All DFID staff (including Senior Civil Servants) have a probationary period on first appointment to the Department. This is 10 months for permanent staff, 6 months for staff on contracts of less than four years, half the length of the contract for staff on contracts of less than a year.
The same period applies to Staff Appointed In Country (SAIC) staff, unless superseded by local legislation. There are no options to extend these periods other than in the event of illness.
Probation is key to identifying and tackling areas of an individual's performance, attendance and conduct that are unsatisfactory. It is also effective as a means for identifying areas of potential and for personal development. It is the responsibility of managers to ensure that a satisfactory level of performance has been reached or be clear with the individual and Human Resources core support where performance is unsatisfactory.
Staff are eligible to apply for promotion before they have completed their probation but cannot take up a post (at the new grade) until permanency has been confirmed.
1. For Home Civil Servants, interim probationary certificates will be sent to the line manager by HR core support. For SAIC, interim probationary certificates will be sent by the person responsible for Human Resource (HR) issues to the line manager.
2. For Permanent Staff, line managers must provide an Interim Probation Assessment of Permanent & Pensionable (P&P) staff at the 5 month point of their probation.
3. For Fixed Term Staff, line managers must provide an Interim Probation Assessment of fixed term staff on probation at the 3 month point of their probation.
4. For all staff, Additional Interim Assessments should be held if they are deemed necessary.
5. The interim and final certificates completed by the line manager must be countersigned by the Head of Department or Head of Overseas Office.
6. If unsatisfactory aspects of the individual's performance/attendance/conduct have been noted by the line manager, full details of the unsatisfactory aspects should be recorded in a minute which - following discussion and agreement with the individual - should be attached to the interim probation certificate which the manager should complete and return to HR core support or the HR Manager in country offices. This minute must include details of the action plan agreed between the manager and the individual and how it is planned to address the issues during the remainder of the probation period.
7. The individual's line manager should use the Mid Year Review (MYR), if available, in the Performance Management Form (PMF) to help the assessment. It is the responsibility of the line manger to undertake a full assessment of the individual's performance and to confirm the successful or unsuccessful completion of probation.
8. Where an individual has successfully completed their probationary period the reporting officer/line manager must complete the Final Probation Certificate which should be countersigned by the Head of Department/Head of Overseas Office or HR Manager in country offices and returned to HR Core Support.
9. If a line manager deems an individual to have not completed their probationary period satisfactorily or is unsure as to whether or not to sign off on the period of probation, they need to contact HR Direct or HR Manager in country offices.
Reporting Officer training, including the management of probation, is mandatory for all line managers. Probation guidance forms part of the mandatory Corporate Induction programme.
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