Nursery World - HR Guru: The importance of probationary periods

Imogen Edmunds, managing director of Redwing Solutions, which specialises in HR for early years settings, on probationary periods.

You might think that once a new team member is hired, selection has concluded; you’d be wrong.

During the probationary period, a new staff member is still deciding whether they are happy with their decision to join your nursery, and as an employer, you will often be deciding whether it was the right one.

Probationary periods are a HR construct designed to give the employer and the employee an opportunity to establish the performance norms as the new hire transitions from ‘newbie’ to performer.

It is recommended that the probationary period is six months long and that job offers are made subject to its successful completion. The probationary period should be referred to in the contract of employment, state the duration and any conditions the employer wishes to place.

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