Imperial College London is committed to developing and supporting staff to work effectively to meet the objectives of their roles. Imperial has policies, procedures and processes in place with the aim of supporting these goals. Line managers are best placed to offer one-to-one support and guidance to new staff in meeting these objectives and developing new skills. The probation period is used to support and evaluate a new member of staff’s performance with a view to confirming them in post.
Staff subject to Imperial's Probation procedure will normally have a probationary period of six months. Imperial takes equality of opportunity seriously and has an equality framework to ensure equality of opportunity. Implementation of the Probation procedure must be clear and transparent and not subject to any unfair discriminatory practices by line managers.
The procedures governing the probationary periods of academic staff are separately prescribed. Please refer to the Annexes to the Appendix to the Ordinances and/or the Procedure for managing Lecturers' probation as applicable.
Supporting your staff through probation
- Why Probation Matters
- What Probation Is (and isn’t)
- How the Process Works
- Our Collective Responsibilities
- What’s New / Best Practice
- How Everyone Can Contribute
Our probation process plays a vital role in helping new colleagues settle in, succeed, and feel supported from day one. The probationary period gives managers a defined period to assess a new hire’s suitability and fit for the role; it also gives new colleagues the opportunity to assess whether Imperial is the right fit for them.
The term “Probation” can sometimes carry negative connotations or create the impression that an employee is “on trial” in their role, which may understandably cause anxiety for some. It is important to emphasise that probation is a collaborative period in which managers and their direct reports work together to set the employee up for success. Ultimately, probation provides a structured period that gives new starters the clarity, feedback, and support they need to thrive in their roles.
Throughout the probation period (and beyond probation), managers and staff members should take part in regular check-ins, goal-setting conversations, and opportunities to reflect on progress. While weekly catch-ups are encouraged in most cases, this may look different in some roles; for example, some roles may have fortnightly catch-ups instead. Regardless of the frequency of the meetings, the overall framework of a probation period can be broken down as follows:
- Advertising the role and Recruiting: A successful probation starts off with a clear Job Description and Person Specification to ensure the right candidate is attracted to and appointed to the role. Conduct appropriate questions and/or assessments to ensure you hire the most suitable candidate, with the necessary skills and experience for the role.
- Initial onboarding and Training: A supportive induction will include the necessary training and/or signposting for the new starter to build a solid foundation to grow. This may involve, but is not limited to:
- Mandatory Training (e.g. Imperial Essentials)
- Attendance at Imperial Insights: Induction Programme
- Job shadowing
- Meetings with key stakeholders
- Signposting to useful policies and procedures
- Orientation/showing new colleagues around the workplace.
- Regular/Diarised 1:1s: This will involve 2-way conversations between the new starter and their line manager working through documented SMART objectives and discussing and implementing appropriate reasonable adjustments if required. Regular catch-ups help to ensure the right support is provided, monitor progress and discuss and address issues in a timely manner.
- Mid‑point Review: this should be conducted in the third month, and the new starter should be assessed against SMART objectives.
- Final Probation Review: this should be conducted in good time and ideally by five months’ service.
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Manager Responsibilities |
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Individual Responsibility |
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Managers are strongly advised to hold final probation review meetings before the probation period ends - ideally during month five and certainly before the six-month point.
Changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will reduce the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from two years to six months, with effect from 1 January 2027. Imperial already implements a fair and robust probation procedure to support staff through probation. However, we recommend that managers reach out to their Faculty’s Assistant People Partner if they are managing individual/s in their probation period and need additional support and/or guidance. It is important, and much fairer for the staff involved, to receive timely feedback if there are concerns at work and, crucially, for staff to be given sufficient opportunity to improve where needed.
The Employee Relations Team run several sessions throughout the year on Managing Probation Effectively, and managers can register their interest on the Employee Relations Training page or contact the Employee Relations team if they have questions about the training.
Whether you are a manager, mentor, or peer, you play a part in helping new colleagues feel welcomed and supported. Imperial has an array of support available to managers and individuals who may be experiencing work-related concerns, and they are encouraged to use available support services when needed: