New LE Staff - The Probationary Period Follow

Managing Probation

When an employee first starts working as an LE staff member, they will likely need to serve a probationary period. During this time, they have the opportunity to demonstrate an ability to perform the job they were hired for.

As the Rating Supervisor, you will record when this Probationary Period begins in the employee's Annual Work Plan.

During the probationary period, as the Rating Supervisor, you will evaluate the employee’s actual job performance to determine continued employment with the mission and document the probationary period and your recommendation regarding continued employment as part of the employee's Annual Work Plan/Employee Performance Report. 

Starting Probation

Find your employee by selecting My Employees from the main menu. If you haven't yet set up an AWP, then choose Initiate Annual Work Plan from the available actions. If it's already there, pick View AWP.

Inside the AWP, check that the Is In Probationary Period switch in the Employee Data section is set to Yes. If not, set it to Yes. 

In the Probationary Period section confirm that the probation's Start Date matches the date employment began. If not, select the correct start date. GoMBC will automatically calculate the end date. Speak to HR if the probationary period length shown in GoMBC isn't correct. The AWP start and end date should not be adjusted when there is a probationary period. The AWP should cover the entire period that you will serve as the rating supervisor for the employee during the current rating period.    

Ending Probation

At the end of the probationary period, return to Current Documents, select View AWP to return to the employee’s Annual Work Plan, and take one of the following actions:

Completion of Probation and Continuation of Employment

You will select Yes or No in response to the question of whether the employee is recommended for continued employment and hit Certify to confirm your recommendation and the probation's completion. In case of questions or concerns regarding the employee’s performance, talk to your HR section. Notify HR as soon as possible about any issues with the employee's performance.

Extension of the Probationary Period

As consistent with local law, if you need further evaluation of the employee's ability to perform their job, you can ask HR to extend the probationary period.

In the AWP's Probationary Period section, select Request extension. Provide a justification, and HR will either approve or reject your request. Probation for each employee can only be extended once.

Made a mistake? If you made a mistake in the certification of the probationary period, inform your HR staff. They can assist you in resetting the probationary period.

Probationary Periods Crossing Performance Periods

When a probationary period crosses performance periods, the probationary period must be defined in the AWP for each corresponding performance period. The probationary period will only be certified at the end of the probationary period.

Step 1: Creating the AWP and Probationary Period When Employment Begins

When creating the AWP, the probationary period start date is the date the employment begins. The end date can be after the end of the performance period. For example, your employee begins employment on November 1 and the probationary period ends on April 30. The mission performance period is February 1 – January 31. You will create an interim AWP for the period November 1-January 31 with a probationary period from November 1 – April 30.

Step 2: Closing the AWP when the Probationary Period has not Ended

Rating Period Less than 120 Days

At the end of the rating period, you will not be required to complete a rating as the performance period was under 120 days. After the AWP has been acknowledged, the Close Out AWP button will be available.

At the end of the rating period, open the AWP, scroll down to the Mid-Year Discussion and Certification section, enter any optional performance feedback, and select the Close Out AWP button. If you do not see this button, contact your HR office.

Rating Period 120 Days or More

Unless specified by local labor law, employees on probationary periods will not receive MBC reward payments. If no MBC reward will be paid, the rating should not be completed for employees in probationary period. At the end of the performance period, contact your HR office to determine if a rating is needed. If it is not required, HR will close the review for you.

Step 3: Creating a New AWP with a Continued Probationary Period

At the start of the next performance period, create a new AWP to cover the dates you will serve as the rating supervisor. The probationary period start date will be the date the employee started employment and will precede the AWP start date. For example, if you will be the rating supervisor for the entire performance period, create an annual AWP from February 1-January 31 with the probationary period from November 1 (date employment started) of the previous year to April 30 of the current year (date probationary period ends). The probationary period start date will need to be updated to reflect the correct date. The end date field is set based on the established probationary period parameters and cannot be edited.