Whenever there is a discussion about the probation period, every person has something good or bad to say about it. Employees aren’t really in favour of it ever and employers are the true supporters of it. According to employees, it is a threat to their job security and according to the employers, it is what they do to be assured of their decision to hire the candidate. But, in this whole battle of opinions, what both- the employees and the employer forget is that they both end up forgetting the real meaning and purpose of the probation period. It is not there to do any harm. It is there in good faith for both the parties.
So, read this blog, as we begin telling you what all are the reasons that the probation period exists and what is the whole purpose of it. Let us begin, but before that have a look at what probation is.
Probation-
When a newly appointed employee joins a company, he is given the status of probation. This status means that the new employee’s performance and code of conduct would be observed. If the employee is not able to match the expectations, he will be issued an Performance Improvement Plan or Probation extension letter sample.
Purpose-
- To be sure of the capability- The capability of the employees are also matched to the job role and whatever he has promised at the time of interview. If the employee falls short of any of these traits, he may get a probation extension letter sample.
- Assessing how good of a team player you are- Sometimes, a employee is a great performer but is so overconfident or stubborn that he isn’t able to work with a team. He is not cooperative or a good listener. So, if the employee would not be a team player, he may be given a probation extension letter sample.
- To check if the employee boasted earlier- Background check is important but it also is very time-consuming. The company may require immediate joiner, so it can hire the desirable candidate and then get the background check completed in the meantime of the probation. If there would be any criminal record or any false information is given, he can easily be asked to leave the company during this time.
- To save on the benefits part- There are a lot of benefits that the confirmed employees enjoy and the employees on probation don’t. For instance, the leaves, especially the earned ones. So, the company saves money in a lot of ways by keeping the new employee away from availing such benefits. After the employee is confirmed he gets to enjoy the benefits.
Here are your rights during probation-
The only substantial right you have at this time is that you cannot be terminated during the probation period on the basis of race, caste, creed, religion, marital status or gender.
We hope now you have a better perspective as to what the purpose of the employee probation period is and why a company does that.