People Dynamics Newsletter - People Matters
Issue 60, February 2010 | Back to Newsletters Index
PD News
February marks the start of a very busy 2 months for us. Laura is flying around the country to present at conferences and meet with clients. She will be in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and various other locations, so please feel free to let us know if you would like to set up a meeting with her or if you would like more information on the conferences.
The importance of the Probationary Period
The probationary period is a very important time for both the employer and the employee. It is a time when you can assess an employee’s cultural fit within the business, ensure they will be able to capably perform a job, and to ensure both employer and employee are happy to continue the working relationship.
Shivchand Jhinku, a workplace relations lawyer from Freehills is urging employers to take full advantage of the probationary period. Jhinku insists that it is in the best interest of the employer to provide as much training and coaching to a new employee, as well as providing them with constant feedback. If an employer spends the time thoroughly assessing, and managing an employee throughout their probationary period, it should prevent an employer realising after the probationary period has ended that their employee is incapable of doing their job.
Even though you must provide more assistance to new employees, the amount of responsibility you place on them, and your expectations should be similar to your current employees, says Katherine Graham, HR Centre strategist.
During the probationary period, when faced with a problem regarding an employee’s performance or attitude, Jhinku strongly suggests you should acknowledge this as soon as it occurs and deal with it formally. One reason for the formality is that during the probation period, employers are protected from unfair dismissal claims; however they are not protected against any discrimination or harassment claims.
Another issue employers should be aware of is the length of the probation period. According to Graham, the standard length for a probationary period is between three to six months. However the length of the probationary period should be determined by the complexity of the role the employee will perform and the time needed to thoroughly assess the employee’s suitability.
If you take the time to manage and assess your employee during their
probationary period, act on any issues that may arise, and constantly
provide your employee with feedback, this will help to ensure that when
it comes time for the probationary period to conclude, you will have an
employee who is a great fit for the role and the company.
Legal Update
Australian businesses are being urged to think about having more women in senior board positions after the French National Assembly recently announced that by 2015 50% of board positions must be filled by women. Currently only 8.3% of women hold board positions at the ASX 200 level in Australia.
When questioned on the reasonableness of a quota system for board positions, many argue that women make up 50% of the population and therefore should be equally represented in senior positions at the board level. Others point to research that has shown those with an equal representation of women on their boards have more profitable businesses and outperform those with less representation. A lawyer at the Human Rights Resource Centre, Rachel Ball, says the current system represents systematic discrimination and needed to be addressed with legislation.
Source: The Age, Friday 29 January 2010, page 8