Nearly one in five workers fail to pass their probation period, mainly due to poor performance or absence, according to new research.
The research from Spring Personnel found 18% of staff had their probation period extended or failed. Employers said poor performance was the reason for failing 62% of new employees, with bad time keeping according for 38%.
Personality clashes also accounted for failed probations, with 12% of managers citing this as the reason for letting someone go.
Alex Fleming, managing director at Spring Personnel, said: ‘Companies need to be very thorough in their interview process as this number of people not passing probation can be costly and impacts the existing team who have spent time inducting new people.
'It is in both the employer’s and the employee’s interest that the probationary period is a successful one so we always advise companies take a variety of measures, including training, appraisals, shadowing and progress reports.’
The research also found that most organisations have flexibility in probations, with only one in five never extending a candidate’s probation period.
