Probation Period Letter Issued: Is a Separate Confirmation Letter Necessary?

We have issued one letter which says, "You shall be on probation for a period of 6 months. The same may be brought down based on your performance at the sole discretion of management."

Now, do we need to issue a confirmation letter?

If you plan on continuing his or her employment beyond 6 months, it is true that you need to conduct a confirmatory appraisal and issue a confirmation letter. Though it is considered that if the employment continues beyond the probation period, the employee should be considered as confirmed, it is always better to have the message clear to the employee that he or she is confirmed, especially if there is any change in the notice period duration for an employee on probation and an employee on a confirmed basis. The employee can always state that he or she had not received any communication from the company and then choose to serve the notice period as per the probation period.

When the employer prescribes a certain duration as a "probation period" in the contract of employment, i.e., the appointment order, he has to formally declare in writing whether the employee has successfully completed the period of probation and confirmed, extend it, or send him out.

The seniors have already replied to your query regarding the confirmation letter. Besides the clause in the appointment letter, it is always better to give a confirmation letter to those who are meeting the performance criteria set by the company. Even if an employee does not meet the performance expectations, you can extend their probation by another 3 months. However, the company's expectations should be clearly conveyed to the employee during discussions, and any genuine difficulties or queries regarding performance from employees should be addressed at that time.

The absence of a confirmation letter can lower an employee's motivation to work, and he/she might start looking for another job. So, hand over the confirmation on the due date itself and see the sparkle in the eyes of your employees.

Hope the above clarification helps you!