How it works
- People on probation appear under Probation reviews in the manager's My Team when HR requests a review, or when the end date is within 30 days or within the reminder window if that is longer.
- HR can press Request review on any row. The manager gets a high-priority notification asking for a 1 to 5 rating with a comment.
- The manager picks 1 Poor, 2 Needs improvement, 3 Meets expectations, 4 Exceeds expectations or 5 Outstanding, and writes the comment.
- Submit review sends the rating to HR and the company head in a notification. The manager can update it later.
- The probation queue shows the rating out of 5 on the person's row, and the Confirm dialog shows the rating and the comment.
What you can set
- Confirmation needs the manager's probation review: yes or no, in the work terms policy.
- Rating scale of 1 to 5 with labels from Poor to Outstanding.
- Comment of up to 1,000 characters.
- Request review, or ask for the review again, from the probation queue.
- Reminder days before the end date, which also widens the manager's review list when set above 30.
- Reviews in My Team on the web and in the mobile app.
Why a short, structured review works
Long probation forms go unanswered. A manager with twelve people in the team will happily tap a rating and write two lines, and will ignore a four-page appraisal. A 1 to 5 scale with fixed labels also makes ratings comparable across teams, so HR can see when one department confirms everyone at 5 and another rates everyone 3. The comment carries the evidence HR needs if a decision is questioned later, and it stays in the person's probation history.
Worked example: one team lead, three probationers
Priyanka leads a customer support team in Gurugram with three agents on probation: Arjun, ending on 15 October 2026, Neelam, ending on 30 October, and Kabir, ending on 20 November. On 1 October her My Team shows Arjun and Neelam under Probation reviews, since both end within 30 days. Kabir, 50 days away, is not listed until HR presses Request review for him that afternoon.
She rates Arjun 4, Exceeds expectations, writing handles escalations calmly, recommend confirmation. She rates Neelam 2, Needs improvement, writing misses quality targets, suggest two more months. HR confirms Arjun on 15 October and extends Neelam by 2 months, with Priyanka's comment as the recorded reason.
Getting comments HR can use
The comment box prompts for three things: what went well, what to improve, and whether the manager recommends confirmation. Ask managers to answer all three, with one example each. Discourage one-word comments such as good. Managers with large teams should clear their Probation reviews list weekly from the app, before the reminder turns into an overdue row in HR's queue.
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is a probation review?
A probation review is the manager's assessment of a new employee near the end of probation, used to decide whether to confirm, extend or end the employment. In ZeniaHR it is a rating from 1 to 5 with a comment, given in My Team and read by HR before confirmation.
Who submits a probation review in ZeniaHR?
The employee's reporting manager, from My Team on the web or in the app. A review request needs a manager to go to, so if the employee has no reporting manager on record, HR adds one on the employee record first. Keeping reporting lines current avoids that delay.
Is a manager review required before confirmation?
It depends on the setting confirmation needs the manager's probation review in the work terms policy, which is yes in the recommended values. When it is on, automatic confirmation waits for the review, and HR confirming by hand without it sees a warning but can still go ahead.