Can HR Extend Probation When HOD Recommends Confirmation Despite Issues?

Can HR override HOD in probation confirmation appraisal? During the 3-month probation, this staff has taken numerous medical leaves, and he is not a team player with a bad attitude. However, the HOD has written "to be confirmed" in his appraisal. Can HR override it by extending his probation?

Hi,

First, we have to understand on what basis your HOD confirmed the employee. Secondly, you need to gather views from other employees, such as coworkers, and then present it to a senior person.

Thanks,
Pallavi

HOD confirmed him based on his satisfactory work; however, all other staff found his work unsatisfactory, his attitude poor, and noted that he complains frequently. The issue lies in the fact that the HOD does not directly interact with him. According to feedback from other staff members, he does not perform well. From my observations, he also does not function well within a team.

I hope this helps clarify the situation.

Hi Dell,

The question of whether HR can override the decision of the HOD all depends on who the final approving authority is and who holds more influence, the HR Head or the HOD. There is no universally accepted rule regarding whether HR can override the HOD's decision. It all depends on the management philosophy of the company. If the HR has been granted the power to override the HOD's decision, then certainly HR can.

Amit Goyal

This is a real incident that happened in my company.

Manufacturing multinational company...

There were 2 apprentices working. For your information, apprentices are taken on for only 1 year. After 1 year, they have to leave, except if some exceptional talent is found. They are then retained and made permanent. While these two apprentices were working in Product Development (PD) and Process Planning (PP), there arose 2 positions in PD and PP for which the apprentices, both around 4-5 months old, were found suitable. They were told to give a written test in which the PD apprentice failed and the PP apprentice passed. The PP apprentice was informed that an interview would be conducted very soon, but as he waited, no interview took place. Eventually, after about 10-15 days, he found a good job in another company and left. Upon leaving, his Boss and HR suddenly presented him with an offer, which he obviously refused. It seemed that the HR and Boss were attempting to make him work for Rs. 5000 instead of his monthly CTC of Rs. 20000 until he completed his apprentice period, aiming to involve him in the company's operations. This incident, though not directly related to our current discussion, sheds light on the situation.

Both apprentices were my friends, and I was working as an HR trainee in the company. The PP apprentice was happy to have passed and was awaiting the interview. On the other hand, the PD apprentice was disappointed, expressing that he did not expect the test to be an aptitude, English, reasoning, numerical test like those for MBA entrances. He assumed the test would be technical, related to his work, as he excelled in his tasks and impressed the PD manager. As per HR policy, since he failed the aptitude test, his application could not be processed further.

As the time approached for the PD candidate to leave the company as his apprentice period was ending, the PD manager expressed dissatisfaction, stating that since the employee did not pass the test, he could not take any action. The PD apprentice reiterated that he did not anticipate an aptitude, English, reasoning test but a technical one. Despite his outstanding performance and unwavering faith in securing the job, the PD manager, in a meeting with my boss, the HR manager, expressed his desire to make the PD apprentice permanent. However, the HR manager explained that due to the failure in the aptitude, English, reasoning test, the application could not be processed further. This led to a heated argument between the two managers. The PD manager emphasized the excellent work of the apprentice and argued that the rejection based on a test unrelated to his work was unjust. Ultimately, the HR manager had no choice but to recruit the employee into the company with a special recommendation from the PD manager.

In our company, it appeared that the HR manager had limited authority, as the PD manager, overseeing a crucial aspect of the manufacturing industry, held more power. The response to your queries relies on the industry, the authority of individual managers, and personal preferences.

During the argument, some questions were posed to the HR manager that he could not answer:

"If this apprentice is good and excellent in his work, and we are already short of manpower, who will handle the work if he leaves?"

The HR manager struggled to respond, stating, "I will recruit another person as finding manpower for our company is not that easy."

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

In my case:

INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING
HOD: More powerful and influential than the HR manager, with greater functional importance in the manufacturing industry.
HR: Viewed as nothing more than providing a service.
APP: Excellent in his technical work, but lacks aptitude, numerical skills, and English proficiency, which are practically irrelevant to his job profile. He was the only apprentice in the company in the Product Development Department.

If you provide the above details about your case, someone may be able to help you.

Thank you.