A probation period should not end with the first detailed conversation about performance. New employees need to know what good work looks like, where they stand, and which obstacles the manager will address. Waiting until the deadline turns correctable misunderstandings into surprise decisions.
Set the checkpoints
Schedule brief conversations early enough for the employee to apply feedback. Use the actual length of the organization’s period and avoid inventing legal meaning for the label. Tell the employee who decides completion and what records inform that decision.
Discuss observable work
Review completed training, demonstrated tasks, attendance records, quality, and specific examples of conduct. Ask about missing access, unclear instruction, or insufficient practice. Compare expectations with what the employee was actually assigned and trained to do.
Document support and follow-up
Write the next expected behavior, available help, owner, and review date. Correct inaccurate records promptly. Before the final decision, confirm that similarly situated employees received a consistent process and that protected concerns were routed correctly.
Qualified HR, labor-relations, or legal staff should review policy, agreements, discrimination risk, and employment decisions. Public background: EEOC guidance on performance and conduct.