Design a probation review process in Culture Amp grounded in people science. This guide walks through the design decisions, how they translate into platform configuration, and what to expect when the process is live, with worked examples for three common probation lengths.
Important: Probation periods, review obligations, and related employment rights vary by country, and may be governed by local laws, enterprise agreements, or employment contracts. This guide offers people science best practice, not legal advice. Always check with your own legal or HR compliance team to make sure your process meets the requirements that apply where your employees are based.
For the science behind why probation reviews matter and what makes them effective, see: The Science Behind Probation Reviews.
For the technical step-by-step on building the process in the platform, see: Set Up a Probation Review Process.
At a glance: the three steps
Step | What happens | Who's involved |
Plan your approach | Define what's expected of new hires and managers, decide on the structure of your reviews (mid-point, final, question count), and plan communications. | HR admin, with input from HRBP/People Partner and senior managers |
Set up your process | Configure inclusion rules, steps, questions, and communications in Culture Amp. Apply the planning decisions to the platform. | HR admin |
Run and follow up | Monitor live processes, support managers through their reviews, and ensure HR reviews the decision outcome before they're shared with employees. | HR admin, managers, HRBP/People Partner |
What's included in a probation review process
A probation review process in Culture Amp is made up of a few core elements. If you've set up a unified performance review cycle before, these components will feel familiar.
The Manager review
The manager review is the primary input. It carries the most weight in the probation decision and is grounded in the manager's direct observation across the probation period.
The final manager review (or the only manager review, if you're running a single step) automatically includes the probation decision question alongside the other questions you've designed for that step.
The recommended question is What is the outcome of this person's probation? and offers three options: Passed, Failed, and N/A. These options are fixed, but each has an editable title that the manager sees when completing the review.
Our people scientists recommend the following titles, however you can edit any of them to match your organization's preferred language:
Option | Recommended title | Outcome |
Passed | Confirm employment | Your new hire has met expectations and continues in the role. |
Failed | Do not confirm employment | The employment relationship will end at the conclusion of probation. |
N/A | Decision deferred | A confident decision can't be reached at this point. Acts as a catch-all for circumstantial deferrals (such as extended sick leave), gaps in evidence (such as insufficient feedback collected), changes in employment status (such as a resignation or role change), and more informal probation extensions. See [Part 3] for more on handling extensions. |
💡 How other Culture Amp features support probation
💡 How other Culture Amp features support probation
Self-reflection:
A self-reflection step gives the employee a voice in the review and surfaces context the manager may not have direct visibility into.
For longer probation periods (i.e. longer than 4 months), we recommend including a self-reflection at both the mid-point and the final review. For shorter periods, the mid-point is optional.
Other Future Amp features are not a part of the Probation process set up, but provide important support:
Anytime Feedback:
If your organization already uses Anytime Feedback, it gives managers a way to document specific observations across the probation period after delivering them verbally. This builds the evidence base for the formal review. The recommended pattern is verbal feedback first, then documented in Anytime Feedback.
1-on-1s:
Culture Amp's 1-on-1s give managers a regular, structured space to check in with their new hire across the probation period. Weekly or fortnightly is typical during onboarding.
They're where the developmental conversation happens between the formal review steps, and where the manager can prompt the new hire to share their own perspective on progress, blockers, and the support they need.
Goals:
Culture Amp's Goals lets you document the role responsibilities and measurable goals set with the new hire in their first few weeks.
This creates a clear reference point for both the manager and the employee across the probation period, and anchors the review questions to what was agreed at the start.
Naming conventions
The feature has been specifically designed to support probation review processes and is called Probation processes in Culture Amp. While the product label itself isn't customizable, the labelling of the individual steps and the email content that goes with them is flexible and can be tailored to suit your organization.
In your own organization’s context, the word "probation" may feel weighted or unsettling for new hires, and may not match the developmental tone you want to set. You may choose instead to use alternative language that better fits your organization, such as "introductory period”, "settling-in period", or "review period", while still meeting the legal and procedural requirements of a probation.
You can apply your own language through the step names and the email content. For example, you might rename the default Mid-point check-in to Three month check in or Settling-in conversation. For the final step, Confirmation review, End of introductory period review, or Final check in keeps the purpose clear without leading with pass or fail.
Tip: You can customize the content of cycle emails, but not system notifications (such as Slack or Microsoft Teams alerts). When choosing your language, focus on the step names and the core emails that managers and employees see. For step-by-step guidance, see Customizing Performance Cycle Communications.
Part 1: Plan your approach
At this stage you are making decisions that shape how your probation review process runs, what it asks of managers and employees, and how the review fits into the broader new-hire experience.
➡️ Decision 1: Define expectations for new employees and how you'll communicate them
➡️ Decision 1: Define expectations for new employees and how you'll communicate them
The review process is only fair if the employee knows from the start what they're being evaluated against. Decide what each new hire needs to know early in their probation period, and how that information reaches them.
What to communicate:
Their role responsibilities and goals. Set these in the first few weeks of employment, ideally using Culture Amp's Goals to document them.
The expectations they'll be assessed against, including company values and/or competencies.
The probation timeline: its duration, when each step happens, who makes the final decision, and the possible outcomes.
The people they can turn to: their immediate team, key stakeholders, their mentor or buddy if applicable, and who to approach for HR, technical, or administrative support.
How to communicate it: in the contract or offer letter, in onboarding materials, in the manager's first conversations with their new hire, and in the language of the probation review steps themselves. The Employee's Guide to Probation Reviews covers what new hires can expect and can be shared as a reference.
➡️ Decision 2: Define what you'll ask of managers, and how you'll support them
➡️ Decision 2: Define what you'll ask of managers, and how you'll support them
A probation review process places additional workload on managers, particularly in the first months of a new hire's tenure. Be clear about what you're asking them to do, and give them the support to do it well.
Decide:
Whether managers are expected to set goals with their new hire in the first few weeks, and whether that's mandatory or recommended.
The cadence of 1-on-1s you expect during the probation period. Weekly or fortnightly is typical.
How managers should document feedback as they go. The recommended pattern is to deliver feedback verbally first, then capture it in Anytime Feedback after the conversation.
That 1-on-1s should be a two-way exchange. Managers should prompt new hires to share their perspective on progress, blockers, and the support they need, not just deliver feedback.
The training and enablement managers need to deliver on the above before the probation period begins. The Manager's Guide to Probation Reviews covers the manager's role and can be shared as a reference.
Additional documentation tools:
Managers can also keep brief notes of significant achievements, support offered, and any agreed course corrections using Bookmarks in 1-on-1s or Personal Notes on the employee profile.
Bookmarks let managers flag specific items from their 1-on-1 conversations to revisit later. Personal Notes are the manager's private notes on an employee, visible only to them and can be referred to when writing Manager reviews.
➡️ Decision 3: Decide whether to include a mid-point check-in, and what form it takes
➡️ Decision 3: Decide whether to include a mid-point check-in, and what form it takes
Rather than being a formal decision point, the mid-point is a developmental check-in on the new hire's progress. Its timing means it can surface gaps early enough that the employee can act on them, and gives the manager a documented record of the support offered.
Tip: The mid-point may be the more important touchpoint in your process. If concerns surface at the mid-point, there's still time to course-correct. By the final review, that window has closed.
Our recommendations:
For probation periods of four months or more: include a formal, platform-based mid-point check-in with both self-reflection and manager review.
For shorter probation periods: keep the mid-point light or optional. If you want a documented record, put a short version (a few manager review questions, no self-reflection) in the platform.
If you don't need a documented record, focus on a well-prepared 1-on-1 conversation with enough time to talk through progress and feedback in depth.
Tip: If the mid-point surfaces significant concerns, managers should involve their HRBP or People Partner now, well before the final review.
➡️ Decision 4: Plan the timing of the final review
➡️ Decision 4: Plan the timing of the final review
Determine how much time your organization needs to complete processes, and make decisions at the end of a probation period. We recommend completing the final review two to four weeks before the formal probation end date. That lead time lets you act on the outcome before the probation period closes and allows sufficient time for any HR, payroll, or legal processes.
When you configure the process in Culture Amp, you'll set the final review step to trigger at the right offset from the employee's start date. If termination is a likely outcome, managers should involve their HRBP at least four weeks before the end date.
➡️ Decision 5: Decide how many questions to include at each step
➡️ Decision 5: Decide how many questions to include at each step
It’s best to keep your question set focused. A long set of questions could result in review fatigue. This could leads to rushed, generic comments, which undermines the quality of the record you're building.
Step | Self-reflection | Manager review |
Mid-point check-in | 2-4 questions | 3-5 questions |
Final review | 1-3 questions (optional) | 4-6 questions in total, including the probation decision question |
We recommend no more than six questions per step. Anchor your questions to the expectations set on day one, and use open-ended questions that ask for specific examples. The platform comes with default questions for each step, designed by our people science team. You can use these as a starting point, edit them, or build your own. Suggested questions for each step are also included with the worked examples in Phase 2.
Adding onboarding-style questions to a probation review
You may be considering using a probation step to gather a light read on how a new hire is settling in, alongside the performance-focused questions. While this might reduce the amount of work for a new hire (e.g. so they don’t complete a Self-reflection and survey in a short time frame), we generally don’t recommend this approach.
⚠️ Should you include onboarding-style questions? (People Science Recommendation)
⚠️ Should you include onboarding-style questions? (People Science Recommendation)
Why we don't recommend it:
It muddies the purpose of the review. A probation review has a specific, high-stakes purpose: assessing whether to continue the employment relationship. Mixing in onboarding-style questions can confuse the employee about what they're being asked to evaluate, and what the manager is going to do with their answers.
It compromises honest feedback. Employees know they're being assessed during probation. Asking them how their onboarding is going within that same instrument may suppress honest feedback, particularly anything that reflects poorly on their manager or the organization. The answers you get are less useful than the answers you'd get in a different setting.
It creates action-planning confusion. Onboarding feedback and probation decisions have different owners, different timeframes, and different consequences. Mixing them in one form makes it unclear who acts on what, and when.
What do we recommend instead?
If a manager wants to understand how a new hire is settling in, 1-on-1s are the right place for that conversation. Encourage managers to ask questions like "How are you settling into the team?" or "What support would help you in the next month?" as part of their regular check-ins, where the conversation is two-way and the employee isn't being formally evaluated.
If you need population-level visibility into the new-hire experience, an onboarding lifecycle survey is the right tool. The two complement each other but ideally shouldn't be combined.
If you do decide to include them:
Onboarding-style questions only sit in Self-reflection steps, where the new hire is answering directly. Don't add a Self-reflection to a step that wouldn't otherwise have one just to ask these questions. Add them where a Self-reflection is already part of your process: typically the mid-point for a six-month probation, or the final review.
Keep the additions light: two or three optional questions, framed so the manager can act on the response directly. The recommended counts in Decision 5 already represent a full step, so onboarding-style questions sit on top of that and add to the time it takes the employee to complete.
Part 2: Set up your process
Now that you’ve made some key decisions and finalized your design, you can set up your Probation process in the platform. We’ve included three worked examples of common probation structures and the recommended timing for each.
For the step-by-step on the platform itself, see Set Up a Probation Review Process.
How step timing works in Culture Amp
When you set up each step in Culture Amp, you'll choose how many days after (the offset) the employee's start date it runs. This gives you granular control over the timing of each step, which is important when the gap between the final review and the end of probation has legal and procedural implications.
The tables below suggest day offsets to use as a starting point, with the equivalent week or month next to each one for easy reference. Adjust the timing to suit your organization's process.
The platform comes with people science designed default questions for each step type. You can use these as they are, edit them, or build your own.
For the technical step-by-step on configuring inclusion rules, questions, communications, and translations, see Set Up a Probation Review Process.
Worked examples
The right structure for your probation review process depends on the probation length and your organization's norms.
Example 1: Three-month (90-day) probation
Example 1: Three-month (90-day) probation
This example assumes a three-month probation period with a light mid-point check-in and a final review completed two to three weeks before the end date.
Step | Offset from start date | Reference | Type |
Set expectations and discuss when you’ll set goals | Day 1-7 | Week 1 | Manager-led conversation |
1-on-1s and Anytime Feedback |
|
| Ongoing throughout |
Mid-point check-in Manager Review or 1-on-1 | +42 days | Around week 6 | Optional - light platform step, otherwise use 1-on-1 |
Final review Manager review and Self-reflection | +70 to +77 days | Weeks 10-11 | Platform step |
When designing a process for a three-month probation, it's important to think about the other activities that happen as part of your new employee's journey, and how much performance is actually observable by the mid-point.
Mid-point check-in:
For some roles, onboarding and induction can take four to six weeks (around 30 to 42 days), which leaves a limited window of observable performance before the final review.
Whether a mid-point check-in adds value depends on how much of the role the new hire has actually done by then. At six weeks (+42 days), onboarding is typically just wrapping up, so a light touch is usually enough.
If you do decide to include a formal mid-point Manager review in the platform, keep it light: we recommend two or three manager review questions, and no self-reflection.
Final review:
Configure the final review at +70 to +77 days to allow time to act on the outcome before day 90.
The platform comes with a full set of templated questions, designed by our People Scientists. The samples below show the style and focus of each set. To see the complete questions, go to the templates in the platform, or ask your Culture Amp representative.
Mid-point check-in (+42 days, keep light)
A short manager review with two to three questions, covering:
Progress against agreed expectations
Gaps and the support needed to close them
Whether the new hire is on track
Sample question:
What progress has the employee made on their agreed expectations so far? Provide examples.
Final review (+70 to +77 days)
A manager review with four to six questions, covering:
Performance against expectations across the probation period
Behavioral alignment with company values
Key strengths and development priorities
The probation decision
Sample questions:
How consistently did they deliver on agreed expectations across the probation period?
What is the outcome of this person's probation? (added automatically): Confirm employment / Do not confirm employment / Decision deferred. Include a brief justification and next steps.
An optional self-reflection with one to three questions can give the employee a chance to reflect on:
Achievements they're proud of and the impact
Where they see room to grow
What support would help them succeed going forward
Sample question:
Which achievements are you most proud of during probation, and what was their impact?
Example 2: Six-month (180-day) probation
Example 2: Six-month (180-day) probation
This example assumes a six-month probation period with a full mid-point check-in and a final review completed two to four weeks before the end date.
Step | Offset from start date | Reference | Type |
Set expectations and discuss when you’ll set goals | Day 1 | Day 1 | Manager-led conversation |
1-on-1s and Anytime Feedback |
|
| Ongoing |
Mid-point check-in Manager review and Self-reflection | +90 days | Around month 3 | Platform step |
Final review Manager review and Self-reflection | +150 to +160 days | Around month 5 | Platform step |
A six-month structure suits longer probation periods set by employment contracts, or roles with a longer ramp-up time such as senior, complex, or cross-functional positions.
Because the probation period is longer, we recommend a formal platform-based mid-point check-in with both a self-reflection and a manager review. This gives you a documented developmental checkpoint at +90 days, with enough runway for the employee to act on what surfaces.
Configure the final review at +150 to +160 days. This keeps the two-to-four-week buffer open for HR, payroll, and any legal processes before the 180-day deadline.
Mid-point check-in (+90 days)
A manager review with three to five questions, covering:
The employee's impact against their goals or team outcomes so far
Important gaps relative to agreed expectations, and the evidence behind them
The support, resources, or clarity needed to help them succeed before the final review
Whether they're on track to pass probation
Sample question:
What impact has the employee had toward their goals or team outcomes so far? Provide examples.
A self-reflection with two to four questions, giving the employee a chance to share:
Their progress against agreed expectations
Blockers or challenges they've encountered, and how they've addressed them
How they're feeling about the role and organization at this stage
One or two skills they'd most like to develop over the next period
Sample question:
What progress have you made on your agreed expectations so far?
Final review (+150 to +160 days)
Use the same structure as Example 1's final review.
Example 3: 30-60-90 day probation
Example 3: 30-60-90 day probation
This example assumes a three-month probation period structured around 30, 60, and 90 day check-ins.
Step | Offset from start date | Reference | Type |
Set expectations and discuss when you’ll set goals | Day 1 | Day 1 | Manager-led conversation |
1-on-1s and Anytime Feedback |
|
| Ongoing |
30-day check-in
Settling in
Manager Review | +25 to +28 days | Around day 30 | Platform step (keep light) |
60-day check-in
Developmental
Manager Review | +55 to +58 days | Around day 60 | Platform step |
90-day final review Manager Review and Self-Reflection | +75 to +80 days | Around day 90 | Platform step |
Expert Advice: A 30-60-90 day structure is widely used in HR practice, both for onboarding plans and for probation reviews where the focus is on regular structured touchpoints across the first three months. Where you have a choice, we recommend a single mid-point and a final review for probation, since the purpose is different from onboarding: assessing performance and fit, and supporting a documented employment decision. The guidance below covers how to run a 30-60-90 day probation well, whether the structure is already in place at your organization or you've chosen it to meet your needs.
If you're running a 30-60-90 day structure inside probation, three things matter most:
Keep each step light. Three formal reviews in three months is a heavy load for a new hire still in onboarding.
Stagger any parallel onboarding survey. If you're also running a 30-60-90 day onboarding survey, stagger the probation check-ins so the employee isn't completing two structured tasks in the same week.
Schedule the final step early enough to act on it. An offset of +75 to +80 days leaves enough lead time to complete any HR or legal processes before the probation period closes at day 90.
Each step has a different purpose. The 30-day check-in is a settling-in conversation focused on whether the employee has the support and clarity they need. The 60-day check-in is the developmental check-in where gaps can be surfaced with time remaining to act on them. The 90-day step is the decision point and final review.
Suggested 30-day questions (+25 to +28 days, keep very light)
A short manager review with two to three questions, covering:
Progress against agreed expectations
Gaps and the support needed to close them
Whether the new hire is on track
Suggested 60-day questions (+55 to +58 days)
Use the mid-point question set from Example 2, scaled to two to three self-reflection questions and three to four manager review questions.
Suggested 90-day final review questions (+75 to +80 days)
Use the final review question set from Example 1.
Before you launch checklist
Before you switch your process to live, work through this checklist:
✅ People & Alignment
Expectations and goals are set with new hires in their first weeks, and documented as Goals in Culture Amp where possible
Managers are briefed on what's expected of them, including 1-on-1 cadence, documentation practices, and the new hire experience
Manager-facing guidance is available (the Manager's Guide to Probation Reviews, internal training materials, or both)
The Employee Guide to Probation Reviews is included in onboarding materials, or otherwise shared with new hires
✅ Process & Timeline
Step offsets give a two-to-four-week buffer between the final review and the probation end date
Self-reflection is included where appropriate (both steps for four-month-plus probations, optional for shorter periods)
Question count is within the recommended range (6 maximum per step)
✅ System & Configuration
Communications are configured (or intentionally turned off if you're handling comms outside the platform)
Step names and email content match your organization's preferred language (e.g. "three-month check-in" rather than "mid-point probation review")
Inclusion rules are scoped to the right population
If running multiple processes, the right version is selected for each region or population
Part 3: Implement and follow up
Once your process is live, your role shifts to monitoring and supporting managers through their reviews.
Monitoring progress
Managers receive notifications when their tasks are due, but HR and admins do not. Use the live dashboard to track what's completed, in progress, and approaching a deadline. Plan to check it regularly, especially as deadlines approach.
When to involve a HRBP or People Partner
Two moments to flag:
When concerns surface at the mid-point that may lead to extension or a do-not-confirm outcome
At least four weeks before the end date if a do-not-confirm outcome looks likely
The three possible outcomes
Each outcome has different implications and documentation requirements:
Confirm employment (Passed): Welcome the employee and transition them to your normal performance process.
Do not confirm employment (Failed): The most sensitive of the three. Encourage managers to involve their HRBP or People Partner well before the end date. The decision should rest on documented performance issues across the period and follow your organization's HR, legal, and procedural guidelines for the relevant jurisdiction.
Decision deferred (N/A). Use this when the probation outcome can't be confirmed at the end of the period. Common cases include circumstantial deferrals (such as extended sick leave), gaps in evidence (such as insufficient feedback collected), changes in employment status (such as a resignation or role change), and informal probation extensions.
Of these, only an extension (where you need more time to reach a confident performance decision) involves an improvement plan. See Handling probation extensions below.
Handling probation extensions
When the reason for deferring is that you need more time to reach a confident decision regarding the new employee’s performance, you're handling an extension. Whichever option below you take, the extension should be paired with an improvement plan built with the employee.
You have two options:
1. Extension via Decision deferred:
Mark the final review as Decision deferred, then use Edit schedule on the probation process to amend the end date to your new agreed date.
Agree the new date with the employee, and ensure that an improvement plan is created.
This option may suit straightforward cases where local employment requirements allow it.
Because the extension is recorded as a schedule change rather than a separate decision event, the documentation trail may not be sufficient in some jurisdictions. In those cases, we recommend the process below.
2. Create an additional, shorter probation process:
If a more formal documentation trail is required in your jurisdiction, we recommend creating a new Probation process for the employee, with a shorter timeframe.
Once created, add them manually rather than through an inclusion rule, and configure a single manager check-in tied to the new period.
This gives you a clean documentation trail for the extension period.
Your local legal, or compliance team is the right source of guidance on which option meets the requirements where your employees are based.
What to include in an improvement planWhen extending probation, the aim is to build the plan with the employee, not just for them. As a guide, we’d recommend that the plan includes:
The plan should be documented in writing and shared with the employee, alongside the formal extension decision. For more on managing performance challenges and structuring developmental support, see Culture Amp's blog on managing low-performing employees.
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Sharing the outcome with the employee
The decision question is visible to managers and HR only. Before the outcome is shared with the employee, the People Partner or HR should review the decision, particularly for extensions and do-not-confirm outcomes. This is an opportunity to confirm the rationale, and align on how the conversation will be handled.
Once reviewed, the manager holds the outcome conversation with the employee. If they want a copy of the manager's written review, the manager can export it as a PDF.
FAQs
How many steps should my process include?
How many steps should my process include?
For a three-month probation, a light mid-point around week 6 and a final review at weeks 10 to 11. For a six-month probation, a fuller mid-point around month three and a final review around month five. Avoid adding more steps than you need.
When should the final review be completed?
When should the final review be completed?
As a guide, two to four weeks before the probation end date. Configure the final review step at the right offset from the employee's start date when you build the process. In some jurisdictions, completing the review after the deadline means the legal flexibility associated with the probation period no longer applies.
Should I include peer or upward feedback?
Should I include peer or upward feedback?
Peer and upward feedback aren't available in Probation Reviews. For longer probation periods (six months or more) where the manager has limited direct visibility into the employee's work, the manager can gather peer input informally through Anytime Feedback as part of their normal data-gathering for the review.
Should I structure my probation review as a 30-60-90 day check-in?
Should I structure my probation review as a 30-60-90 day check-in?
If you have the choice, we recommend a mid-point and a final review rather than a 30-60-90 day cadence. Probation reviews and 30-60-90 day check-ins serve different purposes: probation reviews assess performance and fit and support a documented employment decision, while 30-60-90 day check-ins are typically part of an onboarding plan. If your organization already runs probation on a 30-60-90 day cadence, see Example 3 for how to set this up well in Culture Amp.
Can I include onboarding-style questions in a probation review?
Can I include onboarding-style questions in a probation review?
We generally don't recommend including onboarding style questions in probation reviews. A probation review has a specific, high-stakes purpose, and mixing in onboarding-style questions can muddy the intent for the employee, suppress honest feedback, and create confusion about who acts on what. If a manager wants to understand how a new hire is settling in, 1-on-1s are the right place for that conversation. If you need population-level visibility into the new-hire experience, an onboarding lifecycle survey is the right tool. See Adding onboarding-style questions to a probation review for more.
Is the probation review shared with the employee?
Is the probation review shared with the employee?
The decision question on the final manager review is visible to managers and HR only, not to the employee. No part of the manager review is shared with the employee in the platform. If the employee would like a copy of the review, the manager can export it as a PDF. The outcome itself is shared through the manager's conversation with the employee after HR has reviewed the decision.
How do I extend a probation?
How do I extend a probation?
You have two options. For straightforward cases, mark the final review as Decision deferred, agree a new end date with the employee, and document the improvement plan. For cases where local employment requirements need a stronger documentation trail, create a new, shorter probation process for the employee, add them manually, and configure a single manager check-in tied to the new period. Your local legal or HR compliance team is the right source of guidance on which approach to use. See Handling probation extensions in Part 3 for more.
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