Probation periods often run out without anyone noticing. Only when the deadline is close does someone ask whether things are actually going well. Read how to agree up front what you will look at, how to run the review at the end and what to do if you are unsure.
10 October 2026
In a busy hotel, a new employee becomes part of the rota within a few weeks. Nobody plans a moment to look back, and the probation period quietly expires. If things are going well, you miss the chance to say so. If they are not, you find out only after probation has ended, when there is less room to adjust. Either way, the review says something about how seriously you take new people.
A fair assessment starts on the first working day, not in the final week. Agree with the line manager and the employee what you will review at the end of probation.
• Skills: what the person must be able to do independently, for example a full check-in and check-out, a room finished to standard or running a station in the kitchen.
• Reliability: punctuality, and keeping to agreements on shift swaps and calling in sick.
• Teamwork: how the person works with colleagues in their own and other departments.
• Guest contact: attitude, language and how they respond when something goes wrong.
• Learning: do they take feedback on board and become faster and more confident?
Keep it short. Five points everyone understands are more useful than a long form.
Schedule a short ten-minute check-in halfway through probation. What is going well, what needs to improve and what does the employee need? Someone who hears halfway where things are rubbing gets the chance to improve. The final review is then no surprise for either side.
Also ask the colleagues who work most with the new employee, such as the shift leader, the housekeeping supervisor or the sous-chef. They see more shifts than the head of department.
• Plan it in time: well before probation ends, so there is still room for a decision. Put it in the rota, not squeezed between two shifts.
• Let the employee speak first: how do they look back on the first weeks, what was easier or harder than expected?
• Go through the agreed points: one concrete example from practice per point, good and less good.
• Ask what the hotel could do better: onboarding, scheduling, explaining systems. This often gives the most useful input for the next new colleague.
• End with a clear decision and a next step: continue, with which agreements, and when you will meet again.
Doubt is a signal, not a decision. Ask whether the problem lies with the person or with the circumstances: too little onboarding, a rota full of changes or an understaffed department. Letting someone go does not fix the latter.
If it really is the fit, be honest and timely. A postponed decision is harder for the employee and the team than a clear conversation. Probation rules, such as the permitted length and how it can be ended, differ by country and contract. Always agree any termination with HR or an employment lawyer.
• No agreements up front: the assessment becomes a feeling instead of a conversation about facts.
• Only the head of department decides: someone who works few shifts with the employee misses a lot.
• Skipping the review when things go well: good new employees in particular want to hear that they are noticed.
• Ignoring the employee's feedback: what they say about onboarding improves the start of the next hire.
• Do you know when probation ends for every new employee?
• Were five assessment points agreed at the start?
• Is a short halfway check-in scheduled?
• Do you have input from the colleagues who work most with the employee?
• Is the final review in the rota well before probation ends?
• Is any termination agreed with HR or an employment lawyer?
AXXAZ Hospitality places reliable hospitality professionals with hotels across Europe. With a clear staffing brief (role, period, hours, shifts, languages and start date) we look for people who fit your team, so probation becomes a confirmation rather than a gamble. Get in touch if you want to fill a role.
Agree five assessment points at the start, check in briefly halfway, hold the final review well before probation ends with concrete examples and always agree any termination with HR or an employment lawyer.