It is a fairly common practice for contracts of employment to have an increasing amount of notice based on length of service. However, for probation periods it is usually one week or month. The contract of employment should state what the notice periods are. In general, the period of notice should be equal between the… Read More

There are a variety of different viewpoints regarding the purpose of a probation period, but they ultimately seek the same outcome – an employee who is capable of doing the job/role. “Employers use trial periods to address risk when hiring” (Houghton, 2012, p.iv). “The probationary period can be valued as the most valid determinant of… Read More

As previously discussed, a probation period enables an employer to terminate the contract of an employee who is not performing to the expected standard within their new job/role or is otherwise deemed not suitable for the particular job/role. Whether or not this empowers employers to abuse their employees by, without warning, terminating their contract before… Read More

For employees who are promoted, the general principles outlined in the main article (below) should be followed, with the major difference being the outcome for failing the probation period. The employer should make it clear, either verbally or in writing, what the consequence(s) of failing the probation period are prior to the employee accepting the… Read More

There are different ways to define a probation period, for example: A probation period is a specific period of time for both the employee and employer to assess suitability of the job/role after having first-hand experience. A probation period gives the employer some time to make sure that the selection they made for their vacancy… Read More