How to run probation from joining to confirmation: check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days, a review that opens before probation ends, a clear confirm, extend or separate decision, leave on probation and the confirmation letter.
A good probation process is a short, written plan: a fixed probation period in the appointment letter, check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days, a review that opens a couple of weeks before probation ends, and one of three recorded decisions (confirm, extend or not confirmed), followed the same day by the confirmation letter or the next step. Everything else is detail. The trouble is that in many growing Indian companies the review is remembered only after the probation end date has passed, and people are "deemed confirmed" by default.
This guide is for HR teams and managers in Indian companies of 25 to a few thousand people. It walks through probation from the first day to the confirmation letter. Rules on probation come mostly from your appointment letters, your HR policy and, where they apply to you, certified or model standing orders, so confirm the specifics for your company and state with your legal adviser.
Probation is the first stretch of employment during which the company and the employee check that the role is a fit, usually with a shorter notice period and a lighter leave entitlement. In India most companies set it at three or six months for permanent roles; some set it longer for senior positions. There is no single central rule that fixes its length for every private company, which is why the appointment letter matters so much: it should state the period, that it can be extended, and the notice period during probation.
Whatever you choose, use one period per employee type and apply it the same way to everyone. "Six months from the joining date" is easy to track; "until the manager is happy" is not.
The final review should never be the first time a new joiner hears how they are doing. Short, regular check-ins catch problems while there is still time to fix them:
Keep each check-in to a few fields: on track, needs support or a concern; a 1 to 5 rating; what went well; what to improve; goals until the next one. Let the employee read it and add a comment. A "concern" should also reach HR, so the conversation is not left between the manager and the joiner alone.
Tip: open each check-in a week before it is due and remind the manager. A check-in that depends on someone remembering the date will be missed in a busy month.
Start it before probation ends, not after. Two weeks' lead time is a sensible default: it gives the manager time to write the review, gives the approver time to read it, and leaves a few days if the decision is an extension. Work out the end date as joining date plus the probation period, or the new date if an earlier review extended it.
The review itself is usually written by the reporting manager and approved by one more person, often the HR Director or the department head. A two-step chain keeps one manager's view from deciding someone's career alone, and gives HR a chance to check that the decision follows policy.
Keep it short and comparable across people:
If the approver disagrees, they should send it back with a comment rather than quietly change the outcome. Then the chain starts again.
| Outcome | What changes | What to issue |
|---|---|---|
| Confirm | Employee type becomes permanent from the probation end date; notice period and leave entitlement move to the permanent rules. | Confirmation letter, approved and signed. |
| Extend | Probation end moves to a new date; set a limit (for example, at most six months more) and the goals for the extension. | Extension letter or a written note with the new date and goals. |
| Not confirmed | The separation is handled under the probation notice terms in the appointment letter. | The exit process: resignation or separation, clearance and the full and final settlement. |
For the not-confirmed path, run the same exit steps you use for any leaver: clearance by each department, the full and final statement and the letters. Our full and final settlement guide walks through them.
This is where most disputes start, so write it into the leave policy. A common pattern in Indian companies is a small monthly accrual of casual leave during probation (for example, one day a month) and no earned leave until confirmation. On confirmation, the year's earned and casual leave are pro-rated for the months left in the year. Leave taken beyond the balance becomes leave without pay, deducted in payroll.
Whatever you choose, show it to the employee on their leave screen, so they can see why their balance is what it is. Our leave policy guide covers carry forward, comp-off and LWP in more detail.
A confirmation letter should state the employee's name and designation, the confirmation date, the salary from that date if it changes, and that the permanent terms of the appointment now apply. Make it from a template so every letter reads the same, have it approved before it is issued, and keep the signed copy on the employee's record. Issuing it on the confirmation date, not weeks later, is the simplest way to show that the process works.
Techno Team Via, the HRMS in the Techno suite, runs this flow on the employee's record. Every joiner with an onboarding gets check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days, opened a week before each is due for the reporting manager, with a concern flagged to HR and the joiner able to read and comment. For a probation employee, a probation review opens a set number of days before probation ends (both the probation length and the lead time are settings) and goes through the approval chain you choose. The manager recommends confirm, extend or not confirmed with ratings and comments; each later step approves or sends it back. The last approval applies the decision: confirmation makes the employee permanent and makes the confirmation letter for approval and e-signature, an extension moves the end date, and not confirmed asks HR to record the separation so the exit flow runs. Leave on probation and the pro-rated balance on confirmation are worked out automatically.
It starts where the onboarding checklist ends, so the same record carries a person from offer to confirmation. See also our employee onboarding checklist and the performance appraisal guide for what comes after.
Book a free demo to see a probation review from check-in to confirmation letter.
It depends on the appointment letter and the rules that apply to your company. Some letters say the employee continues on probation until confirmed in writing; others are silent, which invites the argument that they were confirmed by default. Write it down, and run the review before the end date so the question never arises.
Set a limit in your policy, for example one extension of up to three or six months, and state the goals for the extension in writing. Repeated extensions are hard to justify and unfair to the employee.
The reporting manager recommends; at least one more person approves, usually the HR Director or the department head. A second step keeps decisions consistent across teams.
The one stated in the appointment letter for probation, which is usually shorter than the permanent notice period. Make sure your exit process reads the notice period from the employee type, so it changes on confirmation.
Everything in this article runs in Technotrillion today. We'll show it to you on realistic data in a 40-minute live demo.
A 40-minute walkthrough of the products you need, from first lead to final profit.
Let us help you.
Contact salesWe reply within one working day.