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People and Culture

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  • People and Culture COVID Guidance
    • COVID-19: People and Culture FAQs
  • Home
  • About People and Culture
    • Our Structure
    • People and Culture Strategy
    • Key Contacts
    • New Staff Welcome
  • Employees
    • HR Hub
    • Pay, Reward and Benefits
    • Learning and Development
    • Development and Career Progression
    • International Staff Support
    • Wellbeing at Queen's
    • Managing Stress at Work
    • Annual, Family and Other Leave
    • Sickness Absence
    • Employee Experience and Engagement
    • Green Impact
  • Managers
    • Performance Management Toolkit
    • Sickness Absence
    • Leave Toolkit
    • Induction Toolkit
    • Recruitment and Selection
    • Employee Assistance Programme Manager Support
    • Occupational Health Service
    • Workplace Conduct
    • Job Evaluation
    • Redeployment
    • Leaving Employment
  • Work at Queen's
    • Recruitment and Selection
    • International Staff Support
    • Women at QUB
    • Fellowships at Queen's
    • Pay, Rewards and Benefits
    • Learning and Development
  • HR HUB
  • A-Z
  • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Equality Legislation
    • Policies, Procedures and Guidance
    • Fair Employment Return Monitoring Data
    • Disability
    • Menopause
    • Fertility Treatment Leave
    • Celebrating Diversity
    • Faith, Religion and Belief
  • Annual, Family and Other Leave
    • Annual Leave
    • Work Life Balance Policies
    • Other Leave
    • Agile Working Toolkit
  • Legal Services and Employee Relations
  • Learning and Development
    • Researcher Development
    • Learning for All
    • Learning Resources LinkedIn Learning
    • Leadership and Management Development
    • Essential Learning
    • Administrative Skills
    • Career Development Hub
    • Coaching and Mentoring
    • Remote Working
  • News
  • Pay, Reward and Benefits
    • Reward and Recognition
    • Pay and Conditions
    • Financial Support
    • Parents and Caring
    • Discounts
    • Commuting
    • Pay & Reward Benefits
    • Financial & Other Benefits
  • Fellowships at Queen's
    • Illuminate: Vice-Chancellor's Fellowship Scheme
    • Fellowship Academy
    • Externally Funded Fellowships
  • People and Culture COVID Guidance
    • COVID-19: People and Culture FAQs
  • Home
  • People and Culture
  • Managers
  • Performance Management Toolkit
  • Planning for Performance Probation

Planning for Performance Probation

What is probation and why is it important?

Probation provides new staff with a period of development to enable them to gain appropriate experience, with advice, guidance and support from managers, to achieve the agreed standards and objectives of their role. Regular review of performance and progress towards stated objectives is carried out and recorded.

Probation is a process whereby new employees and line managers engage in a dialogue about performance through objective setting and agreeing development opportunities and the support required in their new role.

  • SETTING OBJECTIVES AND DIRECTION

    In order to support successful achievement of objectives they should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound). There should be clear mechanisms in place for feedback and support, both positive and constructive. Objectives and expectations in roles link to our University strategy, our Faculty/School/Directorate /Area priorities and team targets and indicate clear measures of success. As a manager, you should write your objectives first and share them, so that your team members can link their objectives to yours or the team's targets. Alternatively, you may need to share the wider area objectives with your team so that they can better understand how their own objectives link to the wider strategy.

    Objectives are simply statements of what you want to achieve; because objectives should outline what each individual needs to prioritise and deliver over the next 12 months, they also strengthen accountability. When you support your team to set their objectives, focus on identifying an appropriate challenge that is also supported by their development plan: between four and eight objectives is a good range, but this will depend on the nature of the role.

  • GUIDANCE ON SETTING OBJECTIVES AND DIRECTION
    • How to set objectives
    • Setting SMART objectives
    • How to write a SMART objective (youtube link)
  • SETTING EXPECTATIONS

    In addition to objectives, it is important to set expectations of the level of performance required by employees in their day-to-day role. Have a discussion with members of your team to ensure everyone understands their role, with input from their job description, progression frameworks, key responsibilities, quality expectations and any other aspects of the day-to-day role that are important.

    How to do a great 1-2-1 meeting. You should regularly discuss performance against the role description and clarify in 1-2-1s and document any changes to the role.

Useful Links

For Academic Staff:

  • FAQs on Academic Probation

For Non-Academic Staff: 

  • Probation Procedure (For Staff Grades 1-5)

  • Non-Academic Probation Flowchart

  • Report Form (For Staff Grades 6/Ac1 and above)
  • Report Form (For Staff Grades 1-5)
  • Probation Regulation (For Staff Grades 6/Ac1 and above, other than academic)
  • FAQs on Non-Academic Probation
In This Section
Planning for Performance Probation
  • Performance Management Toolkit
  • FAQs on Academic Probation
  • FAQs on Non-Academic Probation
Useful Links

For Academic Staff:

  • FAQs on Academic Probation

For Non-Academic Staff: 

  • Probation Procedure (For Staff Grades 1-5)

  • Non-Academic Probation Flowchart

  • Report Form (For Staff Grades 6/Ac1 and above)
  • Report Form (For Staff Grades 1-5)
  • Probation Regulation (For Staff Grades 6/Ac1 and above, other than academic)
  • FAQs on Non-Academic Probation
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