I’m 29 years old and I lost my dad when I was 26. It’s been 3 years+ and I hit a brick wall with grief 6 months ago. I was off work for 3 months, attempted to go back to work but went back off work again.
I started a new job at the beginning of this month hoping for a fresh start but I’ve not been coping with the stress of the new job and grief on top of it and potentially might be getting let go.
I don’t know what to do if I will be let go from this job. I’m not coping so I can understand from my employers side as I’m still in my probationary period.
Hi @K_A - is this a new job with a new employer or are you staying with the same employer but switching roles?
Starting a new job can be stressful at any time in our lives, so if you are trying to handle grief on top i can understand why thats going to be stressful for you
If this is new employer then unfortunately when you have been with a company such a short space of time you dont have many rights (in the UK at least). A lot will depend on whether your employer is a supportive one or not. i would recommend speaking to your line manager/HR department and explaining your situation, and see whether they have any employee assistance programme that can offer you support. Any decent employer should highlight areas where you are falling short and give you an opportunity to improve and ensure you have the right training and support in place before reaching a final decision. If they can see you have the potential and desire to improve, that goes a long way. Unfortunately other employers just want new employees to hit the ground running and have little tolerance if they dont - thats where it is a lottery im afraid.
Regardless of what happens, if you feel you are struggling, have you considered speaking to your GP to maybe access counselling? I think you can also self refer on the NHS website under “talking therapies”.
