The probation period in a small company often ends quietly. Three months pass, nobody has said how it is going, and a date in a contract arrives. The manager either lets it slide or has to make a decision on the spot, with little to base it on. The employee, meanwhile, has no idea whether they are doing well.
A three-month check-in fixes that. It is one conversation of about 45 minutes, prepared on both sides, ending in a decision and a short written note. This article describes how to run it in a team of five or fifty, without an HR department. Rules for probation periods and notice differ by country, so check the legal side locally; this covers the conversation.
Book it on the first day
Put the check-in in both calendars when the person starts, ideally two to three weeks before the probation period ends. That leaves time to act on what you learn: to agree a fix, to extend with a reason, or to prepare an orderly end.
If the date is only remembered at the last minute, the meeting turns into a formality. Whoever manages the person owns the date, and a deputy knows about it in case of absence.
What should already have happened
The check-in is not the first time the employee hears how they are doing. Before it, they should have had a proper first week, such as the plan in the first week of a new employee, and regular short conversations, as described in a regular one-to-one meeting with each team member.
Rule of thumb: if something would be a surprise to the employee in the check-in, it should have been said earlier. A serious problem is raised when it appears, not saved for month three.
Prepare: three questions, both sides
A week before, send the employee the same three questions you will answer yourself. Ask for a few lines, not an essay.
- What is going well? Tasks done, things learned, where the person is already useful.
- What is not going well, or is unclear? Work that is slower than expected, missing information, a tool or a process that does not make sense.
- What would help most in the next three months? Training, a clearer scope, a different buddy, access to something, feedback from a particular colleague.
The manager adds facts, not impressions. Look at the work: what was delivered, what came back for correction, what colleagues and customers said, and whether agreed rules were followed. Two or three concrete examples for each side are better than a general rating.
Ask one colleague who works closely with the person for a single sentence. Do not run a formal survey for a team of this size.
In the meeting
Keep the order simple.
- Start with their answers. Let the employee go through the three questions first. People who go first tend to be more honest, and you may hear something you did not know.
- Then give yours. Name what is working, with examples. Name what is not, with examples, and say what a good result would look like. Be direct and kind; vague praise is as unhelpful as vague criticism.
- Check the role. Is the job what was described when they were hired? Has it drifted? A mismatch in scope is a common reason for a weak first three months and is not the employee's fault.
- Agree what changes. Pick two or three things for the next period, each with an owner and a date. More than three will not be remembered.
- Say the decision. See the next section.
Make one decision
The meeting should not end with "let's see". Choose one of three outcomes and say it clearly.
- Confirm. The probation period ends and the employment continues. Say what the person did well and what the goals are for the next three months.
- Extend, if your contract and local rules allow it. Use this only when there is a specific, fixable gap and you can say what needs to change and by when. An extension without a reason is a delayed decision. Write down the criteria and a new check-in date.
- End. If it is clear the role does not work, it is fairer to say so early than to carry the doubt. Follow the contract and local rules, and take care of the practical side, such as access and equipment, using the checklist for when an employee leaves.
If you are not sure, that is information too. Name what you would need to see and by when, and treat it as an extension with criteria, not an open question.
Write it down
Within a day, write a half-page note and send it to the employee. It should hold:
- date and who was present
- the decision, in one sentence
- two or three things that are going well
- two or three goals for the next period, each with an owner and a date
- any support agreed: training, a change of scope, a new buddy
- the date of the next conversation
The employee can add a comment if they see it differently. Keep the note in the personnel file, with access limited to the manager and whoever handles personnel matters. It is a work record, not a gossip log, so write only what you would be comfortable showing to the person.
After the check-in
Do what you agreed. If the employee asked for training or access and nothing happened, the next conversation starts with lost trust. Put the actions on the manager's list, not just in the note.
Then the person moves into the normal rhythm of regular one-to-one meetings and an annual review. If they were confirmed, tell the team and change their access or responsibilities where the role has grown.
What to do next week
If someone started recently, open their calendar now and find the end of their probation period. Book the check-in two to three weeks earlier, send the three questions, and put the half-page note template in a shared folder. The first one will take an hour of preparation; the next ones take less, and every new employee gets a clear answer on where they stand.