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There is an employee in probationary whose attitude does not fit in to the culture of the team and it somewhat hampers productivity because of blaming others for his fault; in short he does not practice accountability. He could do some tasks but it takes some time due to maybe personal hang ups. We met this employee and had already discussed issues with a coworker, but after these discussions, he won't change.

He has a senior position in the team but he is always spoonfed - it looked like it is difficult for him to catch on our team's pace. Our team is very agile and this person cannot make it with that kind of attitude.

Will work attitude be a possible way to end the probationary period of an employee?

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    Do you mean a possible reason for terminating an employee on their probationary period? Also what country are you in? This will impact employers rights when it comes to how employees are terminated.
    – Myles
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:02
  • what's your role are the teams manger or a junior - you seem up set that a senior is passing work to presumably juniors ?
    – Neuromancer
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:17
  • You should consult your HR department and the employee's contract to determine the proper process to fire an employee.
    – Bernhard Barker
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:18
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    @Marj in the USA you can fire someone if their socks are untied
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 15:23
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    If your gut says let him go, let him go. Whenever I've had that feeling, my only regret was in not acting more quickly.
    – Wesley Long
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 19:55

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Will work attitude be a possible way to end the probationary period of an employee?

Don't over think this.

During a probationary period, you can let the employee go for any reason. This may vary by location slightly but is true in general (It is for sure in the USA).

I would just say "Sorry, but this isn't a good fit." offer him some paid time to make the move if you, can be done with it.

Time to say goodbye and move one.

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    "Unfortunately, it seems obvious that you've not ramped up quickly enough for us, even with the help we've given you. Good luck with finding a more appropriate role elsewhere."
    – user44108
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:13
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    He even told us that our team is very slow - we work on 2-5 projects simultaneously in a week. He could only work with 1 project and constantly blaming the QA for his bugs.
    – Marj
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:14
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    @Marj This is why companies have probationary periods.
    – Neo
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:15
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The whole idea of a probationary period is that you can let a person go for any reason. Sounds like this guy doesn't fit in with the team, doesn't get his work done in a timely manner, and creates discord, all in addition to having an attitude problem.

Show him to the door, and stop worrying about it. Every day that you have this guy on premise is another day you could be using to bring a more appropriate candidate up to speed.

However, do make sure that you don't give him an opportunity to "take revenge" on you. On the day that you decide to fire him, he should already have access to his workstation revoked by the time he gets back to his desk. I know it sounds paranoid, and probably quite rude, but there's too many examples on the internet on why it's better to do things this way.

Call him into a meeting, explain that things are not working out, wish him the best of luck looking for a new job, and walk him over to his desk to collect his personal belongings. Make sure to have a box on hand. Don't let him send one last email, or even delete personal files (those shouldn't have been on there in the first place).

If others are around to witness this, maybe address the team and assure them that the decision was not lightly made, etc. How you want to handle perception by the team is entire up to you.

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Yes it should. While doing an evaluation, 2 things are looked at, what has been done, and how it has been done. Both what and how are equally important. Some organizations have this build in their appraisal system. Hard part is justifying it. At some places, you have to give a proper justification and create a document trial. Talk to your HR to see what those guidelines are and complete the requirements for that.

If a person is not fit due to traits you have mentioned (blaming others), it is never healthy. People should take accountability for what they do. There is no harm in letting the person go if this happens every time.

One more point of view to consider , it could also be that the person is just taking time to settle down and is afraid of loosing his job. Discuss with him to assure that the team is there to help. Try to give him more of something he has done earlier to make a fair assessment.Give proper feedback ( in writing if needed).

New hiring has its own cost. Anyone new coming in might need a similar time span to settle down. Some people are slow starters, but once they are comfortable, they catch up with the team.

If that assessment has been done and you have realized he is a bad hire, by all means, follow your HR guideline and let the person go.

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  • @ Mister Positive It cannot be done without HR assessment in few organizations I have worked. And they all had presence in multiple geographies.
    – Rishi Goel
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:20
  • @RishiGoel we have talked to him personally, and I myself have the issue with him. We are always helpful, but he won't respond to the help. We understand that he wants to try to impress but asking questions to something they don't know impresses us much more because it shows that they are willing to learn and a good teamplayer.
    – Marj
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:23
  • The whole point is that managers dont fire people they dont like. Someone may not be a great fit for you, doesnt mean he is a bad choice. You just may have very different work styles. The purpose is to give a fair chance to the person on probation as well, as well as to avoid abuse of power during the period.
    – Rishi Goel
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:23
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    You seem to take offense at the fact that personal biases exist in the workplace. Imagine that. It's called company culture, and it sounds like this guy doesn't fit in. He should be removed.
    – AndreiROM
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:25
  • I don't think my boss shows signs of being abusive of power, we have actually discussed these issues million times with the guy but he is full of pride so I guess all of you are right. It is time to let go. Since I am the affected person, and my manager told me to tell him what do I think about him after this project we are currently working on, does that mean - I can just tell him anytime to fire this guy off?
    – Marj
    Commented Nov 3, 2017 at 14:27

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