Probationary Period
A new employee can turn out to be one of your most valuable members of staff, or not as the case may be. More often than not, companies make the mistake of believing that once the initial recruitment is completed that the vacancy has been filled. This is true, but to what extent?Once the new recruit has started working for you, the Probationary Period begins. These months are critical, both for the employee and the employer. This is the time when your company needs to be making the right impression, and ensuring the employee receives the training and support they require.
Unfortunately, not all new employees deliver the performance you expected at the point of recruitment. This can be addressed throughout their probationary period and hopefully resolved to both parties satisfaction. If the situation does not improve however, you may feel the need to either extend the probation period or even dismiss.
- Standards of work and conditions of the probationary period should be explained in advance to the new employee
- The probation period starts on the day the employee commences employment with your company
- Ensure open and honest communication exists with the employee and their manager throughout the probation period
- Do not be afraid to extend a probationary period, it can often make a difference one way or the other
- The probation period works both ways - the employee can also make the decision not to stay with the company at the end of it
The probation period, if handled correctly, can be an extremely useful couple of months. Your company can literally "try before you buy" and use this time to assess and improve performance.
The team at Connect HR & Recruitment Ltd can be your conscience on probation periods. We can provide the correct procedures, supporting documentation, and also remind you when your employee probation periods are due to expire or require extending. For a selection of Probation Period letters CLICK HERE.
