Employee Name ________________________ Department _______________________

Classification __________________________ Last Day of Probation _______________

Date employed in this classification _________

*Introductory Notes on Poor Work Performance : Probation

(a) An employer may require a newly-hired employee to serve a period of probation before the appointment of the employee is confirmed.

(b) The purpose of the probation is to give the employer an opportunity to evaluate the employee’s performance before confirming the appointment.

(c) Probation should not be used to deprive employees of the status of permanent employment. For example, a practice of dismissing employees who complete their probation periods and replacing them with newly-hired employees, is not consistent with the purpose of probation and constitutes an unfair labour practice.

(d) The period of probation should be determined in advance and be of reasonable duration. The length of the probationary period should be determined with reference to the nature of the job and the time it takes to determine the employee’s suitability for continued employment.

(e) During the probationary period, the employee’s performance should be assessed. An employer should give an employee reasonable evaluation, instruction, training, guidance or counselling in order to allow the employee to render a satisfactory service.

(f) If the employer determines that the employee’s performance is below standard, the employer should advise the employee of any aspects in which the employer considers the employee to be failing to meet the required performance standards. If the employer believes that the employee is incompetent, the employer should advise the employee of the respects in which the employee is not competent. The employer may either extend the probationary period or dismiss the employee after complying with subitems (g) or (h), as the case may be.

(g) The period of probation may only be extended for a reason that relates to the purpose of probation. The period of extension should not be disproportionate to the legitimate purpose that the employer seeks to achieve.

(h) An employer may only decide to dismiss an employee or extend the probationary period after the employer has invited the employee to make representations and has considered any representations made. A trade union representative or fellow employee may make the representations on behalf of the employee.

(i) If the employer decides to dismiss the employee or to extend the probationary period, the employer should advise the employee of his or her rights to refer the matter to a council having jurisdiction, or to the Commission (CCMA).

(j) Any person making a decision about the fairness of a dismissal of an employee for poor work performance during or on expiry of the probationary period ought to accept reason for dismissal that may be less compelling than would be the case in dismissals effected after the completion of the probationary period.

**Instructions to Evaluator:

Evaluators should refer to the employee’s job description when completing this form; the evaluation should focus on the employee’s ability to perform the job duties listed in the job description. Employees should be evaluated three times -- at one months*, two months*, and one other time before the end of the probationary period. Indicate the evaluation of the employee’s job performance by writing a number between 1 and 3 on the blank line to the right of each attribute, in the appropriate column (depending on whether this is the one month, two-month, or final evaluation of the employee).

Use the following scale:
1 = Unacceptable 2 - Needs Improvement 3 = Satisfactory

See the reverse side of this form for additional comments to the evaluator and the employee.

*For employees in a position with a six-month probationary period, evaluations should be conducted at two months, four months, and one other time prior to the end of their probationary period.

For employees in a position with a twelve-month probationary period, evaluations should be conducted at four months, eight months, and one other time prior to the end of their probationary period.

Comments to Evaluator and Employee.

Evaluators should discuss the evaluation results with the employee. At a minimum, employees must be given a copy of the evaluation for their own records. Both the evaluator and the employee should sign the evaluation form. The employee signature indicates only that the employee received a copy of the evaluation. It does not necessarily signify employee concurrence. Both employees and evaluators are strongly encouraged to include written comments. At the final evaluation only, after the employee signs the form, the evaluator should give one copy to the employee, retain one copy for department files.

ONE MONTH ________________________ ________________________
EVALUATION (Evaluator Signature and Date) (Employee Signature and Date)

TWO MONTH ________________________ ________________________
EVALUATION (Evaluator Signature and Date) (Employee Signature and Date)

FINAL ________________________ ________________________
EVALUATION (Evaluator Signature and Date) (Employee Signature and Date)

Employee Comments (please include date; attach additional paper, if necessary):

Evaluator Comments (please include date; attach additional paper, if necessary):

TO BE COMPLETED ONLY AT LAST EVALUATION BEFORE END OF PROBATIONARY PERIOD:

_______________________________

Evaluator Signature

_______________________________

Date