Probationary Period Extension

System

I need to extend an employee's probationary period from 90 to 180 days due to the results of a criminal background check (misdemeanor theft - seven years ago). The decision has been made to give the employee a chance to prove themselves instead of dismissing them out of hand. I tend not to like to reinvent the wheel so if anyone has examples of a probationary extension letter that covers the same or similar set of curcumstances, your help would be appreciated.

POPEYE

Lon - Welcome to the forum. If you have been reading posts for any amount of time, I'm sure your aware that you will get numerous varying opinions and advice and some may be rather blunt.

With that disclaimer out of the way, what can this employee do for the second 90 days to "prove" theirself that they did not do in the first 90? I have no problem extending probationary periods for an EE to improve their work performance or for re-training if necessary before awarding a pay increase, but I unless there is a performance issue with this EE, I see no plausible reason for extension. You are only going to be setting a precedent for future new-hires that may have "misdemeanors" on their record. Unless you have a policy addressing misdemeanors, I feel you are treading on shaky ground.

HR in CA

I agree with Popeye. I frequently extend the probation periods when the performance is in question. What does your policy say about prior convictions? My practice is not to deviate from the policies in place. It only adds confusion and gives managers reasons to deviate from policies they don't want to follow.

Welcome to the forum!