The probation period works both ways!

Yeah! I got the next great job with an ethical, sustainable, growing business. They recognise my skills, experience and talent and pay accordingly. Excited to start on Day 1; my first interactions as an employee are:

·  No response when I ring the doorbell; it’s a struggle to get into the building

·  The manager is not there to meet me, other staff don’t know what to do with me…here’s the coffee machine!

·   No equipment is set up on my assigned desk

·   Once the equipment was set up, sit down and complete 18 assigned eLearning modules that were extraordinarily repetitive and signed off all the mandatory compliance but not a lot of accurate information about the company

·  Booked in for daily 1:1 with the Manager at 5 pm each evening (there go my evening fitness sessions!)

·  It’s 2022, so what flexibility is available- NONE! Expected in the office five days a week from 8:30 am – 5:30 pm with a 30 min lunch break (that’s an 8.5-hour working day and 42.5-hour week, pretty sure Fair Work Australia states 38-hours as maximum with the option of working more by agreement)

Small alarm bells started ringing on Day 1: What have I got myself into? Surely these rules ease with familiarity? Do I need to be here in this environment? Is it simply a trust issue? Will more time create better outcomes? Are my values genuinely aligned with the culture I’ve walked into? I was sold something entirely different through the interview process; where has the misalignment come from? Maybe it will get better?

Probation is usually viewed as the employer’s prerogative to terminate an unsatisfactory new employee, but the employee's probation period is also their line of defence. Employees have the choice, they are trialling the employer, and in the current market, with supply and demand for skills, the employees have the power.

The above experience was Day 1 of a 4-week tenure; yes, I resigned from the role, giving one weeks’ notice and moved on. This is not 1985; we need to bring our whole self to work, whether it be at home, the office or a café. We do not have to conform to such old mentalities of stringent working hours and being seen at the office to know someone is at work. These companies need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Otherwise, companies living in the modern world don’t even have to look for competitive advantage; they will win the war of talent simply by being authentic in a contemporary world.

When starting a new role, don’t just settle; you are worth more than that. Stay true to yourself. The value you bring to an organisation is so much more than conformity. The probation period is your tool of defence.

Keep up to date and check out all the events
and goings-on as a Success Box member.

# probation, values, management, employee,
talent war, hybrid work

Back