Probation policy template
The dangerous belief this document exists to correct: that ending somebody inside a three month probation is automatically safe. Probation is a length the business picks. The period the law cares about is a different length, and it is longer.
| Section | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To set out how the first months of employment work here, what will be talked about and when a decision is made. |
| Who it applies to | All new employees. It does not change anybody’s legal entitlements. |
| How long probation lasts | Three months from your start date, and the same three months is written in your letter of engagement. |
| What probation is not | Probation is a period this business sets to see whether the job is working. It is not the minimum employment period in the Fair Work Act, which is six months, or twelve months where the employer is a small business. The two are different lengths and the end of one does not change the other. |
| Your entitlements during probation | The same as everybody else. Annual leave and sick leave build up from your first day. You are paid the rate the award or your contract sets. Every policy here applies to you from day one. |
| What we will do | Show you the job, give you the training it needs, and tell you plainly when something is not right, at the time rather than at the end. |
| Check in conversations | A conversation at two weeks, at six weeks and before the end. Each one covers what is going well, what needs work, and what help you need to get there. |
| Passing probation | You will be told in writing when probation is complete. |
| Extending probation | Where more time would genuinely help, we may extend probation once, by up to three months, and will say in writing what has to change and by when. |
| If the job is not working | We will tell you the reason and give you a chance to respond before a decision is made, the same as we would at any other time. |
| Notice | Notice applies when employment ends during or at the end of probation. It is the period in the National Employment Standards or your award, whichever is longer. |
| Final pay | Paid within seven days of your last shift, including any unused annual leave you have built up. |
| Review date | Reviewed each year in March. |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with each section down the side and room for the answer.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Harbourside Coffee.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Pick the length yourself, then put the same length in the letter of engagement so the two documents cannot disagree.
- Keep the section on what probation is not. Confusing probation with the minimum employment period is the most expensive mistake in this document.
- Put the check in conversations in the calendar on the first day. A probation decision with no record of a single conversation behind it is hard to defend.
- If you employ fewer than fifteen people, read the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code before you end anybody’s employment.
Common mistakes
- Believing a dismissal inside a three month probation is automatically safe, when the minimum employment period is six or twelve months
- Saying nothing for three months, then ending it, with nothing written down along the way
- Treating probation as a reason not to accrue leave or not to pay the award rate
What changes by trade
The law behind this document is the same wherever you trade, so the wording above is written once. What changes is what the trade puts in front of it.
| Cafes and restaurants | A new starter is often judged on one bad Saturday. Set the check in at two weeks so the first conversation happens before an opinion has hardened. rostering a cafe |
| Retail | Seasonal intakes mean probation and the end of a busy period land together. Say plainly whether a role continues past the season, because the two decisions are not the same one. rostering a shop |
| Disability and home care | A new worker may not meet a coordinator in person for weeks. Book the check ins as calls and hold them, rather than waiting for a shift that happens to overlap. rostering disability support |
| Security | A guard on a lone night post is barely observed. Say what is being assessed and how, because the log and the handover are most of the evidence either way. rostering a security business |
| Childcare | Some things cannot wait for a check in, such as a supervision or a records concern. Say which go straight to the director rather than into the probation conversation. rostering an early learning service |
| Fast food and takeaway | Often somebody’s first job, and most of the roster is at school. Make the check ins short, specific and about the tasks, since general feedback lands on nobody. rostering a takeaway |
Sources
The official pages this wording was read against, on 22 September 2026.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
The first month is where what somebody said they were available for and what they actually worked drift furthest apart. Roster Flow keeps both, which turns a probation conversation into one about facts.
Questions
What is on the probation policy template?
13 sections down the side, running from purpose to review date. The example beside them is filled in for Harbourside Coffee: how the first months work, and why probation is not the period the law cares about.
Does the probation policy template work anything out for you?
No. It is a document with 13 sections to answer in your own words, not a calculator. Nothing on it is a formula.
Can I use the probation policy template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open probation-policy.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with probation-policy.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the probation policy template ready to use as it is?
The probation policy template is a starting point for Harbourside Coffee or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 22 September 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.