Can We Confirm a Trainee Without a Completed Degree? Navigating HR Challenges and Benefits

Hi, I am working in a society as a Manager - HR. I have joined recently. Before I joined this society, the management had recruited one engineering graduate for a trainee position. After I joined, I implemented the rule that before recruiting staff for a certain position, they must complete their degree. Later, I discovered that the trainee who had joined earlier had some arrears and had not completed his degree. Despite this, he is a hard worker and a very sincere person. Therefore, we decided to give him a chance to complete his arrears in this semester (2020). However, he completed his one-year probation in February 2020.

The question arises: Is it possible to confirm him without completing his degree?

If we do confirm him, what will be the procedures? Will he be eligible for other benefits like promotion, bonus, LTA, etc?

Employee Confirmation Without Degree Completion

If your company policy allows only a graduate as an employee, then it is not correct to confirm the trainee's appointment. However, this should have been checked and ascertained at the time of his engagement as a trainee. Now, there is no point in addressing it because an action in the organizational scenario, once performed, cannot be reversed. It is only in film shooting that retakes are possible. In real-life situations, only one take is possible.

Since he has already been appointed and is on probation, you can extend his probation for a certain period (at the discretion of management) until he clears all his backlog in the degree examination. After the completion of his degree, you may confirm his services in your company.

Thank you so much for your reply.

We do not have anything mentioned in the HR Manual that society will recruit only graduates. We have informed them orally. Will it cause any problem in the future?

Generally speaking, the recruitment policy of any company or society is managed and controlled by the designated person(s) in the firm. They have the authority to change, amend, or modify any clause in the appointment of an employee.

In my opinion, recruiting an undergraduate individual into the firm's workforce should not result in any legal ramifications.

If an employee is sincere and hardworking and joined before the implementation of the policy, confirmation should be given rather than increasing the probation period. A one-year probation period itself is a long duration.

Furthermore, you can include a clause that states that as soon as the employee completes the degree, they will be eligible for bonuses, promotions, etc., depending on your company's policies and management approval.