OpenBlend Solutions

1. Creating an Extension Cycle 

The Evaluate Probation Review feature is widely used to manage new starter reviews, but until now, there’s been a limitation: if an employee didn’t pass their initial probation, there was no streamlined way to move them into a probation extension process. 

With this update, Admins can now create a dedicated Probation Extension Cycle that runs in parallel with the standard probation cycle. If an employee does not pass their initial review, their manager will have the option to seamlessly transition them into the extension cycle, ensuring a smooth and consistent process. 

To create the Extension Cycle. As an Admin, head to Admin > Evaluations > Click on the ‘+Add probation extension cycle’ button 

The setup process for an Extension Cycle will feel familiar, as it closely mirrors the steps used to configure a standard Probation Cycle. There are three key pages to complete: 

2. Seamlessly Add Employees to a Probation Extension Cycle 

Following completion of the initial Probation Review, whether the employee has passed or not passed, the Manager will be prompted to discuss the outcome during a 1:1. By adding the submitted review as an agenda Item this allows for this to be done easily. 

Once in the 1:1, when the Probation Review is selected as an Agenda Item, the Way Forward section now presents two options: ‘Complete Probation’ or ‘Extend Probation’. 

By selecting Extend Probation, the Manager is asked to confirm that the review has been discussed with the employee.  

Once confirmed, a banner will display to indicate the probation has been successfully extended. 

Admins can view the employee (e.g. Teddy Smith) automatically added to the Extension Cycle by navigating to: 

 Admin > Evaluations > [Extension Cycle Name] 

Note: The default extension period set when the cycle was created will automatically apply. New participants will appear with a status of Pre-probation review, and notifications will be triggered to both Manager and Employee when the due date approaches. 

3. Assign Employees to an Extension Cycle Without a Prior Review 

Greater flexibility has also been introduced for cases where an employee hasn't had an initial probation review, but still needs to be added to a probation process. Admins can now manually assign users to an Extension Cycle by navigating to: 

Admin > Evaluations > Cycle Settings (for the Extension Cycle) 

From there, new configuration options allow Admins to: 

This ensures all employees, regardless of their initial review status, are included in the right workflow. 

Previously, once a user was added to a probation cycle, their start date (and the associated review dates) were fixed and couldn’t be edited – even in cases of error. With this latest improvement, Admins now have the flexibility to update these details via a new ‘Dates’ tab in the Cycle Settings menu. 

Admins can: