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| |Barnardo’s |

| |Corporate Policy |

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Probationary & Transition Periods Policy and Procedure

Date: 1st April 2016

Review Date: April 2019

Policy Owner: Corporate People, Policy and Advice Team

Distribution: Not Confidential – Internal Only

Purpose

Individuals joining Barnardo’s or moving to a different role within the organisation are subject to a probation/transition period as set out in their written statement of terms and conditions of employment. This non-contractual policy and procedure has been designed to ensure that:

a. All new employees complete a probationary period (PP), and their mandatory core required learning, before they are confirmed in post.

b. Existing employees moving to a new role are managed through a transition period (TP)

c. A meeting is required to agree initial objectives and required and mandatory training. Suitability for the role is then assessed formally at 13 weeks and 26 weeks using the Probation/Transition Form (P/TPA).

d. Managers can use this procedure at any time during the PP to deal with concerns about an employee’s suitability for a role, including extending the PP or terminating employment.

e. Managers with concerns about the suitability of an existing employee during the TP must use the relevant Barnardo's procedure e.g. managing unsatisfactory performance, disciplinary, sickness absence, etc.

f. Employees are aware that their PP/TP is only completed when they have received written confirmation from the Local People Team (LPT) or their manager.

g. Employees who successfully complete a probationary period will receive the next Single Annual Pay Award (SAPA) increase applicable to the role usually in the April following completion of probation.

h. Employees in transition will receive applicable SAPA increases during the TP.

i. Employees work in ways consistent with our values and behaviours, and our Leadership and Management Behaviours where applicable.

j. Equality and diversity is promoted and employees are expected to adopt a positive approach to diversity and challenge discriminatory attitudes and behaviour.

Scope

The policy applies to all newly appointed Barnardo's employees, including those on fixed term employment contracts.

All existing employees in a new role, including secondments and alternative roles to redundancy, are subject to the monitoring and review arrangements set out in the procedure.

The policy does not apply to 'As and when workers', agency workers and self-employed contractors or volunteers.

Roles and responsibilities

Managers are responsible for managing the probationary /transition periods of employees who report to them. This includes:

▪ setting performance and development objectives to be achieved during the PP/TP;

▪ regularly monitoring and giving feedback on these during supervision/ one to ones;

▪ ensuring that employees understand what is expected of them during their employment;

▪ providing the information and organising any support/training/learning and development required for the employee to achieve these expectations;

▪ ensuring that every new employee reporting to them completes their mandatory core required learning during their PP;

▪ completing formal reviews at 13 and 26 weeks;

▪ raising concerns promptly and exploring the reasons with the employee, giving appropriate support, if problems are identified during the PP/TP; and

▪ seeking advice from the Local People Team at an early stage.

Employees are responsible for:

▪ fully engaging and actively participating in the PP/TP process;

▪ completing all identified support/training/learning and development, required learning and induction programmes in the timescales set; and

▪ asking for additional support where required as soon as possible.

Local People Teams are responsible for supporting managers and employees to understand and implement Barnardo's policies and procedures; for checking that employees who have successfully completed their PP/TP have received written confirmation of this; and supporting managers to address any issues identified during the PP/TP.

Definitions

Probationary Period (PP) – Initial period of employment with Barnardo’s, prior to confirmation in writing of successful completion of the PP. 

Transition Period (TP) – Initial period when an existing employee is transitioning to a new role.

Probationary/Transition Performance Agreement Form (P/TPA) – Form used by managers and employees to monitor, review and record objectives and progress during PP/TP.  

Procedure

Barnardo's probationary and transition periods procedure does not form part of an employee's terms and conditions of employment and may be subject to change if required.  All timescales are recommendations only.

Agreeing Objectives, Setting Standards and Monitoring Progress

LPT/Recruitment Centre records the 26 week PP/TP on the employee record on Oracle HRMS.

The manager holds an initial meeting with the employee (recommended within 3 weeks of the employee starting work in the new role; or as soon as possible if objectives are being set as part of a redundancy trial period). The purpose of this meeting is:

• to discuss progress and any issues so far;

• to agree the employee's objectives for the PP/TP;

• to agree the required/mandatory training to be completed during the PP/TP;

• to agree any skills/competency based objectives for skills-gaps identified so far; and

• to inform the employee of the standards expected and agree the information and support required for their achievement.

Manager records employee's objectives for the first 26 weeks on the employee's P/TPA, together with any support/training/learning and development needs.

Throughout the PP/TP the manager holds regular 1:1/supervision meetings with the employee to discuss and review what was agreed at the initial meeting and identify whether any additional information, support or learning and development is required. A written record should be made of any agreed changes or additions.

Where an existing employee has transitioned into a new role as an alternative to redundancy, the TP process should be used to support the trial period to assess the employee’s suitability for the role.

The manager and employee must meet for formal review meetings at 13 and 26 weeks.

Where there are unresolved concerns about an employee successfully completing their PP/TP, the manager should seek further advice from the LPT.

• For Transition Periods - any appropriate action to address these concerns will be taken within the timeframes stated under the relevant Barnardo's procedure, i.e. Performance Improvement Process, disciplinary, sickness absence etc.

• For Probationary Periods - any appropriate action will be taken under this procedure and one of the options A-C below may apply. Note that the employee’s PP can be extended only once.

(A) Extending the employee’s PP:

Manager meets with employee to discuss the extension to their PP. The purpose of the meeting is:

• for the manager to explain where there are areas of concern in the required standards and the improvements needed;

• to jointly explore solutions to address these; and

• to make the employee aware that if they do not achieve the required standards they may not be confirmed in post

Any agreed modifications/additions to the initial objectives must be recorded on the PPA. A note should also be made of any further support/training/learning and development required for the employee for the remainder of the PP.

Manager confirms the details of the extension to the employee in writing and sends a copy to the LPT.  LPT records new PP end-date on Oracle HRMS.

Manager records in writing the key points from the meeting and copies this to the employee and their personal file.

(B) Possible non-confirmation in post meeting:

Manager writes to the employee inviting them to a formal meeting, giving them reasonable notice of the meeting and informing them of their entitlement to request to be accompanied by a UNISON/other trade union representative or a Barnardo's colleague.  The letter gives details of the reasons for the meeting and explains the possible outcomes.

During the meeting, manager goes through the information gathered and explains where the employee is not meeting the required standards.  The employee will be given an opportunity to respond to these concerns and to put forward any explanation and identify possible solutions.

Manager adjourns the meeting to consider and decide the appropriate outcome. This may be:

• take no further action and confirm the employee in post;

• extend the PP (if this has not already been done) if they consider that allowing for a period of further support/alternative solutions might rectify the problem;

• dismiss the employee.

Once the manager has made their decision, they reconvene the meeting to inform the employee.

If the decision is to dismiss the employee, manager informs the employee of the reasons for this decision, of their 1 week notice period and the appeal process and confirms this in writing to the employee.

If an appeal is lodged, a nominated impartial manager conducts the appeal meeting. The Appeal Manager writes to the employee inviting them to the appeal meeting, giving them reasonable notice of the meeting and informing them of their entitlement to request to be accompanied by a UNISON/other trade union representative or a Barnardo's colleague. 

The Appeal Manager should hear the appeal and then adjourn the meeting to consider and decide the appropriate outcome.

A written record of the decision should be forwarded to the employee and a copy retained on their personal file. The decision concludes the appeal stage.

LPT updates employee record on Oracle HRMS.

(C) Temporary suspension of the employee's PP/TP

In very exceptional circumstances (for example absence of employee or the delay in the provision of an agreed reasonable adjustment), the manager may consider a temporary suspension of the employee's PP/TP.

Manager discusses and agrees this with the employee and confirms the arrangements in writing to the employee.

When the period of the suspension of the PP/TP ends, the PP/TP recommences where this was left off.

LPT updates employee record on Oracle HRMS.

Successful completion of PP/TP:

Around 2 weeks before the end of the PP/TP (or extended PP) period, the manager invites employee to final review meeting.

Employee provides manager with copies of their induction mandatory training certificates.

Manager and employee note their final comments on the employee's P/TPA, manager completes the sign-off section, gives the employee a copy, forwards a copy to their own line manager for sign-off, and ensures a copy is retained on the employee's personal file.

Manager informs the employee that they have successfully completed their PP/TP, subject to final written confirmation.

Manager/administrator updates employee record on Oracle Direct Input to signify successful completion of PP/TP.

Manager sends a copy of the P/TPA and sign-off form, together with certificates to evidence completion of required induction learning, to their LPT.

For PP the LPT write to employee to confirm successful completion. For TP the manager (copy LPT) or LPT write to employee to confirm successful completion.

LPT records the required information on Oracle HRMS.

Manager agrees future objectives with employee at the appropriate time in the annual performance appraisal (APA) season.  (Depending on the timing of the completion of the employee's PP/TP interim objectives may need to be agreed.)

Compliance measures

▪ Local People Teams monitoring of general adherence to policy

▪ Feedback from UNISON and Barnardo’s Forums.

▪ Attrition rates during probationary periods.

▪ Numbers of situations escalating to appeal stage.

▪ Audits. 

Document history

| Version |

|Date |

|Author |

|Status |

|Comment |

| |

|1 |

|01.01.2013 |

|Policy & Advice Team |

|New Policy |

|Approved CMT 13.09.2012 |

| |

|2 |

|26.09.2013 |

|Policy & Advice Team |

|Version 2 |

|Oracle system changes |

| |

|2.1 |

|01.04.2015 |

|Policy & Advice Team |

|Version 2.1 |

|Simplification of wording and alignment to PIP policy |

| |

|2.2 |

|01.04.2016 |

|Policy & Advice Team |

|Version 2.2 |

|Policy updated to reflect changes to pay and reward. |

| |

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