strongly recommend using it to formulate or even implement a longer term strategy (report bosses behaviour, find new role etc in addition to the recovery itself)

Can you not speak to someone at work about the issues you are having with your new boss? failing that, might be time to look at moving on workwise anyway, nobody should be unhappy at work but you can't always mould the workplace either.

Generally there is little protection until you've been employed for 2 years (unless being let go for a protected characteristic). Therefore probation tends to be a more in-house term with very little weight - don't get me wrong some companies will treat it quite rigidly and do interviews etc at the end to see how you've done but realistically I don't consider one out of probation for 2 years anyway because ultimately there's no actual extra protection until the 2 year mark. I would query the probation extension to make sure there are no legitimate concerns about the standard of work or anything 'our side' but if its just a bullying tactic then you can shrug it off as it doesn't change much.

Own_Worst_Enermy

I think you need to hang on in there and give them no reasons to let you go.

I took a week out once which actually contributed to feeling low, (other terrible things happened as well) it turned into near on 8 weeks out of the workplace from the just need a week.
I got to a point where I didn't want to work anywhere.

So the only employer who would touch me is a remote sales advisor job where you have to make a sale on every call. (my idea of scary) I imagine I'll end up dismissed as I'm not a true sales person and quite far from the ideal job but got to re start somewhere. Don't let this be you.

elsien

Does your probation extension include a performance management plan with SMART targets to reach?
If not, ask for one.
If you take the manager out of the equation for a moment, do you consider the reasons for the extension to have any basis in fact?  As a manager, I’ve had staff claim I’m picking on them, when actually they just needed to do their jobs to the required standard. Not saying it’s the case here, but it is something you need to consider. 

Lillozza

Thank you all for your responses and advice in this. I appreciate I didn’t give many details. I feel bullied as I get questioned on everything, constant slack messages where documents have come over perfectly fine but says ‘it’s embarrassing’ how they look. As examples. 

I feel as though I’m constantly on edge, too scared to send things through and as I know she is watching me is making me make even more mistakes.

Since our meeting, she sent me some online courses to take in management. With a list of things that need to improve, which I will be working on but I can’t help but feel I need some mental space to process. 

I think a fair point on taking time off will actually be more detrimental. Memories of unemployment in COVID come flooding back. 

I guess I just need to focus on the issues addressed myself and if she persists, it’s time to go.

Thank you all again.

Dakta

'Since our meeting, she sent me some online courses to take in management. '

This seems quite constructive actually, are you sure you're not feeling bullied as opposed to being bullied?

I don't really want to question your assessment given we're not there, but if my entertainment was gotten from bullying last thing I'd do is be giving the victim resources with which they could use constructively to negate any argument. 

Criticism can be really hard to take especially for people who feel they give all 0 so might be worth giving it some consideration and whether there is a positive route forward, there might be.

TELLIT01

What form is the bullying taking?  Might it be a case that the previous boss was laid back and easy going whereas the new one expects things like targets to be met and doesn't accept excuses easily?

Marcon

Lillozza said:

I have just had my probation period extended until end of January in my job. I am getting very worried I’ll be let go of and be jobless.

My old boss has left to be replaced with a new one who is frankly a bully. My mental health is at an all time low thinking about what a mess this is. My question is, if I get signed off sick for a week to get better, could they fire me? I really do think some time off will help me improve.

You're worried. Your mental health is suffering. Add those two together and you get both a vicious circle and (almost certainly) difficulty in always seeing things as they are - the temptation to jump to the worst conclusion then feeds the worry/pressure/distress.

If you take a week off, chances are you'll spend it brooding and worrying and dreading going back to work.

If you can't cope with 'everything', then don't try. The age old adage of  'make a list and prioritise' is still with us for the simple reason it's usually a highly effective strategy for the overwhelmed. Getting a grip on something and feeling you've done it successfully really does help; success breeds success. The reverse is true: nothing fails like failure, so if you can possibly avoid setting yourself up to fail, life should start creeping back to a happier place.

Your boss has suggested some courses to help you. You've not been sacked, when your employer could easily have chosen to do so with no recourse on your part. Extending your probation gives you a chance to prove yourself - but ask for help and guidance. If you think a document looks fine, and someone else thinks it is 'embarrassing how it looks', get some feedback on what you are expected to do to meet expectations, because clearly there's one heck of a gulf between what you think is fine and what your boss thinks.

theoretica

How many courses have been suggested/how long will they take?  I wonder if scheduling some time in to take them - and enough time to practice the skills, reflect on how they can be incorporated into your work - would help give you some periods of breathing space and reflection time without taking time off?

josephine82

Did you get a formal performance management plan and clear reasons as to why your probation has been extended? 

Ideally, you should be having regular meetings to review objectives and improvements so you can both see where you are at and that what happens at the end of the extended probation review isn’t a surprise. 

Whilst I agree with others that time off probably isn’t going to help you, it may be worth booking a day or so here of leave to just allow yourself a bit of R&R. 

You might find journaling a useful excersise to put down on paper how you feel about the job and your boss and your achievements etc. 

In terms of making mistakes, the best thing to do in this situation is just slow down. Keep a list of things that haven’t quite been up to scratch/mistakes you’ve made or lessons learned and consult them every time you do a piece of work. Often when we feel like we are being watched we try to rush work to get it done, and then make more mistakes. 

Hope some of this is helpful. I’ve just managed someone through a probation extension process and it turned out positively. Don’t panic, just ensure you have clear understanding of what’s expected (if you don’t definitely ask) and keep track of how you are doing. 

Good luck.