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Why Are Trial or Probationary Periods Bad?

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Okay, so you may be coming into this article already skeptical about what we’re going to say. We completely understand that probationary periods are a good safeguard for you so that you can make sure you’re hiring the right people.

However, we maintain that they’re not the most helpful thing. They’re not beneficial for the new hire and certainly not for you in the long run.

Let’s take a little look at why trial periods aren’t the smartest decision.

You’re Starting on the Wrong Foot

Let’s take a second to analyze the term, shall we? ‘Probation’ implies that the job is some sort of punishment for the new hire. Are you trying to employ them or punish them?

When you’re starting out from that position, it places a sense of guilty until proven innocent on top of the new hire. That’s not a good workplace culture to be inducting someone into, and it’s likely to contribute to them being nervous and making more mistakes.

Probationary Periods are No Excuse for Hiring the Wrong Person

Your hiring and onboarding process should be as good as you can possibly make it. It’s up to you, not the new hire, to make sure that you’re making solid judgment calls on who you let into your organization.

Why even bother hiring someone if you need 90 days to assess whether or not they’re a right fit for your company? Having trial periods just sends the message out to everyone that you have no confidence in your hiring process.

First Impressions Matter

Advertising yourself as an employer that implements probationary periods could turn potential employees away from even applying to work at your company in the first place. There are plenty of companies they could go work for that don’t operate these trial periods and they’re more likely to go there and apply.

Making yourself as alluring as possible to new hires should be part of your best practices. You want great staff to come and work for your great company, showing them that you won’t trust them for the first 90 days of their employment will not be so alluring to them.

There May be Legal Complications

We’ve mentioned it at the top of the article, and you’re probably still thinking about the safeguarding advantages of having a trial period. Well, you’re not actually protecting yourself as much as you think. Just having a probationary period does not prevent an employee from filing an unfair dismissal suit against you.

If you extend an employee’s probationary period beyond a timeframe of six months, then you lose any protection you had against an unfair dismissal claim. If you run a small business, it’s best to not even bother running the risk in the first place.

Let Us Help You Today

Hopefully, after reading this article, you’re going to think twice about utilizing probationary periods at your company; they can really come back to bite you if you’re not careful.

Another thing that can often come back to bite small business owners is their payroll. If you have any payroll concerns or need any help, then we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today to see how we can help you.

Christina Hageny

Christina Hageny

President - Valor Payroll Solutions

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