A probation review is a formal check-in near the end of an employee’s probationary period that confirms whether they will continue in the role. In Australia it usually falls at three or six months, and the decision needs to be made and communicated before the period ends — not after.
Most organisations treat it as an administrative box to tick. That is a mistake in two directions: it wastes the single best opportunity to correct a struggling new starter while there is still goodwill, and it means the decision to end employment gets made without a documented basis.
What is a probation period in Australia?
A probation review sits inside a probation period — a defined window at the start of employment during which both the employer and the employee assess whether the role is working. Three and six months are the most common lengths.
Probation is a contractual arrangement rather than something the National Employment Standards create. What does sit in legislation is the minimum employment period for unfair dismissal protection — six months for most employers, twelve months for small business employers with fewer than 15 employees. These two things are frequently confused.
Assuming a three-month probation period means an employee cannot claim unfair dismissal after three months. Probation length is set by contract; unfair dismissal eligibility is set by the minimum employment period in the Fair Work Act. A three-month probation does not shorten a six-month minimum employment period. Check the current position with the Fair Work Ombudsman or your own adviser — this article is not legal advice.
Why probation reviews are worth doing properly
Three reasons, and only one of them is about ending employment.
Most turnover happens in this window. In frontline sectors — hospitality, retail, childcare, aged care — a substantial share of departures occur inside ninety days. The probation review is often the last scheduled moment to change that outcome.
Expectations set here persist. Ambiguity introduced in the first three months is expensive to correct at month nine. Prosper’s onboarding survey data shows 43% of employees said their onboarding experience did not meet their expectations — and the probation review is where that gap either gets named or gets normalised.
Decisions need a basis. If the outcome is not to continue, the conversation is considerably easier when there is a record of what was expected, what was observed, and what support was offered.
When should a probation review happen?
| Timing | What happens | Formality |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Expectations confirmed in writing — what good looks like in this role | Documented |
| Day 30 | Informal check-in. Is the job what they expected? What is unclear? | Notes |
| Day 60 | Progress conversation. Any concerns raised here, not saved | Notes |
| Day 90 | Mid-probation review. Formal enough to be a warning if needed | Documented |
| 2 weeks before end | Final probation review and decision | Documented + written outcome |
The critical timing point: the final review must happen with enough time to act on the outcome before the period ends. Leaving it until the last day removes your options.
How to run a probation review
Questions to ask in a probation review
Six to eight is enough. These are the ones that produce the most useful answers.
- Has the role been what you expected from the interview?
- What has surprised you, good or bad?
- What part of the job do you feel most confident with now?
- What still feels difficult?
- Is there anything you have not been trained on that you are expected to do?
- What would have made your first month easier?
- Do you know who to ask when you are unsure?
- Is there anything we told you during recruitment that has not turned out to be the case?
That last question is uncomfortable and worth asking. It surfaces the recruitment-to-reality gap that drives a large share of early departures. Our bank of 116 performance review questions has more, including a dedicated new-starter set.
Prosper Performance Management Probation reviews that schedule themselves Prosper triggers probation reviews automatically at 80 days based on tenure from your payroll system — so nobody discovers a probation ended last week. Templates are configurable by role or site, and the review draws on the check-in notes already recorded. See how Prosper handles probation reviewsThe three possible outcomes
1. Confirm employment
Most reviews end here. Say it clearly, confirm it in writing, and use the conversation to set goals for the next period rather than just closing off the last one. This is the natural transition point into ongoing continuous performance management and a regular one-to-one cadence.
2. Extend probation
Possible where the contract allows it and where genuine improvement is plausible. Extending is only defensible if you are specific about what needs to change, by when, and what support you are providing. An extension used to delay a decision you have already made is worse than making the decision.
3. End employment
If the outcome is not to continue, the conversation should not be the first the person has heard of a concern. If it is, that is a failure in the preceding months rather than a failure by the employee.
Give notice in accordance with the contract and the relevant award, confirm in writing, and be straightforward about the reason. Seek your own advice on process — the requirements vary by circumstance and this article is not a substitute for it.
Never let a probation review be the first time an employee hears about a performance concern. If something in the review is a surprise, the problem occurred in the preceding twelve weeks. Our performance conversation guide covers raising concerns early enough that they stay conversations.
Probation reviews for casual and shift-based staff
Standard probation processes assume a full-time employee with continuous work and one supervisor who observed most of it. That describes very few frontline roles.
Irregular hours. A casual on one shift a fortnight has worked perhaps twelve shifts in three months. Assessing them against a full-time framework is unfair and uninformative. Consider measuring probation in shifts worked rather than calendar weeks.
Multiple supervisors. Where someone works across venues or rooms, the review needs input from every supervisor they worked under. Assessing a third of someone’s shifts and presenting it as the whole picture is common and indefensible.
Practical constraints. A 45-minute review is difficult to schedule in an operation with no quiet space and no gap in the roster. Twenty minutes, properly prepared, beats forty-five repeatedly postponed.
Common mistakes
Missing the date entirely. The most common failure. Probation periods pass unnoticed, and the organisation discovers three months later that someone was confirmed by default.
No expectations set at the start. You cannot fairly assess someone against a standard that was never stated.
Nothing documented between day one and the review. The review becomes a memory test, and memory over-weights the last fortnight.
Softening a negative outcome into ambiguity. “Let’s see how the next few weeks go” when you have already decided is unkind, not kind.
Treating it as paperwork. The form is not the point. The conversation is.
A probation review checklist
Before the review
- Re-read the expectations set in week one
- Review notes from the 30 and 60-day check-ins
- Gather specific examples — positive and any concerns
- Confirm the exact probation end date
- Send questions to the employee 2–3 days ahead
During the review
- Start with the employee’s own assessment
- Use specific examples, not general impressions
- Ask what support they need
- State the outcome clearly
- Agree goals for the next period if continuing
After the review
- Confirm the outcome in writing within 48 hours
- Document any agreed development actions with dates
- Transition into the ongoing one-to-one cadence
- Diarise the next conversation
Frequently asked questions
A formal check-in near the end of an employee's probationary period that confirms whether they will continue in the role. It typically covers progress against expectations, support provided, and the decision on continuing employment.
Three or six months are the most common lengths, set by the employment contract. This is separate from the minimum employment period for unfair dismissal protection, which is six months for most employers and twelve months for small business employers with fewer than 15 employees.
With enough time before the probation period ends to act on the outcome — usually around two weeks prior. A mid-probation review at 90 days is also worth running for a six-month period.
Whether the role matched what was described at interview, what has surprised them, what still feels difficult, whether they have been trained on everything expected of them, and whether anything said during recruitment has not turned out to be the case.
Where the employment contract allows it, yes. An extension is only defensible if you are specific about what needs to change, by when, and what support is being provided. Extending to delay a decision you have already made is worse than making it.
In most cases employment continues by default. This is the most common probation failure and it removes your options, which is why automated scheduling by tenure is worth having.
Consider measuring probation in shifts worked rather than calendar weeks, gather input from every supervisor they worked under, and keep the conversation shorter than a full-time equivalent.
Yes. Confirm the outcome within 48 hours in a short letter or email, including any agreed next steps. This protects both parties and removes ambiguity.
Never miss a probation date again
Prosper triggers probation reviews automatically at 80 days from your payroll data, with templates by role and completion visible across every site.