Return to top of page. Guidelines for Probationary Period For a new employee, the probationary period is a time for learning and demonstrating that he or she has the potential to succeed in the job. For the supervisor of a new employee, the probationary period is a time for communicating performance expectations, training, orienting, and evaluating the performance of the new employee. Following are some actions a supervisor can take to make the best use of the probationary period. Performance Expectations Review the job description with the new employee and explain your expectations for performance.
Training Explain the learning sequence.
Coaching requires follow-up feedback and support. Encourage the new employee to ask or repeat questions as often as necessary. Orientation Make sure the employee is given an orientation to your office or department. The orientation for new employees provided by the Office of Human Resources covers the University in general and our benefit programs. The new employee needs to know the mission of the particular office or department and how it fits in with the overall mission of the University.