scary probation

lovely people

I don’t have a great track record when it comes to passing probation periods. It is part of why I became a contractor ten years ago. Due to the state of our industry along with the economic situation, I have found myself in permanent employment again. I gave it a try a couple of years ago and once again failed my probation period. My boss didn’t want to let me go, but I had been such a poor cultural fit that there was little choice about the matter. My reflection of the situation at the time was that I was right to continue to pursue contracting, and successfully found a new contract within a couple of months. Alas, the budget ran out, then my slush fund ran out, and so I have yet again been forced into permanent work.

However, I have a completely different sense about my current probationary period.

It is mandated that I ask for feedback from across the parts of the organisation that I have contact with monthly throughout my probation. Once completed, I will only have to ask for feedback every six months. I’m not talking about going to a colleague and asking what they think of me. Oh, no! This goes through the HR system, so it is available to all relevant parties to read. There are pre-determined forms for giving feedback to colleagues. As a result, it’s genuinely useful and considerate, and because there is so much feedback being requested, everyone is extremely practised at giving dispassionate feedback.

I believe this feedback culture has an impact on the kind of politics that I see playing out. Just like any human system, there are things that can and can’t be said, or should be said in a particular way, in and out group language (I’ve never seen so many TLAs!), and a certain amount of competition. However, there is a distinct lack of toxicity that I have come to expect accompanying such things. Everyone is incredibly friendly and supportive. It is always clear what people expect of each other, when work needs to be delivered by, and what actions are being taken away. There are countless social events that allow people to network between departments, so when it comes to needing support from different areas of the organisation, it’s likely that someone on your team will have a contact with a pre-existing relationship.

This is the first time I’ve experienced a corporate culture that even slightly touches such a pinnacle. I’ve been brought in as a change agent (of course), and for the first time, I’m scared of changing anything! Thankfully, the change I’m supporting people through is well-designed and supported from all levels up our vertical. We meet frequently with senior senior managers, detail our progress, receive updates on the changing context we’re working within, and ask for any support we need to complete our next steps. It’s almost like everyone understands that alignment is key to success.