Probation

[Lorraine M]

Please can someone give me some advice. I started a new position recently end Jan whereby in my Letter of Appointment it was stated the normal 3 month probation period is in force. That ended end April and mid May I was told that it has been extended until 31 July. Whilst new in this industry I was also asked to assist the accountant and up front I said that providing they know that this is not my forte I was willing to learn as quickly as possible. After some hiccups I have felt more confident until this was told to me yesterday. My Letter of Appointment does not have a specific list of job duties and the relevant turnaround time. I am very proud of getting the work at hand done and my desk is always clear. I do believe this company is struggling financially but what I want to know is can I state how I feel before I sign this letter without it jeopordising my position in the meantime? Should I enquire as to the stability of my position? I have been in the mind that my work was really done well despite the learning curve.

[AmithS]

Hi Lorraine,

I am not following completely.

What was told to you yesterday and is your question regarding your letter of appointment? If so what is the question...

[Lorraine M]

In my LOA it is stated that my probation period is three months, however it is almost a month since that ended and now it has been extended with no justification for another two months. We have been told that the company is not performing financially well, could this be related to that? Restructuring? I should have had a progress review at end of probation period instead of my believing I am doing well? I have had no indication otherwise until yesterday and yet they could not give me examples of where I may have made mistakes?

[AmithS]

As far as I know a process needs to be followed during probation periods entailing performance reviews and corrective measures e.g. training etc... especially if the they are claiming nonperformance \ under performance. This needs to be documented.

In terms of extending a probation period from 3 months - I am not sure if this is allowed or not.

I am sure one of our labour experts on the forum can give you a more concise answer.

[Lorraine M]

As far as I know a process needs to be followed during probation periods entailing performance reviews and corrective measures e.g. training etc... especially if the they are claiming nonperformance \ under performance. This needs to be documented.

In terms of extending a probation period from 3 months - I am not sure if this is allowed or not.

I am sure one of our labour experts on the forum can give you a more concise answer.

Many thanks for responding, lets see if there is anymore that can be said. Again, when I questioned this they could not give me a definate reply as to where I have gone wrong, I have been very confident in what I have been doing so far.