What is onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of intergrating a new employee into an organisation. It helps employees to understand what is expected of them, and also what they can expect from the employer. Onboarding will cover areas such as health and safety, induction, probation and role-specific training.
Jump to: Induction | Probation
Induction
Induction is a key step in helping new employees settle in. If it is done well, new employees are more likely to stay and be productive. It also helps the organisation to identify the individuals strengths. This is the final step in the recruitment process and the first real contact that a new person has with their team.
Induction is part of the foundation of good performance management. During induction, the new team member should be made fully aware of their duties, responsibilities and standards and the expectations of performance within their new role.
The induction period could last for a number of days or weeks depending on the complexity of the role and runs concurrently with any probationary period. Induction training is good for setting the initial standards and expectations for new staff.
The ACAS guide to inducting new employees is available online. Induction for new PCC employees will normally include as a minimum:
- PCC as an organisation – what is important to the PCC, its relationship with the Diocese and other bodies, its policies and how it differs from other organisations
- PCC as an employer – what the PCC expect from staff and standards, policies and employee handbook
- Organisational arrangements on safeguarding, quality, health and safety, information security etc
- Information on any mandatory training and when this is to be completed by
- Practical aspects - payroll, absence notification procedures, issuing of equipment etc.
Probation
The probationary period allows both the employee and the line manager to assess whether the role is a good fit for the individual and the organisation. It provides an opportunity to identify and address any potential concerns early on, ensuring that the employee receives the necessary support to meet performance and behavioural expectations.
A job offer should be conditional upon successful completion of a probationary period. During the probationary period, employees need to demonstrate their suitability for their new role. The line manager should set suitable preliminary objectives and hold regular one-to-ones so that the new team member is fully aware of their progress.
The process should specify what they are doing well and if there is anything they need to improve. It is a good opportunity for praise, to recognise progress and give constructive feedback.
There is no law determining the length of a probationary period, although there is an expectation that it will be reasonable. It is typical for a probationary period to last between one and six months, and three months where an employee is moving to a new post internally. For casual workers and those on zero-hours contracts, probationary periods may vary, it is also often dependent on the role.
Due to the upcoming (with effect from 1 January 2027) changes to unfair dismissal under the employment rights act, employees will now be able to claim unfair dismissal after six months qualifying service rather than two years as previous.
- Any employee reaching six months service on or after 1 January 2027 will have the right to bring an unfair dismissal claim
- The statutory cap on compensatory awards for sucessful unfair dismissal claims will be removed.
- This means a shorter window to assess performance and suitability
Due to this upcoming change, there is even greater importance in ensuring that probation periods are dealt with effectively. More information on the unfair dismissal changes can be found here.
- Hold regular review meetings - the number of review meetings held during a probationary period will differ however, we would recommend at least a mid-point and end of probation review
- Don't leave it until the last minute to hold an end of probation review meeting - this gives you much stricter timelines if there are issues which need to be addressed
- Set SMART objectives - Be sure to set clear objectives for the probationary period. We would recommend for objectives to be set early on and reviewed at regular intervals during the probation. More information on setting SMART objectives can be found here.
- Clarify expectations - As well as objectives, be sure to clarify expectations in terms of behaviours
- Schedule probation meetings - a probationary period can go very quickly, so it would be recommended to book in your probationary review meetings before or as soon as an employee joins.
- Consider different training methods to match individual learning preferences to optimise skill development. Examples could be job shadowing, on-the-job learning, e-learning or mentoring systems.
- Review the job description - be ready to discuss the job dedscription with the employee and think about you may want the employee to work towards during probation.
- Plan for full job remit - be prepared to outline how the new employee will gain a complete understanding of their responsibilities, linking back to the job description
- Demonstrate competence - determine how the employee can demonstrate their ability to perform the full job remit effectively.
If concerns about an employee’s suitability or competence arise at any point during the probationary period, a structured approach should be taken to address the issues. The following steps should be followed to ensure fairness and provide appropriate support; nothing should come as a surprise as regular discussion should have taken place.
- A meeting should be held to discuss concerns
- An action plan must be:
- Agreed upon and documented
- Monitored through regular reviews
- The employee should be informed of the potential outcomes;
- Completion of probation period - concerns have been addressed and resolved during the probationary period and you are happy with the employees performance
- Extension of probation period - If there are still concerns about suitability for the role but it is believed that with further time and support these concerns can be addressed, consideration should be given to extending the probationary period. Timeframes usually be a minimum of one month up to a further three months, dependent on what the concern is. If the probationary plan is to be extended, a clear plan should be put in place. The probationary period may also be extended where the employee has significant periods of leave or absence. This is to ensure that both parties have the opportunity to assess suitability of the role.
- If no progress is made despite support - termination must be conducted fairly in line with the organisations policies and procedures.
At the end of the probationary period, there are usually one of three outcomes;
- Successful completion of probation – employee has ‘passed’ probation and both parties are happy. Objectives have been met. You should confirm in writing that probation period has been successful.
- Probation extended – in some circumstances, the employee might not have quite met their objectives or there may still be some concerns. In this case, it is possible to extend a probationary period. Clear objectives should be set and a timescale put on the extension, – usually, we would suggest no more than 3-month extension. Again, you should write to the employee to confirm the extension and include the objectives and expectations.
- Unsuccessful probation – employee has not met their objectives, and you do not believe that standards would improve after an extension period (or if the extension period has concluded and there has not been an adequate improvement). Employment would cease and employee would be dismissed. Clear reasoning for this decision should be given, with accompanying evidence, and this should be followed up in writing.