An employer will perform a probation appraisal with new hires during the first few months before permanent work or dismissal. The employer fills out a probation appraisal form: an evaluation about the employee's duties consisting on the quality of work, attitude and behavior interaction with other employees along with other factors depending on the type of duties performed.

Enter the basic form information such as the employee's name, date and job position. Write in the name of the appraiser who conducted the evaluation. If this is a face-to-face evaluation, schedule a time convenient to meet but within the time frame required for the appraisal.

Mark the box if the probation appraisal concerns a 30-day, 60-day, 90-day or 180-day evaluation (depending on the type of job and requirements). Check the box if this is an annual appraisal report or a special appraisal concerning a promotion.

Check the boxes where the employee has met work requirements, quality, performance, attitude and goals. Leave blank the boxes where the employee has not met the required factors. If the form provides a rating scale of one through five, five indicating a satisfactory rating and a one meaning poor quality, indicate the rating for each section concerning job duties.

Provide additional comments for each section concerning the employee's job evaluation (if applicable). Give advice on how the employee could improve or concerns over the quality of the work. Allow for praise if the employee has exceeded expectations to improve his office morale.

Indicate in the available box (depending on the type of form used) whether the employee has met all expectations of job duties. Write if the employee has not met expectations and calmly explain the reasons.

Sign the probation appraisal form along with the date. Make sure the employee provides his signature. Provide copies for the human resource department.

Tip

Allow time for the employee to provide feedback concerning any issues about the work position. An opportunity may arise to find out that the employee's job performance might have been affected by an outside factor beyond his control: overloaded work schedule, unreasonable deadlines and time restraints. Employee feedback allows for possible rectification of the problem that will improve on future job performance and office operations.

Warning

Do not create a tense situation at the meeting. A relaxed atmosphere should allow the evaluated employee to feel he is receiving a fair appraisal without harboring a defensive attitude if a negative factor in the report arises. Yet still maintain an authoritative presence without such a laid-back attitude in which the employee might try to change certain aspects of the evaluation. Find an even balance during the meeting: authoritative yet understanding.