As your new starter’s probation period comes to an end, it’s time for you to sit down, reflect and plan next steps. But are you asking the right questions in your probation review? It’s important to remember this is a two-way conversation where the employee shares their thoughts too. So, learn what to say to make sure it’s effective.

The purpose of a probation period is to give you time to assess a new recruit’s abilities and fit with the organization. And to let your new employee see how they like the job, culture, and work environment. It also serves as an important performance conversation, making the right probation review questions vital.
As you read on, you’ll find:
- What a probation review is and why it matters
- When you should conduct a probation review
- Main questions to ask at the end of a probationary period:
What probationary reviews are and why they matter
Many organizations use probationary periods with new hires. They’re a way to assess how well someone meets the expectations of their new role and whether they’ll be a great addition to your business for the long term.
They’re also a chance for the employee to give you their feedback – an element which is often forgotten.
Probation reviews are similar to other formal reviews or 1:1 meetings. Their effectiveness hinges entirely on the questions you ask and what you do with the feedback. They’re a valuable learning opportunity for both you and the employee, regardless of whether the individual passes or not. And they should form an essential part of your onboarding process.
Feedback from probationary reviews can also be combined with information from exit interviews for greater insight into employee turnover or issues with the workplace culture. The important thing is to accept the feedback and reflect on it so you can make improvements for current and future employees.
When should a probation review take place?
Good managers use regular employee check-ins throughout the probationary period. You want to know how your new hire is getting on, and weekly touch points allow new employees to share early wins and challenges. They also encourage them to ask for help.
At the same time, you can offer guidance and feedback to ensure your new employee is developing the skills they need to be successful in the role. And gather information which helps you assess overall performance when you reach the formal probation review.
So, what questions should you ask in that probation review to make sure you and your employee are getting the feedback you need?
11 questions for managers to ask
When you approach the end of the probation period, there are four key areas you need to focus on:
- Reviewing performance and expectations during probation
- Personal achievements and reflections
- Development beyond the probation review
- Feedback on how you and the business can improve
By asking questions about these four areas, both you and the employee can check it’s the right fit. And you can spot opportunities for development and improvement on both sides.
Reviewing performance and expectations during probation
1. How would you describe your performance over the past 3 months?
Open questions are great for probationary reviews as they don’t lead the employee or limit them to a yes/no answer. This one is a good question for contextualizing performance.
If a failed employee thinks they’re performing brilliantly, it’s probably time to review your feedback capabilities. For successful hires, you can use it as a way to reflect on their successes. Either way, it’s an essential question for achieving a shared understanding between you and your employee.
2. What did you feel negatively affected your performance?
What problems or blockers has your employee encountered? Positioning the question this way gives them permission to raise concerns about office equipment, a problematic manager, or noisy and disrespectful colleagues.
In an ideal world, you’ll already have provided support to address their concerns. But if there’s something new, this question provides valuable context that’s worth considering as you assess overall performance.
3. How has working here compared to your expectations?
This is always a useful question to ask, especially if the employee’s failing their probationary period. Sometimes the expectations a company sets is what leads to that result.
A recruitment ad may promise a lively atmosphere and flexible working. That isn’t the same as everyone overworking, albeit from home, and camaraderie centered on how terrible it is to work here. If the reality of working for you doesn’t match the picture you’ve painted, you’re heading for a lack of engagement and increasing employee turnover (unless you take actions to address it).
4. How well do you understand the expectations of your role?
More than half of UK employees entering the workforce lack the necessary digital skills to succeed. Meanwhile, only 9% of US employees agreed they regularly know what’s going on in their company. So how can you expect them to work effectively?
Use this question to explore what your employee thinks your expectations are. Where is there a shared understanding? What’s missing? It may also start to explain the cause if you find many of your new hires are unsuccessful.

Personal achievements and reflections
5. What do you feel are your greatest strengths?
Strengths-based management is one of the strongest tools you can apply for building employee self-motivation. So, asking this question should be a no-brainer and there’s a good chance you asked it during the interview process. But things change. Three to six months in a new role can help employees identify new strengths.
People’s strengths are often the things they get excited about, and that drives their commitment to the role. Using strengths-based management, you can enable your employees to thrive and take pride in their work. You can also look at new ways to develop those skills which will benefit the business, while also looking to improve any weaker areas.
6. What would you like to achieve in the next six months?
Goal-setting is vital for the effective development of your people, not just during probation reviews, but every time your employees answer their check-in questions.
Whilst organizational goals and targets obviously need to be a focus, all your people (especially new recruits) should have personal goals to aim for too. These are most beneficial when they’re set by the individual and supported by their manager. So, dig in and find out what your employee is looking to get out of their next six months with you, and identify how you can help them achieve that.
7. Is there anything you would change about how you approach your work?
Don’t just leave this as a yes/no answer; explore the detail. You can get excellent insight into both yours and your employee’s approach. If there’s nothing they’d change, you may already have a strong emphasis on employee autonomy. But if employees are expected to follow a rigid protocol, this question can highlight potential flaws in your method because you get the benefits of fresh eyes.
Sometimes existing processes slow things down. Openly asking new employees for ideas and suggestions can lead to significant improvements in the process, not just for them, but for the whole team. That said, there will be some instances where a specific method is necessary. So this can also be a way to revisit certain process steps and why they’re so important.

Development beyond the probation review
8. How can I help you develop over the next 6 months?
Essential to being a great manager is the ability to effectively support your people and help them grow. It’s hard to do that well without asking them what they need.
New starters are often going to be more demanding of your help to start with. Yet understanding the skills they want to focus on and identifying how you can make that happen with a little effort now sets them (and you) up for success moving forward.
9. How do you see your future with us progressing?
If their performance isn’t great, and you’re considering terminating employment, this question may be irrelevant. For potential probation review passers, however, it’s good to know more about career aspirations.
Asking about their future sets the scene for ongoing expectations. Will you be able to meet their desires? Are they being realistic about the skills you’ve observed from them so far? While their answer won’t impact your assessment of their performance, it does give you an opportunity to talk about what’s next. After all, your new employee is making a decision here as much as you are, so if you can’t support the career they want, they’ll likely prefer you be upfront with them now.

Feedback on how you and the business can improve
10. What could we have done differently to improve your probation period?
It’s unlikely your new employee’s experience has been 100% perfect. There are always learnings and improvements to be made.
Ask questions that encourage honest feedback during the probation review and find out what you can do better. Perhaps there wasn’t a clear training plan, or a cheat sheet for internal jargon. Even simple things like this can make a difference to your team. And it helps you to not only build a better onboarding experience for any future new starters, but also strengthen trust and rapport with your existing team members.
11. What questions do you have for me as part of this probation review?
Remember, this is a two-way conversation, and this question opens the floor for your employee to get involved. You could ask ‘do you have any questions’ but that really looks for a one-word answer and often shuts the conversation down.
Recognizing the employee likely will have questions, and encouraging them to ask you in a safe and supportive space, means they’re making an informed decision about their future too. So be open and honest in your answers, and build on your relationship. That’s what will create the most effective team going forward.
Preparing for your next new hire
The questions above give you a solid framework for when you next approach probationary reviews. They cover the main areas of performance, development and improvement which are essential to bringing the right people into your team.
The probation review, however, isn’t the only conversation you should have with a new hire when they start working for you. So make sure you set things up right with regular check-ins and support to give them the best possible chance of success.
Find success with our trusted probation review template – Get it free below
Efficient probation reviews are key to assessing new hires and setting them up for success. Our comprehensive template makes it easy to evaluate progress, provide feedback, and set clear expectations. Say goodbye to confusion and hello to smoother, more effective reviews.
Get your free copy of the “Probation Review Template” today and simplify your employee assessments.