Probation Philosophy

We have designed our interview process with great care and we revisit it regularly - but to get a thorough understanding of who you are, what you can do, and what you love to do in a few, short interactions is extremely difficult.

We have high expectations of everyone joining the Sequence team: we look to our new team members to raise the bar in their areas of specialism and responsibility.

The probation period exists, therefore, to give you - and Sequence - a little more time to check that our mutual fit is good. This will include:

Checking your fit with the team and its way of working
Checking that you’ve been levelled correctly
Checking that you’re enjoying yourself
Checking that you’re capable of delivering the outcomes for which you’re responsible

How long is my probation period?

Our standard probation period is three months. This may vary according to the statutory requirements of the country you’re based in. Your probation period is detailed in your employment contract.

What happens if all goes well?

From your first week, you’ll have sessions with your manager to define your role, set and work towards key goals and have the opportunity to give and receive feedback. At the end of your probation, you’ll have an outcome review with your manager and hopefully we’ll be able to celebrate a ‘pass’ with the team.

What happens if the fit isn’t right?

In our experience, it becomes apparent quickly if the fit between person, role and company isn’t good. At Sequence, we believe it’s important to address this upfront and give transparent feedback to the team member so that they can be more successful at Sequence, or find a different path that is better suited to them. We think that’s fairer to the individual as well as to every other team member.

Here’s what we think should happen:

If the fit isn’t right, you will have been having clear conversations with your manager throughout your first 12 weeks about what we’ve has observed. In this scenario, we’re likely to give you notice during your probationary period.
If we think you’re mis-levelled:
- If you’re performing at a level above your job role, we’ll have a conversation about the possibilities for re-levelling. If scope and resources exist, we’ll change your level right away. If not, we’ll discuss our options openly.
- If you’re performing at a level below your job role, we need to work together to correct this. Either, that means helping you to make improvements quickly - or it could mean moving you to a different level if the company has an immediate need for that level and role. If neither of those are possible, we would most likely make the difficult decision to go our separate ways.
- If we think you're correctly levelled, but underperforming, we’ll give you constructive and concrete feedback about how to improve. We’ll agree on a timeframe for that improvement and clear milestones along the way. We hope that you’d be able to make the needed improvements - and frequently see that happen. If not, though, we’d again make the hard decision to go our separate ways.