What Is an Employment Probation Period Letter?

An employment probation period letter is a document that is handed to a hew hire by his or her employer. After accepting the employment offer letter and signing the employment contract, an employee will be given an employment probation period letter alongside an employment handbook and other relevant documents. Employers use an employment probation period letter to provide necessary reminders and guidelines about the probation period that the new employee will immerse in. Hence, this document contains information related and aligned with the processes, regulations, duration, limitations, and measures of the probation period.

Important Employment Probation Period Letter Content

You have to make sure that your employment probation period letter is filled with necessary, relevant, and informative details. The completion of all the items that you need to discuss to your employees with regards to their employment probation period should be highly-considered so you can come up with an output that is of the quality plan. With this, you have to be mindful as you put all the major key points of the specific document together. Here are some of the things that you should never forget to include in the employment probation period letter that you plan to develop:

1. The Duration of the Employment Probation Period

Give a concise idea about the employment probation period’s length of time duration. It is important for this information to be known by the employees so that they can be aware on when they can potentially be up for regularization. Specify the beginning and end dates of the employment probation period as well as the number of months that it will take prior to the overall employee performance evaluation report.

2. The Regulations of the Organization on Employment Probation

Allow your employees to know the terms of the probation. You have to provide a set of regulations, standard measures, and policies that will be some of the basis for performance review. Try to be as particular as possible when specifying these items so that your employees can be guided on how they can add value to the organization even during the period of their employment probation. If there are a lot of specifications with regards this matter, you may opt to just write an instruction for your employees to look into the segment of the employee handbook discussing employment probation period concerns; if there are any.

3. The Expectations of the Business for the New Hire

Alongside all the other details about the employment probation period, the letter that you will give to your new hires must also contain a Verified statement about your organization’s expectations. Let them be aware that you are counting on their good performance and behavior during their employment probation period. Set realistic, measurable, and attainable expectations so your employees can provide you with their deliverable.

Who Can Benefit From Using a Well-Made Employment Probation Period Letter?

An employment probation period letter may seem to be just a simple document but it can actually be very useful in a number of circumstances. Aside from opening touch points where the new hires and their employers can interact, an employment probation period letter can also set a clear direction for the probation period’s entirety. The entities who can truly benefit from using a well-made employment probation period letter document are as follows:

Employers: The clarification of the employment probation period can be advantageous to employers. For one, the document can help the management communicate with the new hires. This is a good opportunity for the business to let their employees know that their career development plan is highly looked into and prioritized. Employers that can guide their employees during the probation period can reflect their intentions on working with a valuable asset for a long period of time.New hires: Keeping your employees involved all the time with the things that they have to be aware of, especially with regards their career path and professional development, is a great employee engagement strategy. Try to incorporate your employee engagement efforts from the very beginning of your new hires’ employment. During orientation or within the early stages of an employee’s work, hand him or her an employment probation period letter. Your new hires can benefit a lot from having an employment probation period letter as they can already be well-aware of what to expect and how to perform so they can pass the probationary period given by the organization.Human resource department: With the help of an employment probation period letter, the human resource department plan will have less inquiries about the subject matter since the document itself has already discussed the items that new hires should be knowledgeable of. With this, the hr personnel handling employment probation can focus further on other tasks. The human resource department can also immerse the new hires in the processes of employment probation appropriately as there is a document that presents all related and relevant matters which the employees can review any time they would want to.

50+ Sample Employment Probation Period Letter

8 Steps for Developing an Excellent Employment Probation Period Letter

Are you hesitant to create an employment probation period letter from scratch? If this is your first time to write the specific document or even if you just want to learn a thing or two on how an employment probation period letter can be created effectively, then the step-by-step guide that we came up with can be very useful to you. Below is an eight-step process that can make the job of developing an excellent employment probation period letter easier and more efficient.

Step 1: Download a Pre-Formatted and Editable Employment Probation Period Letter Template

Look for the most suitable and the best employment probation period letter template to utilize. Think of the layout that you would like to have for your own letter so you can narrow down your selection based on your priorities and liking. Be reminded that the pre-formatted content of the template should be modified so you can make the employment probation period letter fit with the exact content presentation requirements of your organization.

Step 2: Properly Address the Employment Probation Period Letter

You can use the basic parts of a formal letter which includes the date of the letter’s writing, an inside address, and a subject line. However, there are also instances where you may just use the header of your organization. It will depend on the implementation business plan on how you will address the employment probation period letter. Consider the way that you will hand or send the letter to its recipient, the time frame of the letter’s usage, and the level of formality that you would like to incorporate in the letter’s content.

Step 3: Have a Formal Salutation

Open the letter warmly. Have a formal salutation with the name of the new hire in it. Doing this can make the letter seem personalized even if it will be used for business-related purposes. Make sure to write the name of your new employee accurately.

Step 4: Create a Warm But Still Professional Introduction

Present the most important details of the letter in your introduction. Identify the purpose of the employment probation period letter. Include the work designation or title of the employee, your letter of appreciation for the decision of the employee to accept the job, the specification of the employee’s first day of work, and a welcome statement which signifies the beginning of your relationship with the new hire.

Step 5: Discuss the Employment Probation Period

Be particular with the things that you will discuss about the employment probation period. List the company rules and regulations on probation and give an idea on where the employee can look for a more in-depth discussion about the matter, say a segment in his or her employment contract or a page in the employee handbook. Explain the measures of your performance assessment, the reason why it will take a certain period of time before a new hire can already be a regular employee, and the standards that you will look into to ensure the readiness of the employee for the work position given to him or her.

Step 6: Give an Idea Of What Will Happen After the Employment Probation Period

Aside from the duration of the employment probation period, the letter should also present the possibilities that may occur after the given period. Let the employee know that he or she will already receive normal and customary benefits that are offered by the organization to its regular employees should he or she pass the employment probation period.

Step 7: Finalize the Letter’s Scope of Discussion Before Closing the Document

It will be great if you can wish the new employee luck. Always end your employment probation period letter in a positive note. Write a statement of support or motivation so that your employees can become more confident to show their expertise,  behavior plans, and skills which are very important for them to pass the probation period of their employment. Once you are already done with the details of the letter’s main body of discussion, you can already write a complimentary close followed by your name and signature to close the employment probation period letter.

Step 8: Allocate Signature Blocks at the Bottom Part of the Letter

Your employment probation period letter should be signed by the representative of the organization and the new employee who will receive it. With this, it is important for you to include signature blocks at the layout of the document. Write the name and designation of the entities specified so they can be well-guided on where to put their signatures as an indication that they agree on and have understood the content of the letter document.

Benefits of Creating a Comprehensive Employment Probation Period Letter

Your employment probation period letter can be very advantageous especially if it will be written appropriately and mindfully. An outstanding employment probation period letter can help your organization inform your employees about particular matters related to their probation period while allowing them to be at ease within the entirety of the probation’s time duration. Some of the benefits of creating a comprehensive employment probation period letter are as follows:

An employment probation period letter can enable your organization to set the proper expectations of your new hires: 20% of employees do not pass during their employers’ given probation period (source: thehrdirector). With the usage of an employment probation period letter, you can already specify the possibility of this instance to happen. Since you can use the specific document to provide reminders and guidelines, you can easily shape the perception of your new hires with their employment probation period and what this may lead them to.An employment probation period letter can help you further explain the purpose of the employment probation period: The letter that you will develop can present the reasons on why you would like to take the employment probation period as an opportunity for observation and Promotion assessment. Having the employment probation period letter on their hands can enable your employees to process the importance of the probation period as well as the things that will take place within the given period’s duration.An employment probation period letter can be a part of your new employee integration efforts: Your employment probation period letter can be one of the key materials that can enable you to start a formal and professional relationship with the new hires. Aside from private contracts and other employment documents, your probation period letter can serve as a way for open communication to happen. Your interaction to your employees through this letter can help you build the foundation for transparency, trust, and credibility.

Dos and Don’ts for Writing an Effective Employment Probation Period Letter

Writing an employment probation period letter from scratch can be tedious. However, following an effective document development procedure and a number of guidelines can make the job easier. Are you now in the midst of strategic planning the content, discussion flow, and format of your organization’s employment probation period letter? If so, there are a number of tips that you must be aware of. Here are some of the ways on how you can effectively write an employment probation period letter:

Do’s

1. Do Have a Comprehensive Discussion About the Employment Probation Period 

Make the content of the letter all about the employment probation period. If there are some reminders that you would like to provide to your employees about the other areas of their employment, it will be best if you can save these information for the creation of another document. Focus on the key points of the employment probation period so you can have a complete and successful identification of all the things that your new hires should be aware of within the entire probation period.

2. Do Review the Employment Contract Before Developing the Employment Probation Period Letter

When writing your employment probation period letter, it is necessary for you to look into your employment contract and any other documents which contains information about employment probation. All of the materials, with employment probation period segments, that your business will hand to your employees should be standardized. Review these documents so you can make sure that the details in the employment probation period letter are accurate, precise, factual, and updated.

3. Do Use a Straightforward and Understandable Language When Crafting the Letter’s Content

Think of your audience as you try to write an employment probation period letter. Ensure that your employees can easily understand what you are trying to say. You have to let your new hires relate to the content of the document. Do not use any jargon or other technical and industry terms which may be open to different kinds of interpretations. Doing this can help you have a clear employment probation period letter content presentation and discussion.

Don’ts

1. Don’t Make Your Employment Probation Period Letter Vague

Be concise with your content presentation. A vague employment probation period letter can only lessen the effective usage of the document. Guide your employees accordingly by ensuring that your employment probation period letter contains specific and precise details that can help them to further understand the items aligned with their probation period of employment.

2. Don’t Include Any Threats in the Letter 

Set the tone of the employment probation period letter. Even if this is considered as a formal document, you have to make sure that the approach is still warm and encouraging. Avoid using any form of threats if you find the performance of a new hire to be lacking during the probation period. Let your employees feel that you are willing to support them and that you are expecting them to perform properly so they can pass the probation period. Aside from threats, make sure to not use discriminating and derogatory words as these can reflect the bad culture of your organization.

3. Don’t Let Your Discussion Flow Become Disorganized and Confusing

Make your employment probation period letter as systematic as you can. We recommend you to first use a Employee checklist that can outline all of the information that you will include in the document. Having an organizational tool can enable you to strategically line up all of the details of the employment probation letter in a sensible and organized manner. Focus on the development of your discussion flow as this can impact the final document’s ease of browsing. Keep in mind that a cluttered or poorly-developed employment probation period letter can either confuse or mislead your employees.

If you want to begin your efforts for the development of an exemplary employment probation period letter, we highly-suggest for you to download any of the printable reference list that we have listed above. Optimize templates, existing employment probation period letter samples, and other document guides that can help you with the efficient creation of your company’s own employment probation period letter document.