Probation Reviews — Settings
Full reference for configuring Probation Reviews, including all available settings and HRIS field details.
Navigate to: Settings → Probation
All settings at a glance
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Probation Active | Master toggle. Must be enabled for the pipeline and reviews to run. | Off |
| Review window (days) | How many days before the probation end date the formal review starts. | 25 |
| Fallback duration (days) | Days after hire date used to set probation end when no HRIS probation date is found. | 90 |
| Require employee acknowledgement | Whether the cycle requires the employee to acknowledge the delivered review before closing. | On |
| Final self-review | Whether the employee is asked for a final self-review at the end of probation. | On |
| Show Intro & Psychological Safety section | Toggle this section on or off in the manager's review. | On |
| Show Strengths & Achievements section | Toggle this section on or off in the manager's review. | On |
| Show Development Areas section | Toggle this section on or off in the manager's review. | On |
| Show Open Questions section | Toggle this section on or off in the manager's review. | On |
| Show Career Goals & Aspirations section | Toggle this section on or off in the manager's review. | On |
| Show Next Steps & Goals section | Toggle this section on or off in the manager's review. | On |
| Show Positive Closing section | Toggle this section on or off in the manager's review. | On |
| Allow level adjustment | Whether managers can adjust the employee's level during the probation review. | On |
Master toggle
Probation Active
Master switch for the entire feature. When Off, no new hires are added to the pipeline and no reviews trigger.
Turning this off mid-cycle will prevent new probation reviews from triggering, but in-flight reviews continue to completion.
Review timing
Two settings control when the formal review starts.
Review window
The review window determines how far in advance of the probation end date the formal review begins.
Calculation:
Review Start Date = Probation End Date − Review Window (days)
Example:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Probation end date | July 13 |
| Review window | 25 days |
| Review starts | June 18 |
A window of 20–25 days is typical — long enough for the employee to complete their self-review without feeling premature.
Fallback duration
If no probation end date is found in the HRIS for an employee, Branco uses the fallback duration to set probation end relative to the hire date.
Calculation:
Fallback Review Start = Hire Date + Fallback Duration (days) − Review Window (days)
Example with 90-day fallback and 25-day window:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Hire date | April 13 |
| Fallback duration | 90 days |
| Review window | 25 days |
| Review starts | June 18 |
The fallback is a safety net, not a substitute for accurate HRIS data. Audit your HRIS regularly to ensure probation end dates are set for all employees.
Workflow options
Three toggles control which steps of the workflow are required.
Final self-review
When On, the employee is asked to complete a final self-review at the start of the formal review phase. Responses are pre-populated from their bi-weekly check-ins and are fully editable before submission. The manager review is gated on submission.
When Off, the workflow proceeds directly from review trigger to manager review.
Employee acknowledgement
When On, the employee must acknowledge the delivered review before the cycle closes. This is the final step in the workflow.
When Off, the workflow closes as soon as the manager marks the review as delivered.
Allow level adjustment
When On, managers can adjust the employee's level (their position within the company framework) as part of the probation review.
When Off, the level field is hidden in the review and the employee's level remains unchanged.
Review sections
The manager's review is composed of seven sections, each individually toggleable. All are On by default. Disabling a section removes it from both the manager's review form and the delivered review.
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Intro & Psychological Safety | Opening framing for the conversation. Sets a constructive tone. |
| Strengths & Achievements | What stood out during probation, and why it matters for the team. |
| Development Areas | Where there is room to grow, in concrete terms. |
| Open Questions | Anything that needs further discussion or clarification. |
| Career Goals & Aspirations | The employee's longer-term direction, in their own words and the manager's. |
| Next Steps & Goals | Concrete commitments for the next cycle. |
| Positive Closing | A constructive close to the review conversation. |
Most teams keep all seven sections on for the first few cycles, then disable any that consistently feel redundant for their context.
HRIS field mappings
Branco reads the following fields from BambooHR to determine probation timing:
| Branco field | BambooHR field |
|---|---|
| Probation end date | probationEndDate |
| Hire date (fallback) | hireDate |
These field names are fixed — they cannot be remapped in the current version. If your BambooHR setup uses custom fields for probation dates, contact support.
How sync works
- Field values are read from BambooHR on a scheduled sync.
- Changes made in BambooHR after a review has already triggered will not affect that review's timeline.
- If a probation end date is added or corrected in BambooHR before the fallback review has started, the correct date will be used on the next sync.
Pre-population
Pre-population works differently for the employee self-review and the manager review.
Employee self-review
Fields are pre-populated using the employee's bi-weekly self check-ins from the probation period. If no check-ins have been completed, fields will be blank.
Manager review
Fields are pre-populated using peer feedback and manager feedback collected during the probation period. Pre-population only activates when there are at least 5 sources of feedback. If fewer than 5 sources exist, the manager review fields will be blank.
Pre-populated content is always editable. It is a starting point, not a final assessment.
Related
- Probation Reviews overview — How the full workflow operates.
- Troubleshooting & FAQ — Common issues and edge cases.
- Integrations — BambooHR connection setup.
- User Management — Add HR teams as additional administrators.