Values matter most when they are tested.
Verbesserungsvorschläge
My experience relates to my department.
From day one, my onboarding consisted of back-to-back meetings, tool introductions, process walkthroughs, onboarding sessions, and countless introductory meetings across the organization. At the same time, I was expected to absorb a large amount of information while already contributing operationally.
Three weeks after I joined, the colleague who had previously shared the operational workload with the person onboarding me went on sick leave for approximately two and a half months. At the same time, the person responsible for my onboarding was leading a pilot project as part of her new role while gradually handing over her previous operational responsibilities to me. During my onboarding, I was also assigned an additional coordination-intensive area involving numerous manual processes and little room for error.
These were clearly exceptional circumstances. That is precisely why I chose not to judge them too quickly. I wanted to wait until my colleague returned and evaluate the role under more normal conditions. I never got that opportunity.
Despite repeatedly asking for opportunities to shadow experienced colleagues, this rarely happened. There were also periods without regular check-ins with the person responsible for my onboarding. I eventually had to ask my manager to introduce recurring check-ins because I often found myself working independently while still trying to learn the role. Documentation was frequently unavailable, outdated, or no longer reflected the current way of working.
The person responsible for my onboarding was also the colleague I worked with almost every day and whose opinion largely shaped the assessment of my performance. Critical feedback was rarely addressed directly. Instead, concerns were discussed internally first and communicated to me weeks later through my manager, often without concrete examples. In some cases, I learned from colleagues that I had allegedly been described as someone with poor comprehension or someone who made frequent mistakes before those concerns were ever discussed with me directly.
I do not dispute that I made mistakes during my onboarding. What I found difficult to understand was that several of those mistakes occurred in areas I had largely learned independently because opportunities for structured shadowing, repeated practice, and timely feedback had been limited. The mistakes themselves were never my main concern. The lack of opportunity to improve was.
I eventually raised this concern openly. I explained that I was becoming reluctant to ask questions because topics I had raised in good faith sometimes resurfaced weeks later as criticism rather than opportunities for discussion. Although I was told that questions were encouraged, my experience gradually suggested otherwise.
The most disappointing moment came after a week of bereavement leave following the sudden death of my father. I appreciated being granted the leave. On my first day back, I joined what I believed would be a routine check-in and was informed that my employment was being terminated. To the best of my recollection, there were no words of sympathy or condolences.
Ending employment during probation is a legitimate business decision and serves both sides. The timing and the way it was communicated remain the most disappointing professional experience of my career.
Fortunately, I know from previous experience that constructive feedback, structured onboarding, and good leadership do exist. That made it easier for me to put this experience into perspective.
My concern is for those who do not yet have that comparison. Early career experiences shape expectations. They also shape what people come to accept as normal.
Kommunikation
Critical feedback was often delayed, indirect, and rarely supported by concrete examples.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
I had limited interaction with most colleagues because everyone was managing their own workload. Despite that, my overall impression of the team was positive. One of my last responsibilities was organizing the team’s event after coordinating several last-minute changes. Ironically, it will take place after my departure. I hope everyone has a great time.
Work-Life-Balance
high work load - The remote-first setup worked well.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
Leadership Principles were easy to find in presentations or wiki. I struggled to recognize them in everyday leadership.
Interessante Aufgaben
The role itself was interesting. Unfortunately, the onboarding experience overshadowed it.
Gehalt/Benefits
Compensation was not a reason to join and did not reflect the level of responsibility and expectations placed on the role.