A probation review meeting aims to discuss performance and identify areas for improvement. It's often referred to as a "performance review in disguise". When your team fails, cutting ties and moving on can be tempting. That strategy doesn't always work when you have a culture of accountability in your organization.
A new generation of digital tools has made it easier to track performance, identify weak links, and hold everyone accountable for the mission. These changes make it easier to overhaul your culture and rediscover what makes people want to stay with you instead of looking for an excuse not to return.
Regardless of your challenges working with your employee, the first step toward resolving them is conducting a successful probation review meeting. It is an important opportunity for you and your employee to communicate how their performance will improve.
A successful probation review meeting will result in the employee being granted a second chance. If you're aware of the ins and outs of office reviews, you'll be able to ensure that each one is a success for your team.
However, this doesn't come easily. You must plan ahead and build trust between you and your employee before they walk through your office door again. To help you through that process and set you straight to get started, we've outlined vital tips to conduct an effective meeting.
A probation review meeting is a meeting that is conducted before an employee's probation period ends with the company's human resources (HR) department to provide an overview of the employee's performance, evaluate the employee's progress, and discuss any concerns.
The purpose of a probation review meeting is to provide the employee with an opportunity to discuss their performance during their probationary period and to get feedback on their progress. The meeting is also an opportunity for HR to gather information about the employee's performance so they can make the assessment and corrective action (CAA) recommendations regarding the employee's performance.
There are several things that should be included in a probation review meeting:
A probation review meeting with an employee can be positive or negative. While there is not a concrete way to conduct a probation review meeting, there are some tips that can make the experience more positive for both you and the employee:
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A probation review meeting or meeting with your employee is a great time to teach your employees about the company's expectations, company procedures, and the appropriate way to handle a situation.
Motivate employees to attend the meeting by explaining the importance of teamwork and how it benefits the company. Start off by introducing yourself and explaining the purpose of the meeting. Then, review company expectations, procedures, and consequences for breaking behavioral guidelines.
Check out the tips to help you make the most of a probation review meeting:
One of the initial steps in addressing a probation problem is to set expectations. You want to communicate to the team that you understand where they are at with their current challenges. This way, you can set realistic expectations for the meeting and address any concerns already on the team's mind. Do this by setting up a meeting agenda and adding a probation meeting agenda item. Include specific items on the agenda that address your expectations for the meeting, like the following:
Transparency is key to moving forward and finding solutions. However, nearly 90% of people are uncomfortable admitting their weaknesses to others. If you are unsure, try either of the following: "If you don't know, then don't guess. If you do, then don't be ashamed."
Be honest about how weaknesses are negatively affecting your team. Auditing your team's strengths and weaknesses is an integral part of conducting an office probation review. It can aid you in identifying areas where your team can improve, as well as areas where they are already strong. In some cases, a team's weakness can even become an advantage if you use it to your advantage.
Turn your attention to the team's strengths and begin to benchmark your team against them. This way, you'll be able to point out strengths and encourage your team to keep them top of mind during the probation review meeting—Benchmark against your team's strengths, not just what they are but also how they are doing. For example, if your team struggles to stay on top of their client meetings, benchmark them against the last six months of client meetings.
Once you've been honest and transparent about the team's weaknesses, it's time to set some goals for the probation review meeting. The meeting agenda should include items on the agenda that address your team's strengths, challenges, and goals. You should also state these goals in the meeting notes.
For example, you could write:
This is not just some empty exercise; instead, it's one of the few opportunities your team will have to clearly communicate with the management why things have to be done a certain way. Every week, the team should come up with a few goals for the meeting.
Some of them are about the areas where your office needs to improve, and some of them are about areas that can boost your office's productivity. For the first goal, you can decide to have a clear understanding of what went wrong and what other areas have to be improved. For the second goal, you can also decide to discuss other areas that can boost your office's productivity.
Every team has its strengths and weaknesses, which means that there will always be tough decisions to make. If the meeting concludes and you've identified areas for improvement, make sure to follow up with the team to find out how they plan to address them.
If you don't receive a response, follow up again in two weeks. When teams don't respond to a probation review meeting, it means that they either agree with your decision to give them a six-month probation period or they don't see anything wrong with what they are doing:
The meeting is over. You can't really celebrate your accomplishments until everything is done. Discuss what goes well in your office and how to sustain that. This will not only boost the morale of your team, but it will show the management that your office is taking steps in the right direction. Make sure to follow up with the team after the meeting. Ask them to send you a report about what happened in the discussion and how it went. Your team should be eager to send you the report, so make sure to ask for it.
Probation review meetings are a must for any human resources department. They are an opportunity to check the progress of employees on probation and give employees feedback at regular intervals. With preparation, you can make these review meeting questions go off without a hitch!
Let's check a few of the areas of questions that should come up during a probation review meeting and offer some solid answers that will keep things positive for both the employee being reviewed and your team as a whole. Keep yourself prepared with these questions:
For employees under probation, you can keep yourself on the radar of these questions and information on the topics you may want to ask during the probation review meeting.
1. Why was I put on probation?
2. How do I know if it was effective?
3. How do I improve my performance?
4. What are my goals for the probation review meeting?
5. Is there anything I can do to earn early release?
6. How can I improve my case outcomes?
7. What are the most common violations someone would receive on probation?
8. How do I appeal a probation violation decision?
Probation meetings are an essential part of your leadership development. A probation review meeting is an excellent opportunity for you and your employee to
