The probation period provides a mutual opportunity for the employer and employee to ensure that: 

• the employee is able to perform the duties to the employer’s required standards; 
• the employer and employee can work effectively and cohesively to achieve organizational goals. 
• the employee fits within the culture and goals of the organization. 

It is essential that employers work collaboratively with the employee to provide support so that they can succeed during the probation period.  But what do you do if your new employee is not working out as you had hoped? 

Top Tips

Here are some top tips for managing performance issues during the probation period:   

1. Provide feedback (verbal and/or written) regularly.   

• Start these conversations early in the probation period when you first identify an area of concern. 

• It’s always advisable to keep a record of the discussion that you have had with the employee.   

2. Be clear about your expectations/key deliverables of the role.   

• Meet with the employee to discuss the areas of concern. 
• Provide specific examples (where possible) the specific improvement required.  

3. Offer Support  

• Consider any factors raised by the employee that may be preventing them from achieving successful outcomes. 
• Discuss what support they might need to assist them in improving their performance.   
• Implement any agreed support and continue to monitor.  

4. Follow Up  

• Arrange follow up meetings to provide the employee with feedback on their progress since the last meeting. 
• Provide positive feedback if there has been an improvement but if no improvement, repeat steps 2 and 3.  

If you have not seen a significant and sustained improvement in the employee’s performance following the above steps, it may be time to consider the following: 

• Should the probation period be extended?   
• Should the employee’s contract be terminated during the probation period?   

If you have made the decision to terminate the employee’s contract during the probation period or if there are other factors complicating the situation, we would recommend contacting the expert team at Caris Consulting to assist you in managing this process fairly and in line with legislative requirements, to avoid potential risk of claims.