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The purpose of this guide is to assist line managers in understanding the processes involved in managing probationary periods, as well as to explain the law and good practise in this area.
The aim of probation
A probationary period is a period of trial for a new employee. It enables both the line manager and the employee to objectively assess whether the new employee is suitable for the role, taking into account the individual's overall capability, skills, performance, and general behaviour in relation to the job in question.
There is a strong case to be made that using probationary periods increases the likelihood that new employees will succeed in their jobs. In the absence of an effective probationary review process, an employee who is unsuitable for the job may be retained indefinitely.
Line managers should therefore identify and address any unsatisfactory performance or behaviour during the probationary period.
It is much easier for line managers to address issues as they arise. If they allow them to continue, the problems are likely to be exacerbated.
It is also preferable for employees to receive immediate feedback rather than remain unaware of their manager's unhappiness. They will have a fair chance to improve their performance or change their behaviour if they receive feedback.
Length of probationary periods
There is no standard probation period because the length of time required to objectively assess a new employee's performance depends on the complexity and seniority of the job.
A probationary period is typically three months for unskilled, clerical, or junior administrative or technical positions, and six months for management, supervisory, professional, or senior technical positions.
A probationary period should be long enough to allow the employee to settle in and learn the essentials of the job. It should also be long enough for the manager to determine whether or not the employee is capable of meeting the job requirements. However, the probationary period should not be any longer than is necessary to achieve these goals.
At the time of recruitment, the period of probation applicable to each individual, as well as the terms that apply during probation, should be clearly defined
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This Managers guide to managing probationary periods aims to offer you a versatile and customisable tool, serving as a solid foundation for your needs. Utilise it to ensure consistency, enhance accuracy, and save valuable time.
Adapt it to suit your unique requirements, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in your HR processes.
Yes. This template has been designed for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities and growing employers. It follows UK employment law best practice and can be adapted to suit your organisation.
Our templates are developed with UK employment legislation, Acas guidance and HR best practice in mind and are reviewed and updated as relevant requirements change. However, every employment situation is different, so the template should be adapted to the circumstances and checked against the employee's contract and your organisation's procedures before use.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the document that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable format (such as .doc or .xls) so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Managers guide to managing probationary periods, along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
AI can produce a document quickly, but effective HR documentation needs to be more than well-written words. It needs to reflect relevant UK employment law, HR best practice, practical considerations and the circumstances in which it will be used. These resources have been professionally developed around that wider HR context, drawing on extensive practical experience, rather than simply generating a generic document from a prompt.
How this content is developed and reviewed
The Managers guide to managing probationary periods is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing probation processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
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