Probationary Period Review Template for UK Employers

A structured probation review process is important for all UK businesses, regardless of size or industry. This free probation review template gives you everything you need to assess new hires fairly, deliver clear and documented feedback and handle any outcome with confidence, whether that’s a pass, an extension or a termination.

Here is a quick summary of what you need to know:

• The concept of a probation period is entirely contractual in the UK, as there’s currently no legal requirement to include one in an employment contract.
• The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces significant changes, including day-one leave rights and a six-month qualifying period for unfair dismissal from January 2027.
• Statutory notice for employment between one month and two years is exactly one week, which applies automatically if no contractual notice is specified.
• Employers must follow due process for any outcome, whether passing, extending or terminating the employment.
• Since 1st October 2026, most employment tribunal claims have a six-month time limit instead of three, so records of probation decisions need to be kept in good order for longer.

Read on for guidance on what to include, how to structure the meeting and what the latest employment law changes mean for your probation process.

What is a probationary period review and why does it matter more in 2026?

A probationary period review template gives managers an easy way to provide structured and constructive feedback to employees after their first few months. A formalised review at the end of a probationary period is helpful to everyone, giving new staff direction in their role and helping managers identify areas for training and growth. In 2026 and beyond, it’s also going to be much more critical from a legal standpoint. 

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is going to change the rules around unfair dismissal significantly. Once this takes effect on 1st January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal will be reduced from two years to just six months. That means employees gain the right to claim unfair dismissal from six months of service, regardless of whether they’ve formally passed a probation period. Probation is a contractual arrangement, not a legal shield.

Another change is already in force. Since 1st October 2026, most employment tribunal claims, including unfair dismissal and discrimination, have a six-month time limit instead of three. That means a probation decision could be challenged months later, so your notes need to hold up. See our updated guide to tribunal time limits and what your audit trail must hold.

The stakes are also higher than many employers realise. Alongside the qualifying period change, the compensatory award cap will be abolished entirely, meaning tribunal compensation will be based solely on actual financial loss with no upper limit. For higher-earning employees, that exposure could be substantial. And because tribunal claims now have a six-month window, a probation decision can be challenged long after the review meeting.

It’s also worth noting that this won’t just apply to new hires employed after 1st January 2027. The change will apply to employees already in employment on 1st January 2027, meaning anyone hired on or before 1st July 2026 will automatically gain protection from that date (as they will already have six months’ service on the date the law changes). What to include in a probation review template:

“Anyone who has six months’ service on 1st January 2027 will have an automatic right to claim unfair dismissal from that date. So people you employed in June or before will have unfair dismissal rights on 1st January, and people you’re employing now will only have to wait a couple of months after that.”

— Simon Obee, Head of HR Advisory at Employment Hero

• Performance assessment: The core of the review is assessing the employee’s performance over their probationary period and deciding whether or not the employee’s employment should continue. If the employee’s employment will continue and there are areas for improvement, break it down into useful sections such as objectives, achievements and areas for improvement, if needed. Keeping things structured helps to make feedback clear and constructive, helping to give the employee a sense of direction and progress.
  
  
• Employee self-reflection: There should always be an opportunity for the employee to express their feelings and experiences as part of your business, as this will help managers identify any barriers and formulate a plan of action. It also serves to get an idea of the business as a whole and how new staff feel about joining it. This can help with company-wide policies and onboarding.
  
  
• Outcome and action plan: Finish discussions with a clear outcome. If the employee’s employment will continue, set out a plan of action, setting new objectives for the short-term and long-term and addressing any issues as soon as possible. Clear objectives also make it possible to track progress over time and for employees to feel that their career is being fostered and advanced while they’re with your organisation.  If the employee has failed probation, clearly explain why this was the case.
  
  
• Follow-up: Make sure to follow up any immediate actions and check in a week or two after the review to see that they’re done. You should also set a date for the next performance review and set any objective milestone check-ins along the way.   

How to prepare for a probation review meeting

Use your probation review template to build an agenda for the meeting and share this with the employee so they know what to expect and what they need to do. Prompt them to write down any concerns or questions and think about their role and career ambitions. If you’re providing specific questions, make sure they have these in plenty of time to discuss answers. 

The manager should be gathering feedback from other members of the team, getting a wider view of the new hire’s performance and how they’re settling in. This is a great opportunity to get some positive and encouraging feedback for the employee and gather any constructive advice if needed. 

What questions should you ask in a probation review?

The questions you ask in the review should be open-ended, designed to encourage honest and open answers and discussion between the employee and manager. Here are a few examples of what to ask in a probation review: 

1. What were your most significant achievements or tasks completed over the past 3/6 months? 
2. Was there anything you wanted to achieve but weren’t able to? 
3. What skills would you like to improve or attain over the next 6 to 12 months?
4. Is there an aspect of your role you’d like to develop or change?  
5. What are your career aspirations for the future? 
6. How do you feel about the company culture and work environment so far? 
7. Is there anything your manager or the company can do to better support your daily work life? 
8. For high-pressure operational sectors like manufacturing or retail: How are you finding the pace of the shift work, and do you feel you have the right tools to manage safety and efficiency on the floor? 

How to structure the probation review meeting

Your probation review meeting template will help you structure the meeting, giving you an agenda to follow step by step. Here’s an example: 

• Welcome and overview: It’s important to set a positive and supportive tone for the meeting and provide an overview of what will be discussed. 
• Role expectations: Review the role and its responsibilities and if anything has changed since the employee joined. 
• Performance feedback and probation outcome: Provide feedback on the employee’s performance, including feedback gathered from colleagues and other managers. This is also the time to share the decision on whether they’ve passed probation or not, or whether you’re going to extend it. 
• Employee self-assessment: Go over the questions answered by the employee, discussing each point and identifying plans for training, objectives and timelines. 
• Setting objectives and next steps: Create a list of goals and timelines and any immediate actions identified from the performance review and employee self-assessment, if their employment is to continue..  
• Final questions: Give the employee an opportunity to ask any final questions or raise any concerns. 

The three possible probation outcomes and how to handle each one

The key moment of any probationary review meeting is delivering the decision itself, which could be good news or could present a more difficult conversation. Here’s how to approach each potential outcome and what process you need to follow. 

Confirming employment: Passing probation

Successfully passing probation provides a moment of celebration and congratulations for the employee, but it also means setting out the plan for the next 6-12 months. Explain how the passing works and any formal processes that will take place, as well as any new benefits available to them. Set out the timeline for the next performance review and the objectives to be completed between now and then. 

Extending probation: What UK employers must do

If there are still some uncertainties around the employee’s suitability, you may want to extend their probationary period. The new Employment Rights Act 2025 makes extending probation beyond 6 months much more risky, as unfair dismissal protection will apply after that point (as of January 2027). 

“There’s very little point having a probationary period that lasts over six months. Look at your contracts and revise your probationary periods so they last less than six months.” – Simon Obee, Head of HR Advisory at Employment Hero

If you’re taking this route, approach the conversation with complete transparency and clearly convey what the employee must do in order to pass. Set out the goals they need to achieve and how these will be measured, being as constructive and specific as possible. 

Terminating during probation

If the decision is that an employee hasn’t passed and their contract is terminated, there’s a clear best-practice process to follow and it’s worth knowing before you go into the conversation. 

Start with thorough feedback. Even in this situation, the employee deserves a specific and honest account of why the decision has been made. Vague reasoning isn’t just unhelpful, it creates legal risk. Document everything.

From there, follow all due process by giving the required notice period as set out in the contract. It is critical to understand the distinction between statutory and contractual notice periods: the statutory minimum notice for employment between one month and two years is exactly one week, which applies automatically if no contractual notice is specified (NB no notice period is required if the employee has less than one month’s service).. An employer can be liable for wrongful dismissal if they terminate an employee during probation but fail to honour the notice terms specified in the employment contract.

Keep in mind that a failed probation period doesn’t automatically require termination; alternatives like implementing a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) can be used if you believe the employee can still succeed with structured support. If termination is the final decision, ensure you complete all post-meeting administrative processes, such as managing equipment return, updating references and formally confirming the outcome in writing.

It’s also worth reminding yourself that certain protections apply to every employee from day one, regardless of where they are in their probation. Protection against discrimination, whistleblower protections and the right to the national minimum wage all remain in place throughout.

While this is not the easiest conversation for a business owner or HR professional, it’s important to keep it fair and direct and end the working relationship professionally.

Probation review best practices for UK employers

Running a legally sound probation review isn’t just about the meeting itself. These practices will help you build a process that’s consistent, defensible and genuinely useful for your new hires. 

• Make it personalised: Probation reviews shouldn’t be a tick-box exercise. Every employee is different and their career ambitions and goals will be unique to them. Make sure your questions bring out their personal perspective and that the objectives you set reflect their individual development, not just the needs of the role. Employees who don’t feel supported or see a path forward will start looking elsewhere, so their first review sets the tone for everything that follows.
  
  
• Train your line managers: A probation review is only as good as the person running it. Line managers need to know how to deliver feedback constructively, how to handle difficult outcomes fairly and what the legal boundaries are, particularly with unfair dismissal protections changing in January 2027. If you haven’t already, invest in manager training before these changes come into effect.
  
  
• Document everything, at every stage: Notes from the review, agreed objectives, feedback from colleagues, the outcome decision: all of it needs to be recorded and stored. This isn’t just good practice, it’s your evidence base if a decision is ever challenged. Use your HR platform to keep records centralised and accessible, not scattered across email threads and shared drives.
  
  
• Use your HR software to manage the process end to end: From sharing the review agenda in advance to logging outcomes and setting objective reminders, HR software removes the manual overhead and keeps the process consistent across your organisation. Consistency matters, both for fairness and for compliance.

Make probation compliance easier with Employment Hero

With unfair dismissal protections kicking in at six months from January 2027, the way you onboard and manage new hires in those early weeks matters more than ever. A good probation review process doesn’t start at the review meeting, it starts on day one.

This is where Employment Hero’s AI-powered employment software comes in handy. The onboarding features empower UK businesses to conduct a structured, paperless experience that sets expectations from the moment a new hire joins. Digital contracts, automated task lists and a clear record of every step means you’re building the documentation trail you need, without the admin burden.

And when it’s time for that probation review, your HR platform already has everything in one place.

But Employment Hero can do so much more than just supercharge your onboarding. We’ve taken the traditional, isolated elements of employment and put them into one place. Find and hire top talent, onboard, manage complex payroll, support compliance with our HR Advisory Services and more.

Want to find out how Employment Hero can support your business?