Probationary policy

Human Resources Probationary policy and procedure

2013

PROBATIONARY POLICY & PROCEDURE

A. INTRODUCTION Hopwood Hall College recognises that in the initial months of employment, new employees need time and support to settle successfully into their new role. As such the

College is committed to supporting all new staff to help them fulfil their potential during the course of their employment. A key part of this is the Probationary Policy and

Procedure.

The probationary review period is in place to ensure new employees are provided with

appropriate support and have regular reviews with their Line Manager. This period provides the opportunity for employees to settle into their role effectively, to understand

agreed performance objectives and where necessary employees will be given reasonable training to perform their role to the required standard. It also acts as an opportunity for

the new employee to develop a positive working relationship with their Line Manager and colleagues.

It is the College’s view that in order for the probationary review to be effective it should follow the timelines as set out in this document, and it is the Manager’s responsibility to

ensure that the four reviews happen on time. Employees currently in their probationary period will be subject to this policy and

procedure from the implementation date.

B. SCOPE

All new employees are subject to a probationary period, which works in conjunction with the Induction Policy. The probation period depends on the type of role the employee holds:

Business Support: 6 months Lecturer: 8 months

Management Spine: 8 months Senior Post Holder: 8 months

Probationary periods do not apply in the case of internal appointments.

C. POLICY STATEMENT

New employees need to understand the full extent of the duties associated with their particular role and they must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to perform successfully in the role.

During the probationary period the employee will gain understanding of the College’s

Strategic Directions. It is the responsibility of the employee’s manager to ensure there is a current role description for the position that the new employee is undertaking. The employee will be required to read, clarify and understand the duties of their role

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description. Targets will be set in line with their role description to enable the employee to work towards the College’s objectives and provide clear direction on what they are expected to achieve during their probationary period.

Managers will regularly review the performance of the new employee during their

probationary period and provide effective supportive action. If standards of attendance, conduct or performance are not acceptable, managers will ensure employees have every opportunity to achieve the standard required by the College prior to consideration of the

termination of employment.

This policy and procedure will not discriminate either directly or indirectly against any individual on the grounds of gender, race, ethnicity or national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, religion or belief, age, trade union membership, disability, socio-

economic status, offending background or any other personal characteristic.

D. IMPLEMENTATION All new employees are required to have regular Probationary Review meetings with their Line Manager, it is the responsibility of the Line Manager to facilitate and monitor the

progression of the employee throughout the probationary period. Managers may be supported by a member of the Human Resources team during the meetings if required.

It is the Line Manager’s responsibility to arrange the probationary review meetings, the frequency of which depends on the type of position (see section B). At each stage of the review process it is the responsibility of the Line Manager to complete the appropriate

paperwork, which is available on the intranet.

If the new employee has any concerns they feel they cannot raise with their manager, they should contact HR as soon as possible.

The Attendance Management, Disciplinary and Performance Management Policies will not apply during the probationary period. All issues will be managed through this policy

until the probationary period is completed. Ongoing employment is subject to successful probationary reviews. The College has the

right to terminate the contract of employment at any time during the probationary period giving the appropriate level of notice as stated in the contract of employment.

Probationary Reviews

There are four reviews during the probationary period for all new employees. It is the Line Manager’s responsibility to arrange and invite the employee to each review, which

should be organised at the start of employment. The first review (see appendix 1) will ensure the employee has attended an induction

with Human Resources, an induction with their Line Manager and has booked onto or attended the Induction training. The first meeting will also look into any possible

additional requirements or adjustments that might be needed to support the staff member, in which case the Manager should contact HR for assistance. Any reasonable adjustments should be made, meeting the needs of Equality Act legislation.

The second review will assess the objectives set at the first review and identify any

further objectives or training needs (see appendix 2). The third review will assess the objectives set at the first and second reviews and identify any further objectives or

training needs (see appendix 3). The final review will look at the progress of the objectives set at the previous review meetings and identify, if necessary, any further objectives or training needs.

The final review will assess whether or not the employee has successfully completed

their probationary period or if it will need to be extended. A probationary period may be extended if there are minor concerns relating to the competence or conduct of the employee or the Line Manager feels the employee needs additional time for extra

support (see appendix 4). The employee may be accompanied by a work colleague or a trade union representative during any of the review meetings. There is no entitlement

to appeal against an extension to the probation period. The reviews are designed to be a two way process and the documentation for all reviews

should reflect and include comments from both the Line Manager and employee. At each of the reviews the new employee should be encouraged to discuss formally any

concerns or difficulties they may have experienced, so they can be addressed. The reviews should also be used as an opportunity to acknowledge and praise the individual’s progress and positive contribution to the College.

The dates for the reviews will be set by the Line Manager at the start of employment.

The below table sets out the timescales for each of the four reviews:

Employment Type

Time first review is due:

Time second review is due:

Time third review is due:

Time final review is due:

Business Support

End of the first month

End of the second month

End of the fourth month

End of the sixth month

Academic, Management and Senior

Post Holder

End of the first month

End of the third month

End of the sixth month

End of the eighth month

End of Probationary Period

At the final review a decision will be made to confirm if the employee has satisfactorily completed their probationary period. The Line Manager should review the entire period and consider how well the employee has performed and whether they have progressed

towards their agreed targets. If the employee has demonstrated to the Line Manager that both their performance in the role and conduct have met the college’s requirements

then the employee will have successfully completed their probationary period and will be informed by letter that they are confirmed in post.

However, if there is concern about the employee’s performance and conduct the probationary period should be extended, up to a maximum of 9 months in total,

before which point a decision should be made as to whether the employee can be confirmed in post. If there are any doubts throughout the probationary period about the suitability of the employee the Line Manager must contact the Human Resources team

for advice.

If the Line Manager is minded to recommend the termination of employment as a result of an unsatisfactory probation period, a member of the Executive will attend the final

meeting and be involved in the decision making process, taking the whole probation period into consideration. The employee will receive a letter inviting them to the meeting providing at least 5 days notice.

If the termination of employment is the outcome, the reasons for dismissal will be explained with specific attention given to the areas where the employee has failed to

meet the required level of performance, attendance or conduct. Evidence of the remedial steps and guidance given to the employee, and the employee’s insufficient

improvement will be included. In the situation where an employee is dismissed during their probationary period they

have right of appeal. An employee who wishes to appeal against dismissal should inform the Human Resources Director in writing within 5 days of the dismissal. The

letter must specify the grounds for appeal. An appeal hearing will be conducted by a member of the Senior Management Team not previously involved in the decision making. This will be held as soon as possible after the notice of appeal has been

received. The employee is entitled to be accompanied to the appeal hearing by a work colleague or trade union representative. The decision will be communicated to the

employee in writing within 5 working days of the hearing and the decision will be final.

E. APPENDICES Appendix 1: First Probationary Review document

Appendix 2: Second Probationary Review document Appendix 3: Third Probationary Review document

Appendix 4: End of Probationary Period document Appendix 5: End of Probationary Period Evaluation sheet

F. DOCUMENT REVIEW INFORMATION

Policy Date: 5th February 2013 Equality Impact assessment completed? Yes

EIA Date: 5th February 2013 Completed By: Gemma Oddie and Nimisha Mistry Policy Review Date: 5th February 2015

APPENDIX 1

PROBATIONARY RECORD First Review – due by the end of the first month To be conducted by the Line Manager in line with Probationary Policy and Procedure and Induction Policy.

ASSESSMENT FACTORS SATISFACTORY/

UNSATISFACTORY

REASONS AGREED OBJECTIVES /

TRAINING NEEDS

(INCLUDING TIMESCALES)

Employee attended the

following:

Induction by Human Resources

Induction by Line Manager

Induction Training Day

Quantity of work:

Quality of work:

Attitude to work:

Copy to be sent to HR

Signed: ………………………………………. Signed: ………………………………………..

Dated: ………………………………………. Dated: ………………………………………….

Employee Line Manager

Attendance and punctuality:

Any factors specifically required

from the role description:

Are there any additional requirements or adjustments needed to support the member of staff? If yes please supply details

and an action plan to ensure these are put in place.

APPENDIX 2

PROBATIONARY RECORD Second Review – due by the end of the 2nd month for Business Support/end of 3rd month for Academic and Management

Spine To be monitored by Line Manager and conducted in conjunction with Probationary Policy and Procedures.


UNSATISFACTORY


TRAINING NEEDS


Objectives / Training Needs

from previous review:

Quantity of work:

Quality of work:

Attitude to work:


Signed: ………………………………………. Signed: ………………………………………..

Dated: ………………………………………. Dated: ………………………………………….





APPENDIX 3

PROBATIONARY RECORD Third Review – due by the end of the 4th month for Business Support/end of 6th month for Academic Staff and Management Spine

To be monitored by Line Manager and conducted in conjunction with Probationary Policy and Procedures


UNSATISFACTORY


TRAINING NEEDS


Objectives / Training Needs

from previous reviews:

Quantity of work:

Quality of work:

Attitude to work:


Signed: ………………………………………. Signed: ………………………………………..

Dated: ………………………………………. Dated: ………………………………………….



Any factors required specifically


APPENDIX 4

PROBATIONARY RECORD FINAL RECORD OF PROBATIONARY PERIOD- due by the end of the 6th month for Business Support/end of 8th month for

Academic Staff and Management Spine. To be monitored by Line Manager and conducted in conjunction with Probationary Policy and Procedures

OBJECTIVES / TRAINING NEEDS

FROM PREVIOUS REVIEWS

REASONS SATISFACTORY STANDARD TO

CONFIRM END OF PROBATIONARY

PERIOD?

Quantity of work:

Quality of work:

Attitude to work:

Please indicate the outcome of the review:

Probationary period successfully completed

Probationary period was not satisfactory and probationary

period should be extended for………………………………(please

specify length of extension)


Signed: ………………………………………. Signed: ………………………………………..

Dated: ………………………………………. Dated: ………………………………………….





APPENDIX 5

PROBATIONARY PERIOD EVALUATION

To ensure high standards are maintained and the probationary period is effective we would be grateful if you could provide answers to the following questions. Your feedback

will be confidential and used to review the probationary policy and procedure.

DEPARTMENT: ……………………………………………………………..

Did you have probationary reviews with your line manager? YES / NO

Were the probationary reviews in line with the policy? YES

/ NO How useful did you find the reviews? VERY / SOMEWHAT / NOT

AT ALL

Did you attend the induction training? YES / NO How would you rate the induction training? EXCELLENT / SATISFACTORY /

POOR

Were any additional training needs identified during your probationary period? YES / NO

Did you receive training for these additional needs? YES / NO

How would you rate any additional training? EXCELLENT / SATISFACTORY / POOR

Were any additional requirements or adjustments identified to support you? YES

/ NO

How would you rate the support provided? EXCELLENT / SATISFACTORY / POOR

Please add any additional comments including suggestions for improvements as briefly as possible:

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire, please return it to the HR

Department.

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Probationary policy