I have a different take on the concept Probation Period. This could be basically a legacy left behind by British, decades ago. In good old days, customer database, communication etc. were manual or depended on printed documents. With the explosion of modes of communication changing the way we connect with people, probation period for experienced people should not at all be the mandatory six months. Probation is required for those who are totally new to working ie from campus to corporate. However, those who have work experience, and shifting from one job to another, why give probation period at all. If a person with 5 years experience in sales changes jobs, how much time does he require for getting to know the customer base, organisation culture, processes, systems etc ? One month ? When people of this generation are net savvy, why one requires six months to prove his skills ? Are we not hiding under the cloak of probation for poor performance ? When things are changing... we talk of speed in processors in PCs, Mobile phones, connectivity, Pizza, 108 ambulance, why not expect a newcomer to an organisation too to perform and prove his speed in performance within 1 month or two ? Am opening a pandora's box here for people to come up with your opinions. Last January, I was in Doha, Qatar advising a 30-year old logistics firm. They had this problem of people leaving at short notice, even within the probation period of six months, despite having vast experience in their job roles I told them to reduce the probation period to just one month to prove the person's abilities. They were happy at my suggestion. Best wishes