Employee Probation Termination Letter – Meaning and Steps to Create One

During the times when employers hire new employees, they put them on a probationary period. Lots of times employers do this to ascertain whether the new hires are able to handle their new job responsibilities or not. Basically, at the time of the probation period, employers do the employee evaluation to know if the new recruits appropriately fit the job role or not.

However, if the employers have seen that the new recruits are underperforming or their performance does not match the acceptable standards, employers have the right to terminate those employees even during the probation period.

The employers would need to send the notice to the employees instead of directly firing them. This is where probation termination letters come in. Let’s understand what these letters actually are, and how to professionally write these letters.

Let’s start!!!

What is an Employee Probation Termination Letter?

An employee Probation Termination letter is a document that an employer hands over to the new recruit during their probation period in the event that their performance evaluation shows they are not meeting the expectations. Basically, this type of letter is used to terminate any unsuitable probationary employee from the company.

Therefore, when employers draft these letters, they must note that the probationary employee was advised that his or her performance and/or conduct issues were discussed during a meeting and that many warnings were given before the termination letter was sent.

Steps to Prepare a Probation Termination Letter

Although it is not easy to tell someone that he/she is not performing well, sometimes it is necessary. If you have done a proper performance review, it could tell you how your probationary employees are performing. With the help of a letter of probation termination, you can tell the underperforming employees that their employment won’t be continued after the probation ends. So, to help you prepare, below are the steps that will let you make a proper termination letter.

• Highlight the Expectations:

The main purpose of the probation period is to allow the employer to assess the employee’s performance on the job. If in any case, an employee is having an issue in performing the job, the employer must address the issue as soon as possible. Usually, performance issues occur when these new hires do not know what their company is expecting from them. So it is important to highlight the performance expectations and behavioral standards.

• Create the Letter:

Create a letter mentioning the employee’s unsuccessful probation. Remember to give this letter to the employee before the probation period ends, otherwise, it might cause serious problems. A better alternative to writing the letter every time from scratch is using a readymade employee probation termination letter template. You can get this easy-to-use document at UBS HR Toolkit.

• Schedule a Meeting:

Arrange a meeting with the employee to hand over the probation termination letter. It is very important to meet the employee in person if you are considering terminating his/her employment. The reason for this is that the meeting will provide you an opportunity to provide performance feedback to the new hire, explain the reasons for unsuccessful probation, and give the new employee the time to review all the comments you have made regarding his/her tenure.

• Keep a copy of the Document:

Always keep a copy of the employee’s probation termination letter. Along with the letter, you will need to document the meeting and keep it on record. This is required because there might be a time when a lawsuit may be charged against you. However, the documents and records and lawsuits charged against you can be easily cleared.

Tips for Writing a Probation Termination Letter

• Within the first paragraph, state the reason for the letter, which is to end the employment before the probation period ends.
• Mention the date and time by which the termination is effective.
• State various reasons as to why the probationary employee is being terminated. You are not obliged to do so, but it is good practice to provide the employee with feedback that will help them in the future.
• Provide the employee with clear instructions about any administrative actions to be taken.
• Do not make the letter lengthy. Try to keep it brief and to the point.
• Finally, get the letter signed by the hiring manager or the company’s Chief Executive Officer. This will show that the decision has been taken by the company and there are no personal grudges against the employee.
• Always remember that if you have decided to terminate the employment contract of the probationary employee, do it lawfully.

Employee Probation Termination Letter Format

Employee Probation Termination Letter Example

What Could Be Some Unsuitable Reasons for Employee Probation Termination?

You cannot just terminate the employee just because you have been given the power to do so. If you are an employer or the manager, you can only terminate the employee if you have a justified reason that is heavily negatively impacting your company. Below are some of the unlawful reasons that you should not use to terminate an employee:

• Any kind of discriminatory reason (age, gender, color, physical or mental disabilities, religion, or nationality).
• It is not suitable to terminate the employee who has drafted a complaint letter to you. Employees have the right to complain if they have any issues regarding their job or workplace.
• If the employee has asked a question, your decision to fire them shouldn’t be based on that. This would violate the general protection regime and expose the employer to accusations of unfair dismissal from the employee.

Conclusion

Employee Termination can occur because of various reasons which could vary from poor performance to any misconduct done by the employee. The termination could be voluntary, involuntary, or mutual depending on the situation. Every organization must have a set of rules regarding termination.

If you have decided to terminate the employee, get access to the free employee probation termination letter template at UBS HR Toolkit. Also, we provide other easy-to-use HR documents like letters, policies, forms, etc. UBS HRMS Software is an all-in-one platform for all HR operational needs.