What does probation mean to you? It’s a common practice to reserve a period of time for a leader to evaluate new employees and decide if they are a good fit for the team. It’s an evaluation time for the employer and should also be an adjustment period for the new employee. I recently came across an organization that uses this probationary period in a very different way that is completely dysfunctional and amazingly self-defeating.
A probation period has two primary purposes.
- It’s an opportunity to find out if the new employee really does have the skills they professed to have. Let’s be honest, there is a bit of resume inflation these days. We try to weed that out during interviews and reference checks, but sometimes someone will slip through who just isn’t quite the rocket scientist they professed to be. The time also allows the leader to determine what, if any, additional training may be required.
- It’s also an opportunity to make sure that the new employee’s personality is going to fit with the rest of the team. That doesn’t mean they have the exact same personality as everyone else, but that they don’t clash too badly with other team members.
So what was so surprising about the company I’m talking about? They have a policy that during the probationary period, any mistake or minor infraction of their fairly complex rules automatically results in termination. No explanation, no second chance, no consolation prize. Thanks for playing, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
What a shock! Think about what this draconian policy is doing for them. They spend the time and expense for the hiring process. They hire the person, provide them very little training, then lie in wait until the new employee messes up. Then they go through the whole process again.
They’ve lost some promising people this way and of course, raised their employee costs substantially; their turnover rate is horrendous. But I’ve found this policy has another effect. Even though the termination rate after the probationary period is much lower, all employees still live in fear for their jobs! As a result they are not as effective, and are really more likely to make mistakes, because of that constant fear. Employees who are worried about being fired for minor reasons will not be as willing to go the extra mile or even take the risks that are sometimes necessary.
The result shows in this company. They are successful, but not nearly what they could be and employees are not very enthusiastic about doing anything to help the company move farther ahead.
Is probation in your organization a good thing or more of a shooting gallery where new employees are the unwitting targets?
Bob Mason is dedicated to leadership development. He works with companies to solve problems by helping supervisors and managers become more effective leaders leading more productive teams. He is a professional speaker and author of Don’t Worry, You Can Do This: What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership; The Art of Not Motivating: How Leaders Can Succeed by Understanding the True Nature of Motivation; Balancing the Generations: A Leader’s Guide to the Complex, Multi-Generational, 21st Century Workplace; and Planning to Excel: Strategic Planning That Works.
A 30-year career in the U.S. Air Force exposed him to great leaders and leadership opportunities such as command of four squadrons, including the Air Force’s largest munitions squadron. He has studied leadership extensively, but more importantly has been there, working with real people, making hard decisions, and experiencing the results.
Contact Bob at Bob@BobMasonSpeaker.com or 505-453-5266
