Welcome to your guide for probation reviews in Culture Amp. This guide walks you through the role you play during a new hire's probation, what to do at each step in the platform, and how to make the most of the time you have with your new team member.
Note: This guide uses "probation" and "probation review" as general terms. Your organization may use different language, such as "introductory period," "settling-in period," or "review period." The process and what's covered here apply either way.
Why Probation Reviews Matter
A probation period is a structured trial for both sides. You're assessing whether your new hire can meet the requirements of the role. They're assessing whether the role, team, and organization are right for them. The probation review brings structure and documentation to that evaluation, and gives you both a clear point to formally check in.
We know probation reviews ask more of you than a standard performance cycle, particularly in the first few months when you're also onboarding someone new. The good news is that Culture Amp's tools are designed to make this easier. Using tools such as Anytime Feedback to capture observations across the period (once you've delivered feedback verbally) builds an evidence base as you go, so the formal review steps are a summary of what you already know rather than testing your memory.
For more on the principles behind effective probation reviews, see The Science Behind Probation Reviews.
Core Principle: Feedback that Isn't a Surprise
The most important principle in probation reviews is no surprises. If your new hire is hearing a concern for the first time in the final review, the process has gone wrong somewhere earlier.
Build the habit of giving honest, timely feedback as you observe things, not when the formal step opens. Document what you observe across the period so the formal review is a summary of what your new hire already knows, not a polished surprise at the end. The platform steps support that work, they don't replace it.
Your Role Across the Probation Period
Your role spans the whole probation period, not just the formal review steps.
Your HR or People team will have configured the specific process you're running, including how many check-ins it includes and when they fall. Some organizations run a single mid-point check-in followed by a final review. Others run a structure with multiple check-ins, such as 30-60-90 day reviews. Your HR team will share the details of your process and what's expected at each step, but the principles in this guide apply regardless of the structure.
What to do throughout the period
Set clear expectations from day one. Make sure your new hire knows what they're being evaluated against: role responsibilities, goals, and behavioral expectations. Document goals in Culture Amp's Goals product.
Hold regular 1-on-1s. Weekly or fortnightly is typical. Use them for a two-way exchange, not just status updates. Ask your new hire how they're tracking, what's working, and what they need from you.
Give feedback in the moment. When something is going well or could be improved, say it. Don't save it for the formal review.
Document as you go. After delivering feedback verbally, capture it in Anytime Feedback. You can also use Bookmarks in 1-on-1s or Personal Notes on the employee's profile to keep brief notes on significant moments, support offered, and any course corrections you've agreed on.
What to look for across the probation period
Across the probation period, you're forming a picture of how the new hire is performing and how well they're settling in. A few areas are worth paying attention to in your 1-on-1s, and in the evidence you build up over time:
Expectations and role clarity. Does your new hire understand what's expected of them day-to-day? Where, if anywhere, are expectations still unclear? Clarity here is foundational. If they're not sure what success looks like, the rest of the period is harder.
Enablement and confidence. Do they have access to the systems, tools, information, and people they need to do the job? How confident do they feel in the core parts of the role, and where are the gaps?
Induction and onboarding experience. How is their onboarding going? Is the training, mentoring, and support landing? What's helped, and what hasn't?
Performance against goals. Are they making progress against the goals and responsibilities you set together at the start? What's the evidence?
Belonging and working relationships. Are they building the connections they need across the team and with key stakeholders? Where could you help them make those connections?
These areas don't need to sit in every 1-on-1, and they're not formal review questions. They're prompts for the kind of two-way conversation that helps you both understand how things are going while there's still time to act on it. If something useful surfaces, capture it in your notes or Anytime Feedback so you can draw on it at review time.
Access Your Probation Reviews
When you log in to Culture Amp, your Home page lists your outstanding tasks with due dates. Probation review steps will appear here at the right time, scheduled based on your new hire's start date.
You can also access everything related to your probation reviews:
Go to Performance > Probation reviews
You'll see a list of all active probation review processes
Click on a process name to view all employees in that process
View employees in a probation process
The subjects table shows:
Employee name
Manager assigned to that employee
Status (In progress / Completed / Overdue / Not open yet / Closed)
Completed steps
Process ends date (when their probation period ends)
Probation outcome: active, passed, failed or N/A.
Demographics (like Business unit, Department, Location)
Filter and search:
Use the search bar to find specific employees
Filter by status, reporting line, demographics, or probation decision
Sort by name (A-Z or Z-A)
View an individual employee's probation process
Click on an employee's name from the subjects table. You'll see two sections of tasks:
Your steps (Manager review tasks assigned to you):
Shows step name (e.g., "30 Day Review")
Step type: "Manager review"
Status with date:
"Due: [date]" for in-progress tasks
"Overdue: [date]" for overdue tasks
"Completed: [date]" for completed tasks
"Opens: [date]" for future tasks
Complete button for open tasks
View button for completed tasks
[Employee name]'s steps (Employee self-reflection tasks):
Shows the employee's self-reflection tasks
View button appears once employee completes their self-reflection
The Mid-Point Check-In
A mid-point check-in is a developmental conversation, not a decision point. Its purpose is to surface gaps early enough that your new hire can act on them, and to give you a documented record of the support you've offered.
This may be the more important touchpoint in your probation process. If you have concerns, the mid-point is where there's still time to course-correct. By the final review, that window has closed.
Depending on how your HR team has configured the process, your mid-point may be a formal platform step or a structured 1-on-1 conversation. For shorter probation periods (three months or less), a formal platform step at the mid-point may not always make sense, as much of the period is taken up by onboarding. Your HR team will let you know how the mid-point is structured for your process.
If your mid-point is a platform step
When the step opens, you'll see a task on your Home page or under Performance > Probation reviews.
To complete it:
Review your new hire's self-reflection if one has been requested. This is your chance to see how they're experiencing the role before you write your own input.
Open your manager review. Click the Complete button on the manager review task.
You'll see:
A blue banner: "Not shared with the person you're reviewing - Probation reviews aren't shared. The individual won't see your answers."
The employee's profile sidebar (click Profile to open)
Last edited timestamp (updates automatically as you work)
Due date ("Due by [date]")
Language selector (if translations are enabled)
Read the introduction text (if provided by your admin)
Answer each question. The questions are designed to be focused, usually three to five questions.
Anchor Your Answers in Specific Examples. Refer to the expectations and goals set at the start of the probation period, and to the feedback you've documented in 1-on-1s and Anytime Feedback. Avoid generic statements like "doing well" or "needs improvement", use concrete examples of what you've observed.
Open-ended questions: Type your response in the text editor. Optional: Click Improve to use AI-assisted writing suggestions (categories: "Be specific", "Be objective", "Identify impact", "Suggest actions")
Rating scale questions: Select one rating option
Single select questions: Choose one option
Multi-select questions: Choose multiple options (up to the configured limit)
Questions marked "Optional" can be skipped. All other questions must be answered.
Your answers auto-save as you work:
Select questions save immediately when you make a selection
Text questions save after a short delay
Check the "Last edited" timestamp to confirm your work is saved
When finished:
Click Save and close to save your draft and return to the employee view
Click Complete review to submit your review (you must answer all mandatory questions first)
Have a conversation with your new hire to share what you've written and discuss any agreed adjustments. Document anything you've agreed to do differently going forward.
Note: Your review is never shared with the employee through the platform. They cannot see your answers or ratings unless you choose to share them in conversation.
If your mid-point is a 1-on-1 conversation
Treat the conversation with the same intent as a formal review. Come prepared:
Revisit the expectations and goals you set at the start of the probation period together.
Bring specific examples of progress and any gaps, drawing on what you've documented in 1-on-1s and Anytime Feedback.
Have a balanced conversation that recognizes specific successes alongside any gaps.
Agree any adjustments to the plan together, and document them in your notes or in Anytime Feedback.
Tip: Whichever form your mid-point takes, if it surfaces significant concerns, raise them with your HRBP or People Partner before the final review. Don't wait until the end of the period.
The Final Review
Before you submit your final review, take a moment to check your thinking. A few common biases can shape any performance review, and being aware of them is part of giving your new hire a fair assessment:
Recency bias: It's natural to weight recent events more heavily than what happened earlier in the period, but a fair review draws on evidence across the whole probation.
Similar-to-me bias: We tend to give higher ratings to people who share our background, communication style, or approach.
Attribution errors: This is confusing the person with the context. When performance has fallen short, the cause may sit in the context (gaps in onboarding, unclear expectations, limited support) rather than in the person themselves.
Questions worth asking yourself
Have I given this person every reasonable opportunity to succeed?
Do my concerns reflect the person's capabilities, or gaps in how we set them up?
Have I drawn on evidence from across the whole probation period?
For more on bias in performance reviews, see Culture Amp's blog on performance review bias.
Complete the final review
The final review must be completed before the probation period ends, with enough lead time for HR and any legal or payroll processes to happen before the deadline. Your HR team will have configured the step to trigger at the right time.
To complete the final review:
Review your new hire's self-reflection if one has been requested. Click the View button on the completed self-reflection in the "[Employee name]'s steps" section.
Open your manager review. Click the Complete button on the final manager review task.
You'll see:
A blue banner: "Not shared with the person you're reviewing - Probation reviews aren't shared. The individual won't see your answers."
The employee's profile sidebar (click Profile to open)
Last edited timestamp (updates automatically as you work)
Due date ("Due by [date]")
Language selector (if translations are enabled)
Read the introduction text (if provided)
Provide a comprehensive summary of performance across the probation period.
Draw on Your Evidence Base. The strength of your review depends on the evidence you've built up across the period, not on impressions formed at the end. Draw on:
Goals set at the start and progress made
Your documented feedback from 1-on-1s
Anytime Feedback you've captured
Personal Notes or Bookmarks from significant moments
Answer each question:
Open-ended questions: Type your response in the text editor. Optional: Click Improve to use AI-assisted writing suggestions
Rating scale questions: Select one rating option
Single select questions: Choose one option
Multi-select questions: Choose multiple options
Probation decision: Select the appropriate outcome (see "The Probation Decision" section below)
When finished, click Complete review to submit your review.
Questions marked "Optional" can be skipped. All other questions must be answered.
Your answers auto-save as you work. Check the "Last edited" timestamp to confirm.
The Probation Decision
The final review includes the probation decision question (for example, "What is the outcome of this person's probation?"), which is where you record the outcome of the period. The platform offers three options. Your organization may have edited the labels to match your own language, but the underlying outcomes are:
Confirm employment. Your new hire passes probation and transitions to normal performance management processes.
Do not confirm employment. You're recommending the end of the employment relationship. Follow your organization's HR and legal process for this. See "If a 'Do not confirm employment' outcome is likely" below.
Decision deferred. A confident decision can't be reached at this point. This covers cases such as extended sick leave, a resignation or role change, or where you need more time to assess their performance and an extension is appropriate.
If you're heading toward an extension, your HR team will guide you on whether you record it here as Decision deferred, or whether they'll set up a new shorter probation process for you to work through together.
Where an extension is the outcome, you and your new hire will discuss the new end date and a clear improvement plan, built together. The plan should include specific, observable milestones with timeframes, a named support structure, and a scheduled check-in before the new end date. Your HR team will support you with the format and any specific requirements for your organization.
Note: The decision question is visible to you and your HR team. Before you share the outcome with your new hire, your HR team or People Partner will need to review the decision. They may need to talk with you about the rationale, particularly for an extension or a do-not-confirm outcome.
Share the Outcome
Once HR has reviewed the decision, hold a conversation with your new hire to share the outcome and the feedback. If your new hire would like a copy of your written review, you can manually export a completed review by using the browser's print function (Ctrl + P or Cmd + P) and choosing Save as PDF to download and share it with the employee outside the platform.
If a "Do Not Confirm Employment" Outcome Is Likely
If you're heading toward a do-not-confirm decision, we recommend involving your HRBP or People Partner at least four weeks before the probation end date, or aligned to your organization's probation process. The earlier they're involved, the more options you have for handling the conversation, the documentation, and any follow-up process well.
You'll need a clear documentation trail to support the decision: your feedback and 1-on-1 notes from across the period, the mid-point review if you ran one, and the final review with the completed decision question and written rationale.
Tip: If your organization has activated AI Coach, you can use it to prepare for the conversation, role-play different approaches, and find the right words for difficult moments. See Using General AI Coach for more.
View a Completed Manager Review
Click the View button on a completed manager review task. You'll see all your questions and answers in read-only format:
Question number, title, description
Your answer (text, selected options, or decision)
"Optional" tag if applicable
Last edited date
Click Edit to make changes to a completed review:
A warning banner appears: "Changes will not be auto-saved - To save changes, select 'Save changes'."
Make your changes
Click Save changes to save, or Cancel to exit without saving
View an Employee's Self-Reflection
From the employee view, click the View button on a completed self-reflection in the "[Employee name]'s steps" section
You'll see all the employee's answers to their self-reflection questions
You cannot edit an employee's self-reflection
Key Things to Remember
Your review is never shared with the employee through the platform - they cannot see your answers, ratings, or probation decision unless you choose to share them in conversation
Auto-save works during completion - your answers save automatically as you work on in-progress tasks
Manual save required for edits - when editing a completed response, you must click "Save changes" (auto-save is disabled)
Profile sidebar available - click Profile from the capture or view page to see employee information while you work
AI writing assistance - available for managers on open-ended questions (click Improve for suggestions)
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