So I started a new job around 6 months ago, the first month or 2 was great and I loved working there. They offered flexible working and I only had to go into the office once a week. However it became apparent that they had no real training program set up for me and I was basically left to learn the job by myself. Colleagues ask me to do things for them and I have to reply saying I can do it but as I havent been trained it may take a while as I need to speak to someone who can show me how to do it. The whole thing has been really stressful as I've been trying to learn a complicated and demanding job by myself with minimal people helping me.
Also a family member became really unwell at the end of August and I ended up having to care for them – I spoke to my manager and explained the situation and asked if it would be OK if I didn't go into the office and worked from home to look after them until things got a bit better and he agreed and said I could take as much time as I needed. I was still working my normal hours but not visiting the office.
Over the last month or so I've had a few meetings with various different managers who have told me that I'm not pulling my weight and not doing what I should be doing. I told them so many times that I felt like I hadn't been given the guidance that I needed and no one seems to want to help me out or provide adequate training, but nothing is ever done about it.
Today I received a message from someone telling me that they are my new manager and I now report to them (with no notice) and told me they will sort out a days worth of training for me but I'd have to travel 3 hours away to do it. When I refused to attend due to the distance I was told that my probation period ends in 3 weeks time and at the moment they won't be passing me based on what they've seen, when I asked the reason I was told that various managers have reported that I'm not doing what I should be doing and that no one ever sees me in the office so they just assume that I sit at home doing nothing. When I then explained the situation with my family member and said that I had told my previous manager about it and he said it was fine to stay at home I was told that as my manager has changed this no longer applies and my new manager made a comment of “I have terminally ill family members too but we all still have to go to work and pay our mortgage”. I was then asked if I live at home with parents or if I own my own home and pay a mortgage and when I said I was a homeowner another comment of “isn't your mortgage more important” was made.
I am obviously looking for a new job but I just wondered if its worth raising it with HR in the meantime or if I should contact a union? I'm in the UK in case that makes any difference.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far!