I’ve Been Put on Probation…. Now What?!

I received an email this week from a reader who wanted more guidance on her probation status at work. She had read a previous blog posting of mine on the issue.

If you are on probation I encourage you to do these 6 things:

 Decide if you want to keep the job or it would be a blessing to be rid of it
 If you opt to free yourself of the position, make sure you take steps to minimize any damage to your professional reputation by meeting with each party involved and expressing your apologies that the fit wasn’t exactly right and you’re opting to move on to eliminate further harm or embarrassment to yourself, your team and the company as a whole (certainly customize this for the situation)
 If you opt to stay, you have to go in full damage control mode fast.
 Meet with each party involved with the decision to keep or fire you and plead your case, sincerely and openly. You will have to own up to mistakes, miscommunication and faults- even if you don’t believe they are yours. Stubbornness will get you no where.
 Develop your own action plan to get back on track with everyone. Ask for their input. Apologize for misgivings in the past. Tell them you want and will do better for the good of the team and the company.
 Be willing to turn a new leaf. Be better than you were yesterday. Be open to working with people you don’t like or don’t want to like. Realize that you are not perfect, no one is, and your success depends upon your ability to see a situation outside of yourself.

Between the Resignations and the Recalls… Is Anyone Safe Anymore?

Maybe its just me, the last few weeks have been filled with one clip after another of ethical and morale violations, professional suicide acts, and “better late than never- in most cases” “we’re sorry our product is faulty (and threatening people’s lives) and we tried to cover it up for a little while”.

I admit I’m more sensitive than most, perhaps the better word is skeptical. I’ve been in risk communication and businesses or arenas that address it for more than 15 years. I see bad news following poor decision-making all the time. The bad news typically comes out long after the closed-door meetings, the whispers, the threat of lawsuit…. And the headlines. Sad but true.

Are you protected? As a consumer? As a producer?

Have you long since evaluated your own practices, policies, language, and behavior? Do you know where you might be a walking time bomb or violation waiting to happen? Have you just been lucky?

Have you tried to temper (or lets be honest with one another, cover up) a bad situation that you should have handled different in hindsight?

When I work with people I sometimes encourage them to imagine their greatest critic on their shoulder (like the angel and devil in the cartoons). It might be your mother, your boss, your board, you daughter. Imagine someone watching and listening to you throughout the day. Would they be proud of your conduct? Would they be pleased with your performance and interactions? If not, you need to ask yourself why and how you can adjust to be more in line with an acceptable code of conduct.

Tickle-fights are not appropriate with co-workers or staff. Signing or joking about intimate body parts is not acceptable water-cooler chat. Knowing that your product puts others at risk, even if 5% of the population and continuing to produce it without warning is just plain bad practice – and it will cost you big time. Doing a favor for a friend who just needs you to place a call, look the other way or just sign this…. Well, they really aren’t a friend anyhow. Or, maybe you’ll find out when you lose your job and you need a loan to pay your bills- ask them. Heck, maybe they’ll even come visit you in jail when you land there. Jeff Foxworthy says that’s the sign of a true friend. Well, no let me get it right, Jeff says that person would be sitting in jail with you… on a cot smoking a cigarette…. (Yeah, shamelessly I do know this one)

Pull up that Girl Scout or Boy Scout motto. Do the right thing. Time and time again. Do the right thing. For your health and ours. (and so we can get back to serious news like “milk-a-holic Lyndsey”)