Fifth of staff on probation fail trial period or have it extended

One in five workers admit their working habits change once the initial period of monitoring and evaluation that new starters can expect is over. Of the nearly 1,500 employees questioned, 22pc admit to putting in more effort while they are on probation and then slacking off once they pass it.

But many new employers are not in the right frame of mind to deliver their peak performance because of the stress that being on probation puts them under. Almost half say they feel insecure knowing their bosses are watching them and nearly four in 10 admit to being worried.

“As more people are finding roles in the current economy, you still need to be thinking about your performanc§e when you start the job,” said Alex Fleming, managing director at Spring Personnel. “Getting the job may be the easy bit - the real challenge is passing your probation.

“Companies need to be very thorough in their interview process as this number of people not passing their probation can be costly and impacts the existing team who have spent time inducting new people.

“It is in both the employer’s and employee’s interest that the probationary period is a successful one.”

Despite new starters being on their best behaviour, personality clashes are worryingly common. More than one in 10 managers say they had failed someone on probation because they had a falling out.

“Whilst some personality clashes between managers and staff are inevitable, happily the vast majority of employees felt their probation period was a positive one,” said Ms Fleming.

The research also revealed that 60pc of companies have a probationary period failure rate of 10pc, and that almost 80pc of companies are willing to give staff another chance by extending probation periods.

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