Probation

Probation is the first months of an employment, ending with a review by the line manager and a decision: confirm the appointment, extend the probation, or do not confirm. Cadre gives every new hire an end date from your policy, opens the line manager’s review before it, and records the outcome on the person’s record.

Who can set the probation policy, set end dates and record outcomes: Owner, HR admin.

Nigerian law sets no probation period. The Labour Act asks for the written terms of employment within three months of the start (section 7), and sets notice by length of service (section 11). The lengths below are your own policy, and you can change them at any time.

Switch probation on

Probation is off until you switch it on. While it is off, people hired on the Probation contract type are still on probation, as before, but nothing is dated or opened for them by itself.

1. Open Settings and select Probation.
2. Turn on New hires start on probation.
3. Choose the Default length, from 1 to 12 months. A probation ends the day before the same date that many months after the start: someone starting on 1 October with three months ends on 31 December.
4. Optionally, select Add a length for a grade, a contract type, or both. A length for both wins over one for the grade, which wins over one for the contract type.
5. Under Review, choose how many days before the end the review opens (14 by default) and the form it uses. The starter Probation review form asks the line manager What do you recommend?
6. Choose who writes it: the line manager always; the employee (a self review) by default; and, if you want, the manager’s manager.
7. Under Outcome, choose whether HR approves the line manager’s recommendation before it applies (on by default), how many extensions are allowed and how long each is, and the contract someone hired on the Probation contract type moves to when confirmed (Permanent by default).
8. Select Save.

A member limited to some of an agency’s clients cannot change the policy: it applies to every client.

When you hire

With probation on, everyone you add is on probation except contractors. The Probation section of Add person shows when it ends. You can choose another end date for this person, or clear Starts on probation to hire them without probation.

While someone is on probation their contract type shows as Probation, so early pay’s “confirmed staff only” rule treats them as not yet confirmed. When they are confirmed, they move to the contract you hired them on.

An import does the same: its optional Probation (Yes, No or blank) and Probation end date columns work as the form does, and a blank row follows the policy. For an existing employee (a start date before the day of the import) whose policy end date has already passed, a blank row opens no probation: it is already over.

In Change employment, the contract type is not offered while someone’s probation is open, and Probation is never offered: the probation’s outcome changes the contract type.

People who were already on the Probation contract type before probation was switched on have no end date. Cadre never guesses one: they are marked End date needed, and you set it from their profile or from Probations ending.

Probations ending

Open People → Probations. The list shows probations ending in the next 30 days and those already overdue, soonest first. Switch the view to see those To decide, those with No end date, or All on probation.

Line managers see the same list for their own team, with a Write review link when their review is open.

The review

Each morning Cadre opens the probation review of everyone whose end date is within your policy’s number of days. It is a review with one person in it, due on the end date: the line manager writes it, and the employee writes their own when the policy asks for it. Reviewers are told by email and in Cadre, and reminded as the due date nears, like any review. You can also select Open due reviews now in Settings → Probation.

If the person has no line manager, the review cannot open. You are told once, and the review opens the morning after you set their manager. You can also record the outcome yourself.

Attendance during probation

Cadre puts the person’s attendance since their probation started beside every probation decision: on the line manager’s review, in Review the outcome, and under Probation on the person’s profile.

• The period and the number of days they were rostered, from their timesheets.
• On time beside their team’s share, Late, counted (with any excused), Average late, Absent, no leave, Left early and Missed clocks.
• By month of probation: each month’s share on time, with how many days were late or absent. A month not yet begun says when it starts.
• Their own explanations, quoted, and how many flags they have not explained.

Lateness or an absence that was excused counts as on time and is shown separately. When the share on time is below your organisation’s warning level (85% unless you change it), a warning says so above the figures. Full record opens the Time tab of their profile, and All flags lists every flag of their probation in Attendance and flags.

The person can see the same summary on My profile before you decide. The starter Probation review form also asks the line manager How reliable have this person’s attendance and punctuality been?, so their rating sits beside the figures.

Your organisation can choose not to show attendance in probation reviews. When it does, this summary does not appear anywhere.

Record the outcome

When the line manager submits their review, their recommendation comes to you, and you are told. With HR approval off, it applies at once instead.

1. Open the person’s profile, or Probations → To decide, and select Review the outcome.
2. The line manager’s recommendation is chosen, with the attendance during the probation under it. Keep the recommendation, or choose another outcome and say why.
3. Select Record outcome.

• Confirm the appointment: the employment is confirmed from the probation’s end date, and the contract type moves on through an employment change dated that day. If payroll for that day is already locked, the change takes effect from the next open day. The employee is told. Send the confirmation letter from their profile: add Confirmation of appointment from the template library in Documents → Document templates first.
• Extend the probation: the end date moves on by your policy’s extension, and a new review opens before the new date. The employee is told. Once the policy’s number of extensions is reached, only confirm or do not confirm remain.
• Do not confirm: this is recorded, and the employment continues. Cadre never ends an employment by itself: when it follows, select End employment… on the profile and the leaver workflow starts. The employee is not emailed about it.

Every change to a probation, and every decision with its reason, is in the audit log.

Who sees a probation

• Owners and HR admins see everyone’s (within their clients, for a member limited to some of an agency’s clients).
• A line manager sees their team’s: the dates, the review and their recommendation.
• An employee sees their own end date and outcome, and the attendance summary, on My profile.
• Payroll roles and colleagues do not.