Raising Public Employee Productivity by Samuel M. Sperling Across the country, government is being asked to spend less and produce more - to use taxpayer dollars more efficiently. By themselves, these facts do not make governmental efficiency impossible. They do suggest that public agencies need to focus more attention on the management of employee performance. Specifically, they should use the probationary period in a way that improves employee selection and performance appraisal.
Probation is an employment test.
It must be both valid and reliable. Probation must appraise what the appointee actually does on the job and measure the appointee's work against a set of established, job-specific standards. According to three knowledgeable observers, that's not the way probation is generally used in public service organizations. Supervisors are too often inclined to let the adjustment of a new employee drift without careful monitoring. And like any other employment test, probation must be clearly job-related.