Probation, Performance and the New Discipline Required in Senior Hiring

THE EXECUTIVE BRIEF

Where leadership, strategy and the housing market meet

Issue 10: Probation, Performance and the New Discipline Required in Senior Hiring

This weeks edition is written by the co-founder of Harken Search, Beth Neal.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a LinkedIn post that got the most traction I have ever had. The topic was probations!  The response suggests that leaders are beginning to recognise that the law change coming into effect on 1 January 2027 fundamentally alters the level of discipline required in both onboarding and recruitment, because the sixmonth qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal compresses the window in which organisations can identify misalignment, address concerns and, if necessary, make a decisive change.

Before starting Harken Search I was an HR Director for a manufacturing business and from the start of my career probations were always a little painful.  There were forms, prompts, check‑ins and the occasional last minute conversation where a manager would out of know where tell me someone wasn’t performing, usually the day before the probation ended or, more frustratingly, the day after.

In most cases we could extend the probation, put a plan in place and move forward.

From next year, the moment someone reaches six months’ continuous service (this is any new starter from 1st July 2026), the process becomes more complex, more time consuming and more constrained, which means the early weeks of employment now matter more than they ever have, and the discipline of how organisations assess, test and support new starters needs to become a leadership capability rather than an HR process.

1. What’s New for Probation Management

The risk is not that people fail; the risk is that leaders notice too late to rectify with reduced formality.

When someone joins, it is incredibly easy for time to pass while they are still “finding their feet”, and the combination of goodwill, optimism and busyness means concerns often surface only when the window for action has almost closed.

Here are practical steps that leaders should take in managing their teams probations.  Put in place:

• A tight, structured induction that sets expectations early and removes ambiguity.

• Five measurable deliverables for the first 90 days, so progress is visible and objective.

• Increased documented reviews in the early weeks, forcing both sides to focus on outputs rather than impressions.

• Behavioural testing such as; communication, pace, ownership or you could look at the behaviours that were critical in the recruitment process.

• Simple documentation, so you/managers actually use it.

• A decision made early enough to give notice before six months’ service is completed.

• Active involvement from HR, not as administrators but as partners in risk management.

These steps are not new, but the consequences of skipping them are.

2. Recruitment Must Now Be Sharper

The law change doesn’t just affect probation; it increases the pressure on recruitment itself.

The cost of a poor hire is rising, and the time available to correct it is shrinking, which means the recruitment process must do more of the heavy lifting.

This is where leadership assessment becomes essential rather than optional.

‍In executive search, we are increasingly using:

‍• Behavioural interviews anchored in real commercial scenarios

‍• Pace and judgement testing

‍• Stakeholder‑mapping exercises

• Values‑based assessment

• Cognitive and decision‑making diagnostics

These tools don’t replace judgement, but they significantly reduce the risk of hiring someone who interviews well but cannot operate at the level the organisation requires.

‍Having really clear alignment on what the role actually needs to deliver is imperative to success, and our Senior Role Clarity Framework is a free download that walks you through this in a structured, practical way: https://resources.harkensearch.co.uk/seniorroleclarityframework

3. Why This Matters for CEOs and MDs Right Now

The organisations that will move fastest in the next cycle are the ones that:

• set clear expectations early,

• test capability rigorously,

• act decisively when misalignment appears, and

• treat recruitment as a leadership decision, not a vacancy‑filling exercise.

Probation is no longer a safety net; it is a narrow window in which leaders must confirm that the person they hired is the person the business actually needs.

And recruitment is no longer about finding someone who can do the job; it is about finding someone who can do the job in this environment, at this pace, with this level of ambiguity and expectation.

A Closing Observation

Probation is not a process; it is a test of leadership clarity.

And recruitment is not a transaction; it is the single most important risk decision a business leader makes.

If you want to explore how leadership testing can strengthen your next senior hire, or how to build a probation framework that genuinely protects the organisation, I’m always happy to talk it through.

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