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I am starting a new job with a probation period. What I wanted to know was: Should I be more accommodating than usual during my probation period or should I try to work as if I'm not on the probation period?

What I mean by this is: let's say that the employer asks me to work a couple of hours overtime multiple times during my probation period. If I was super accommodating, I could accept all of their requests. However, I could accept their first request, but decline their subsequent requests, as I don't really want to work at a job where there's overtimes more frequent than once every 3-6 months.

I think a good way to go about this is to set boundaries early (even if that means being fired during the probation period) than to establish a behavioral pattern where the employer thinks you're OK with whatever bothers you, but you endured it just to pass the probation period. In other words, I'm erring on the side of doing the job the best I can, but not putting in any extra time or effort. In other words, working as if I had already passed the probation period.

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    I'm not sure I see the question. You prefer to set the boundary early at the risk of the employer deciding it's not a good fit. Someone else might prioritize passing the probation period. Either is a reasonable decision depending on your personal situation. The person that has a mortgage, a couple kids, no savings, a spotty job history, and a load of debt will probably choose differently than the single person with no dependents and plenty of money in the bank.
    – Justin Cave
    Sep 24 at 16:59
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    "What should I do" is not a meaningfully answerable question for this site. It invites opinion and is generally considered to be off topic.
    – Flater
    Sep 25 at 5:40

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Should I be more accommodating than usual during my probation period or should I try to work as if I'm not on the probation period?

I think you answered your own question:

I think a good way to go about this is to set boundaries early (even if that means being fired during the probation period) than to establish a behavioral pattern where the employer thinks you're OK with whatever bothers you, but you endured it just to pass the probation period.

As it boils down to just how comfortable you are with possibly losing the job over a boundary, essentially on what's more important for you. And there's not singular answer to it, will greatly vary from one person and set of circumstances to the other.

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I don't really want to work at a job where there's overtimes more frequent than once every 3-6 months.

If that's the case, then you decline any request for overtime, and immediately start looking for your next job.

(If you don't want the job, you don't need to be accommodating.)

And when you interview, you ask your next potential employer if there will be any overtime at all. And if the answer is anything other than "no overtime ever", then you decline and move on.

I'm erring on the side of doing the job the best I can, but not putting in any extra time or effort.

That's obviously not doing the job the best you can. And not what most hiring managers would think of as the best you can.

That said, it's always your choice regarding how much effort you want to put into a job - even during a probation period.

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  • Not quite sure how "overtime not more than once every six months" translates to "no overtime ever".
    – Steve
    Sep 26 at 15:56
  • What's your reasoning behind "That's obviously not doing the job the best you can..."? An employee who works fully productively during his day cannot be marked "not good enough" only because they won't do overtime. In any case, it's too late to discuss this after the contract was signed
    – Guarneer
    Sep 29 at 11:00

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