HOW TO MAKE A SUCCESS OF A PROBATION PERIOD

Spreading Joy: Sharp Consultancy’s Annual Easter Egg Drive

At Sharp Consultancy, our annual Easter Egg Drive has once again brought together our team, clients, and community to support local charities and spread a little cheer. As a finance and accountancy recruitment business rooted in Yorkshire, we’re proud to use our network to give something back—and this year has been no exception.Led by Tom Davage, Senior Consultant in our South Yorkshire office, our team has been out and about collecting Easter egg donations from our fantastic clients. The generosity shown has been incredible, especially given the ongoing challenges many continue to face. Thanks to everyone who contributed, we were able to deliver meaningful support to three wonderful charities in our region: Paces, a specialist centre supporting children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders; St Luke’s Hospice, which offers compassionate end-of-life care; and The Family Works, a trauma informed, family support project working alongside underprivileged families.Tom, who organised this year’s initiative, shared: “When you hear the stories from the people working within these charities, it really opens your eyes to the challenges others face. If we can bring a smile to someone’s face—even through something as simple as an Easter egg—it makes it all worthwhile. Every bit of support counts.” Seeing familiar donators from past years and welcoming new ones has been truly heart-warming. It’s a testament to the kind and community-minded nature of the businesses we work with. To all our clients who donated, thank you. Your kindness and continued support make this initiative possible and help us make a real difference. If you’d like to get involved next year or learn more about the causes we support, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can keep making a positive impact—one small gesture at a time.

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Bringing a new member into the team will almost always involve a probation or trial period, usually of between three and six months. This a valuable time for an employer to make sure that any new member of the team is the right fit for the role and for the individual to determine if the position and the company will offer them the challenge they are seeking.

Your new recruit will be hoping to pass their probation period with flying colours – we have some suggestions on how you as an employer can help to ensure that those first few months go smoothly and get the relationship off to the best possible start.

Set clear objectives

Make sure all new employees have a detailed job description and are clear in what is expected from them. If there are particular objectives that they need to achieve ensure that these are fair and achievable and that the right support is in place from the outset.

Make time

Whilst there may be a real need for that extra pair of hands, make sure you give new employees a realistic period of time to get up to speed and familiarise themselves with the company and their role. Provide them with any relevant background material that could be beneficial and arrange introductory meetings with key individuals, so they get to know who is who early on and start to build those all-important relationships.

Make yourself available

Any new employee will no doubt have questions they need to ask; set some time aside during the first week to catch up with them one-to-one and address any immediate queries they may have. Make sure that you are approachable and they understand that they can come to you for clarification and support. Try to avoid cancelling catch up meetings whenever possible – new employees want to feel valued.

Don’t criticise their predecessor

It’s important for an employer not to speak ill of a former employee - even if you are keen that your new recruit brings a fresh approach and a different perspective to the role.

Get them involved

New members of the team will want to impress and show their suitability for the role early on. Assign them a specific task or project which will allow them to play to their strengths and demonstrate to the team – and you – why they have been brought into the role.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today for expert advice on your next career move and recruitment needs.