Workplace Probation Period & The Importance Of Probation In The Workplace

The work probation review period begins after an applicant has passed the interview process, during which the applicant starts work on a trial period. Being on probation at work allows the employer to assess whether the recruit is genuinely suitable for the position. From a legal standpoint, dismissing the employee during this work probation period is without any legal comebacks.

Recruitment agencies are widely relied upon to attract suitable candidates, but the work culture often feels like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Employees under two years of service (and those who fail the work probation review) do not have the right to claim unfair dismissal at an Employment Tribunal. This has given employers leeway in the interview process. They don’t have to make up their minds there and then at the interview stage.

For many clients, the work probation period rarely comes to fruition. It is invariably the case that they will have an employee who is a few months into their employment, and they realise that they don’t have the skills for the job. As long as there are no discriminatory factors (this is key as employees do not need any length of service to claim discrimination), the dismissal will be relatively quick and legally risk-free.

The problem is that the costs associated with probationary work are hard to identify and spread thin enough for you to miss them at first sight.

Such costs involve the recruit’s initial training. This can include mentoring or shadowing the employee in their day-to-day work. It also means any professional training courses they may have had to attend, including health and safety training.

Other costs include the number of administration costs, from time spent setting up payroll to drawing up probation in work contracts to the cost of work induction or onboarding.

If, after the 3-month or 6-month probation period at work, the employee does not perform as required or pass the work probation review, then the time, energy, and financial resources invested have all been for nothing. Then, the cycle repeats with the search for a replacement recruit.

The hours this individual spends being on probation at work are difficult to calculate. Start totting it up and adding the salary for the now-dismissed employee. You can begin to see a substantial amount of your profits disappearing.