A senior manager has extended a new employee probation period for no apparent reason.
The probation period is usually three months. The senior manager was away for 5 weeks on holiday so when he came back he said he did not have enough time to assess the new employee and extended his probation period. The employee complained so the senior manager actually documented some of the reasons for extending the probation period. The reason however are still not relevant. The senior manager argue that the employee did not deliver a product roadmap, however he is a project manager so the product road map is not his responsibility. The employee also feels that there are no clear guidance on what his job actually is. He has met with the head of HR and has mentioned constructive dismissal. An investigation is now taking place. In what instance can one extend an employee probation period, and how would one deal with the fact that the reason for extending the probation were changed from the time the senior manager told the employee to the time it was written down?
Any advice much appreciated.
Sonia Osborne