10 questions managers should ask in probation review meetings

During a probation review meeting, it’s important to ask the right questions to open up an insightful, meaningful conversation. This should be led by a line manager or HR professional, who should go into the meeting fully prepared with a range of open-ended questions. Asking the right questions will ensure an effective evaluation of employment to date and help shape what’s to come. 

Generally, a line manager who works closely with the employee should conduct a probation review meeting, supported by HR as needed – particularly if the probation period has not been successful and further measures are needed. Probation reviews should be consistent for all new employees, so your organisation should have its own probation review process in place for the meeting and the probationary period in general, and those conducting probation review meetings should be aware of the process and trained to deliver them effectively. An effective way to ensure consistency is to have a probation review template in place. You can learn about probation review meetings in our article which details some of the best practices to take forward into your process, as well as providing a probation review template to build a framework for your organisation.

In multinational organisations, standardised probation frameworks ensure fairness, compliance, and data-driven decision-making across borders. This consistency is critical for maintaining a unified employee experience and meeting local regulatory requirements. 

It's important to know what to discuss in a probation review – here are some topics to consider: 

Next steps 

Once the initial probationary period is over, what will happen next? Explain whether the employee has passed their probation or whether this period needs to be extended for any reason. This is an important conversation opener, clearly communicating next steps to the employee. If a probationary period needs to be extended, a line manager will need to provide detailed reasons for this which will need to be discussed and agreed with HR in advance. 

Performance to date 

Has the employee been a strong performer during the probationary period? Talk through how they have met organisational expectations and objectives, as well as individual goals. Even strong performers will have areas of improvement, so this is also a good opportunity to set some future goals. To guide this conversation effectively, managers should focus on three core principles:  

“There’s probably three principles that are really easy to follow by: clarity, communication and accountability.”  

Kieran Glackin, HR Director – Madano, Episode 8 of Do the Best Work of Your Life 

These principles help ensure that performance discussions are fair, constructive and aligned with business expectations. This can feed into a new employee’s future performance review process, making the transition seamless. 

Company expectations and conduct 

Has attendance and timekeeping been as expected? Has the employee’s behaviour been in line with the code of conduct? Is the employee a good fit with the organisation and its values? If there have been any issues, this is a good opportunity for a line manager to make expectations clear, referring to company policy to keep the conversation factual. 

Teamwork 

How well does the employee work within a team? Are there any specific areas where they could improve? This is also an opportunity to give feedback from other members of the team – 28% of employees report that the feedback they receive is not frequent enough (Workleap), so introducing it from the start of their employment can be helpful and provide a positive basis for future feedback expectations. Many organisations now have recognition software making it easier for employees to provide feedback and appreciation for each other, helping new starters to feel more engaged and part of the team more quickly.  

Adaptability 

Has the employee been able to adapt to changing environments, workloads and stakeholder requirements? Good knowledge of the company will help an employee adapt and be flexible, so ensure they have the resources to educate themselves. This can form part of an automated onboarding workflow in your HR software, empowering the employee to self-serve the resources they need to find, when they need to find it. Creating a strong first impression is key to adaptability and long-term engagement.  

You want someone to really go home, energised, saying, ‘Oh, it’s fantastic, love the office, love the people, got a really great first thing about the culture, and also have a sense of how I can make a difference already.’” 

Tim Pointer, Portfolio Chief People Officer & Operating Partner at Three Hills, Episode 4 of Do the Best Work of Your Life 

This level of early enthusiasm can be a strong indicator of future performance and cultural fit. You might also want to make recommendations for networking so they have the right connections to call on when there’s a problem to be solved. The best way to check if your onboarding workflow is successful is with surveys. Take a look at our onboarding survey template examples. 

Goals and objectives 

Goals should be actionable, specific and measurable so it’s clear whether they have been achieved on review. Outlining these goals at the start of employment during the onboarding process will be fundamental to being able to measure this during a probation review. Managers should come to the meeting with some goals in mind, and the employee should be encouraged to come up with their own ideas as well. Goal setting is important both from a company and an individual perspective for monitoring ongoing performance but also for employee satisfaction and retention – employees with goals were found to be 6.7 times more likely to feel proud of their organisation. These goals should then be assessed in performance reviews; you can download our free Performance Review Template to help you with the process.

A probation review meeting should be a two-way conversation, giving both managers and employees the opportunity to reflect, learn and talk more openly. Open-ended questions will encourage employees to think more deeply and talk through their experience at the company so far. Equally, managers should be prepared to answer any questions that employees might have. 

As a starting point, here are some questions to ask in a probation review. They can be adapted based on your organisation and management style: 

• What are you enjoying about the role so far? 
• What have been your biggest challenges? And how do you think you could address them? 
• What extra support do you need from me as your manager? 
• How do you see your role within the company now and how would you like it to grow? 
• How would you describe the relationships you have built with your colleagues? 
• Are there any training opportunities you would like to pursue? Or any skills you would like to develop? 
• If you could change anything about your role or the way the team operates, what would it be? 
• How do you find the company culture? 
• What concerns do you have about the role? 
• What have you done in your role that has made you feel proud? 

While organisations should have clear probation review guidelines, every conversation will be different depending on the employee’s role, the employee-manager relationship and many more factors. For managers, running a successful probation review meeting requires training and self-development as well as having a bank of useful questions to hand. Managers should be given specific training so they can be fully prepared. 

With hundreds of teams, enterprises investing in manager training programmes and coaching to ensure quality probation conversations can have wide ranging benefits. Scalable enablement ensures that every new hire receives a consistent and supportive onboarding experience. 

How will probation review questions vary across sectors like manufacturing and retail? 

Probation review questions should reflect the unique demands of each industry. In manufacturing, where precision, safety, and operational efficiency are critical, managers may ask questions like “How confident are you in following production protocols?” or “What support do you need to meet output targets?” These questions align with the sector’s emphasis on compliance and productivity. For more on the HR challenges specific to manufacturing, see our article on HR challenges in manufacturing. 

In contrast, the retail sector prioritises customer service, adaptability, and team dynamics. Managers might ask “How do you handle difficult customer interactions?” or “What helps you stay motivated during busy trading periods?” These questions help assess how well an employee fits into a fast-paced, customer-facing environment. Explore more about sector-specific HR needs in our article on HR challenges in retail. 

Managers will need to undertake probation review meetings according to company procedure – while this will differ between organisations, it is generally required that managers formally document the conversation and any agreed follow ups such as goals, action plans, roadmaps, timelines and additional training. They should also officially record whether the employee has passed probation, which can generally be considered as the end of the onboarding period. 

It’s worth noting that the outcome of a probation review meeting should not come as a surprise. Performance should be discussed in depth during the probation period via regular check-ins between employees and managers. 

If an employee has not been performing as required, it may be decided that they have not passed their probation and their employment will be terminated. However, hiring is difficult and expensive in today’s employment market, so if the employee would like to continue in the role, an extended probation period and performance improvement plan could be offered as an alternative. The cost of a poor hiring decision can be significant.  

“A bad hire at manager level costs £132,000 [...] One wrong senior hire can wipe out the ROI of your entire recruitment function for the year.” 

Emma Parkin, Head of Proposition Marketing, Access Group in Recruitment Under Pressure 

This reinforces the importance of using probation reviews to make informed, evidence-based decisions that protect business performance. Reasons for an extended probation period or contract termination will need to be accounted for verbally and in writing, and managers should be fully prepared to provide robust evidence. 

Clear, direct communication is essential when telling someone they have not passed probation. Keep it factual – tell them at the beginning of the meeting and have all evidence available, including detailed examples of where they have not performed as required. 

Managers should work with HR to prepare, ensuring all legal requirements are fulfilled to prevent future claims for breach of contract or wrongful dismissal. HR will also be able to offer coaching and advice on how to deliver the news professionally, so managers can go into the meeting feeling fully prepared. 

The conversation should be clearly documented, with everything discussed put down in writing as a point of reference. Following the meeting, there will be other duties to complete including: 

• Sending official communication in writing confirming the final date of employment 
• Calculating and communicating final wages and accrued holiday 
• Detailing any equipment that needs to be returned to the office 

If employees ask for a reference following a failed probation period, it is usually best to stick to the facts. Confirming basic details such as dates of employment and salary is generally sufficient. 

Probation reviews are the first step in the performance review cycle, which should be an ongoing process.

They lay the groundwork for future meetings and check-ins, starting a productive dialogue between managers and employees. We've created a free Performance Review Template to help inform your process for these meetings.

Want to streamline your probation review process? Discover how our HR software can help you track progress, set goals, and support new hires effectively. 

To find out more you can book a personalised demo or download the brochure to give an in-depth overview.