Probation, Trial Service, and Layoff Trial Periods
Probation, trial service, and layoff trial periods are intended to give a supervisor and staff member an opportunity to assess whether a new employment relationship is a good match for all parties. The duration covered by each evaluation period varies according to the type of period and the affected employee's classification. An overview of each of these periods is available on the central HR Web site.
The supervisor's ability to end an unsuccessful hire is less restricted during the evaluation period than after the evaluation period has ended. A supervisor or employee who determines that there is not a good employment match during an evaluation period should contact the College of Engineering Human Resources Team as soon as possible during the covered period.
The decision to end an appointment during an evaluation period may require action by College and University Human Resources staff, and by the Dean, who is the Appointing Authority for the College of Engineering; Supervisors should contact the College of Engineering Human Resources Team prior to taking any employment action.
In general terms, ending an appointment during an evaluation period involves the following steps. Supervisors are recommended to contact the CoE Human Resources team to discuss their specific situation. This process can occur at any time, but must be completed prior to the end of the evaluation period.
- At the beginning of an evaluation period, the supervisor conducts formal and informal training sessions with the new employee and monitors the employee's performance. During this period, the supervisor should be prepared to give informal feedback to the employee as necessary, clarifying performance expectations and addressing any performance concerns.
- If the supervisor has continuing performance concerns, s/he should alert the College of Engineering Human Resources Administrator and prepare to meet with the employee to address these concerns.
- At this meeting (referred to here as an "informal counseling session"), the supervisor will present the employee with a memo outlining performance concerns and stating performance expectations. This meeting is intended to help the employee understand the supervisor's concerns, allow the employee and supervisor an opportunity to strategize ways to work collaboratively to better match employee performance to supervisor expectations, and to alert the employee that s/he may not successfully complete the evaluation period. Thus, the informal counseling session and memo should include these features:
- The informal counseling session should:
- allow time for both parties to communicate their perspectives, and
- include time for discussing resources (e.g., increased communication, classes, informal training) and other strategies to better match the employee's performance to the supervisor's expectations
- The memo should:
- cite specific examples (including dates, descriptions of errors, behaviors or other problems),
- cite specific performance expectations related to the above examples, and
- include a statement such as, "It is my desire to work with you to help you be successful in your job; however, if concerns regarding your performance continue, you may not successfully complete your evaluation period."
Contact Human Resources
Lisa Drechsler
Human Resources Administrator
drechslr@u.washington.edu
(206) 543-3354
Summer Duncan-Korst
Human Resources Manager
summerd@uw.edu
(206) 616-9808
Alex Finlon
HR Administrative Assistant
afinlon@uw.edu
(206) 616-2604
Community of Innovators
Nominate a student, faculty or staff member who makes exceptional and meaningful contributions to the College.
Nominations due 5 p.m. March 1.
Nominees and awardees will be honored at the Community of Innovators Awards reception.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Paul G. Allen Center,
Microsoft Atrium.