What are some key points to remember relating to Probationary Periods?
Probationary periods are used to determine if an appointment to the civil service should become final. A probationer is still an applicant for an appointment and until the appointment is finalized, a probationer has limited job protections. Agencies should use the Probationary Period to terminate probationers who fail to demonstrate the appropriate level of performance and conduct. The majority of bad employees should have been terminated during their probationary period. A Merit Systems Protection Board study found that over half of supervisors surveyed would not rehire their probationers but did not intend to terminate a bad probationer. It also found that many supervisors feel pressured to either keep a probationer that is not performing or lose the resource and have no one to do the work at all. Keep in mind this period is an opportunity to identify situations where the match between the person and the employer or position is not sufficient to serve the Government’s needs. • In the
