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Probation Reviews — Troubleshooting & FAQ

Common issues, edge cases, and frequently asked questions about Probation Reviews.

Troubleshooting​

Review didn't trigger at the expected time​

Most likely cause: The probation end date in BambooHR is missing or incorrect.

Steps to check:

  1. Open BambooHR and locate the employee's record.
  2. Check the probationEndDate field — confirm it is set and correct.
  3. If the field is empty, Branco will have used the fallback duration instead. Verify the fallback is configured correctly in Settings → Probation.
  4. If the date was recently corrected in BambooHR, allow one sync cycle for the change to propagate — but note that if a review has already triggered, the timing will not be adjusted retroactively.
warning

Changes to probation dates in BambooHR after a review has triggered will not affect that review's timeline.

A new hire isn't showing up in the pipeline​

Most likely causes:

  1. Probation Active is Off. Check Settings → Probation and confirm the master toggle is enabled.
  2. The new hire hasn't synced yet. New hires are picked up on the next HRIS sync — allow one cycle.
  3. The new hire is excluded by your team or user filters. Confirm they are in scope under Admin → User Management.

Pipeline status shows "Behind on check-ins"​

This means the employee or their peers haven't generated enough self check-ins or feedback so far for the time elapsed in the probation period.

Common causes:

  • Slack issues — the employee can't receive Branco messages. Confirm their Slack connection in Admin → User Management.
  • No assigned peer reviewers — only team members are being prompted. Consider assigning explicit peer reviewers via Admin → Teams.
  • Recent hire — the employee hasn't had time to receive a check-in yet. The status will resolve on its own.

Pipeline status shows "At Risk"​

This means the feedback collected so far is surfacing concerns. Click into the entry to see the underlying signal — recent peer feedback themes, self check-in trends, and the performance score.

This is informational, not a blocker. The formal review will still trigger on schedule.

Employee is not receiving check-in or feedback prompts during probation​

Steps to check:

  1. Confirm Probation Active is enabled in Settings → Probation.
  2. Confirm the employee's Slack connection in Admin → User Management.
  3. Check whether the employee is currently in the self-review or acknowledgement phase — Branco's normal feedback prompts are paused during those phases.

If they are in the self-review or acknowledgement phase, the pause is expected behaviour. Prompts will resume once that phase is complete.

Self-review fields are blank — no pre-population​

Most likely cause: The employee hasn't completed any bi-weekly self check-ins during their probation period, so there is nothing to pre-populate from.

This is expected behaviour. Employees with limited check-in history will see blank fields and should complete the review manually.

info

Pre-population is a convenience, not a requirement. The review can be completed fully without it.

Manager review fields are blank — no pre-population​

Most likely cause: Fewer than 5 feedback sources exist for the employee. Pre-population only activates when there are at least 5 sources.

This is expected behaviour. The manager can complete the review manually.

Manager can't see the employee's self-review​

Most likely cause: The employee hasn't submitted their self-review yet (and self-reviews are enabled in settings).

The manager's review step is only unlocked after the employee submits. Check the employee's review status in Formal Reviews and follow up with the employee directly if needed.

If self-reviews are disabled in settings, the manager review unlocks immediately when the formal review triggers — no self-review is expected.

A probation review triggered for the wrong employee​

Most likely cause: Incorrect hire date or probation end date in BambooHR, causing the fallback or review window to fire unexpectedly.

Steps to check:

  1. Check the employee's probationEndDate and hireDate in BambooHR.
  2. Review your fallback duration setting in Settings → Probation — if it's very short, it may be catching employees who shouldn't be in probation review.
  3. Contact support if the review needs to be voided.

FAQ​

Who can see the probation pipeline?​

The pipeline is visible to:

  • The employee's direct manager.
  • The management chain above the manager.
  • All administrators, including HR teams added as administrators.

The employee themselves does not see the pipeline.

Can HR see all probation reviews?​

Yes — when HR team members are added as administrators in Admin → User Management. Multiple administrators are supported, so the full HR team can have visibility.

Can a probation review be triggered manually?​

No. Probation reviews are triggered automatically based on HRIS data and the configured review window. There is no manual trigger in the current version.

Can an employee have more than one probation review?​

Only one probation workflow runs per employee at a time. If a probation period is extended and a new end date is set in BambooHR, contact support — this scenario is not currently handled automatically.

What happens to feedback submitted during probation?​

Feedback collected throughout probation feeds the pipeline status indicators and pre-populates the formal review when it triggers. A snapshot is taken at the start of the formal review phase. Feedback received after the snapshot is retained for future cycles but does not affect the current review.

Employees continue to receive feedback prompts as normal throughout the probation period — except during the self-review and acknowledgement phases, when prompts are paused for that employee.

What are the bi-weekly check-ins?​

Every two weeks during probation, the employee receives a Slack prompt with three questions:

  • How clear are the expectations of your role?
  • How would you rate yourself so far?
  • Anything you'd like to share with your manager?

The first two are button responses; the third is open text. Responses pre-populate the final self-review and feed the pipeline status indicators.

Can the bi-weekly check-in questions be customised?​

Not in the current version. The questions are fixed.

Can the manager review sections be customised?​

Yes — the seven manager review sections (Intro & Psychological Safety, Strengths & Achievements, Development Areas, Open Questions, Career Goals & Aspirations, Next Steps & Goals, Positive Closing) can each be turned on or off in Settings → Probation. The section content itself is fixed.

What if an employee goes on leave during their probation review?​

The review workflow does not pause automatically for leave. If the timeline needs to be adjusted, contact support. In the meantime, the employee's review will remain open and no normal Branco activity will resume until it is completed.

Does the manager have to complete the review in a specific time window?​

There is no hard deadline enforced by the system. The employee's prompts are only paused during the self-review and acknowledgement phases — so delays in the manager completing their review don't affect the employee's normal Branco activity. That said, it's in everyone's interest to move through the steps promptly.