The University’s success depends on the quality of the staff it selects, and how it develops them, so appointing a new staff member is an important decision.
Probation is a period in which the University can test whether it has made the right choice and the new staff member can decide whether they fit within the University’s environment. During probation the University offers appropriate support, development opportunities and feedback to assist staff to move to continuing employment.
Most new UTS staff are appointed on a probationary basis. The probation period applicable to their appointments will be specified in their contracts of employment (ie letter of offer of employment or, for some fixed-term staff, form based contract of employment). The conditions and process for probation are set-out in the relevant collective agreement and/or in guidelines in the HR Manual as follows:
- Support Staff – Clause 46, Support Staff Agreement 2010 and Probation - Support Staff and Senior Staff Group Performance Review and Development (6.24 HR Manual)
- Academic Staff – Clause 35, Academic Staff Agreement 2010 and Probation - Academic Staff Planning and Review for Performance Development (6.25 HR Manual)
- Senior Staff – Clause 28 Senior Staff Group Collective Agreement 2007and Probation - Support Staff and Senior Staff Group Performance Review and Development (6.24 HR Manual)
The following standard templates have been developed to assist with the development of probation workplans and reviews:
Probation - Support Staff and Senior Staff Group
Probation - Academic Staff Planning template
Probation - Academic Staff Formal Review
