Probationary Period

Probationary period is vital and compulsory for everybody when start working with new organisation. Probationary period become the common practice which established by most organisation. These practice were developed to provide the range of period for both parties of employee and employer to align and knowing each other in early employment history.

Certain people define the probationary period in negative perception. The practice was defined as rigid policy, burden irresponsibility, employment resistance, destruct personal motivation and personal nightmare. Those perception may reasonable in the first place, but, to still remain in such perception will damage personal motivation and interrupt focus to grasp desire opportunity during their probationary period.

The probationary period being recognized and accepted legally, instead of the precondition toward to the employment confirmation and mostly include in respective employment contract or agreement. It was established as a common system for employment recognition approaches by the most organization.

For instance, most of legal claim in Malaysian labour department which related to employment termination which result from unsuccessful in probationary period was lost in the labour court proceeding, because of proven bad performance and disciplinary performed done by new employees, during probationary period. However, there was certain genuine cases win by them based on improper assessment, unfair supervision and unclear work scope or standard.

However, the legal claim was not the interim objectives for all new employees who in the probationary period. To be confirmed employee, holding permanent position and pinpoint to gain reward after dully confirm in the position.

The probationary period shall be utilize positively in first place. Since the holding position by own accord, the career ambition target was taking place based on organisational background and new working environment reviewing.

The probationary period are the right opportunities for both parties, employer and employee, to align themselves to knowing each other in stipulate assessment basis. These recognized common approach provide mutual benefits in term of common understanding, competency assessment, organisational culture adaptation, job standard compliance, result monitoring, skill enhancement determination and individual potential identification, according to proper evaluation standard.

Instead of job or position confirmation after successfully undergone the agreed probationary period, most of the peoples were focusing to the short term rewards or benefits which to be gained after dully confirmation, such as salary increment, additional allowances, extra fringe benefits, etc, It became the normal desire among the people in their beginning of new employment period.

Of course, by focusing to said short term objective, it was the usual common individual needs, but, these perspective actually was defeat the purpose.

The personal performance, commitment and presentation which result high rating assessment in probationary period, aligned from early high self-motivation and contribute to personal development, should not end after probationary period. The resulting self improvement shall be utilized and maintain for more long term individual target.

The single short term individual target setting by focusing to dully confirmation benefit are not the wrongful objective, but, the self-motivation and effort are not consistent, and it will decline after probationary end just because of the single objective being achieved.

The long term target setting such as yearly increment, yearly promotion, career improvement, yearly bonus etc, will grant more meaningful result. The probationary period should be use to determine self capability, self motivation and self improvement from the beginning of employment history.

Establish long term career target and objective will sustain motivation level for longer period, i.e. from the beginning until desire stage being achieve. Successfully to utilize and taking advantage the early employment's high personal motivation and effort, and make it as a foundation, supporting with long term personal ambition, will grant long term career success. It will not limited to the probationary period result, but also for  long term career achievement.

Capability building personal strength start from probationary period and maintain it for long term career mission will able to boost and push ourselves to capitalize personal advantages in career history.

Hope to see you in next article.

Best regards from Saiful Mat.