Probation review template for sales teams (free, UK)

A probation review is a dated meeting that compares a new starter's results with an agreed ramp-up, records the support the manager gave, and ends with a decision: pass, extend or end. From 1 January 2027 a new starter in Great Britain can claim unfair dismissal after six months, so the decision belongs before five months, not at the last minute.

Download the template

Sales probation review templateWord document, one page. Editable. No email address needed. UK wording, with a US note below.Download (.docx)

Sales probation review template, PDFFor printing and filling in by hand.Download (.pdf)

Prefer Google Docs? Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Docs. The layout carries over.

The template

Probation review

Rep

Role and start date

Manager

Probation end date

Decision made byBefore five months' service

1. Ramp-up expectations

Primary resultRevenue or sales, by review 1 (week 4), review 2 (week 12), review 3 (week 20)

ActivityCalls or meetings a day, at each review

Pipeline created

Skill signed offOne skill the manager has seen done well

2. What the manager commits to

Commitment 1What, and by which date. e.g. Call review every Tuesday, 30 minutes

Commitment 2

Commitment 3

3. Review log

Review 1, week 4Date · figures against ramp · support given (confirmed by rep: yes / no) · rep comments

Review 2, week 12

Review 3, week 20

4. Outcome

Passed / extended / endingTick one. If extended, the new end date. If ending, the date the decision was made

Reasons, with figures

Date the rep was told, and how

5. Sign-off

Rep signature and date

Manager signature and date

A worked example

This is an example with made-up figures, not a benchmark. It shows the dates counted back from the five-month line, and the rep's own answer on whether the support happened.

Probation review (example)

RepExample rep, new business desk

Start dateMonday 1 March 2027

Probation end dateFriday 30 July 2027 (five months, no extension planned)

Decision made byFriday 30 July 2027

1. Ramp-up expectations (full target £20,000 a month)

By review 1, week 4£3,000 new business. 40 calls a day. Product walk-through signed off.

By review 2, week 12£10,000 a month pace. Discovery questions signed off.

By review 3, week 20£20,000 a month pace. Objection handling signed off.

2. What the manager commits to

Commitment 1Call review every Tuesday, 30 minutes, from 2 March.

Commitment 2Listen to two live calls a week. Send notes within one working day.

Commitment 3Objection-handling role play on Thursdays for four weeks, from 1 April.

3. Review log

Review 1, 29 Mar£3,400 against £3,000. 42 calls a day. Rep confirms support given: yes. Next step: build pipeline for May.

Review 2, 24 May£8,200 against £10,000. Rep says two Thursday role plays were cancelled. Manager agrees and both were rebooked. Rep confirms support given: no, for those two sessions. Next step: hold the remaining sessions on the day.

Review 3, 19 JulTo be completed on the day. Decision to be made by 30 July.

The second review is the useful one. The rep disputed an entry, the manager agreed, and both answers are on the record. That is what a fair process looks like on paper.

Now check the dates. This rep reaches six months' service at the start of September 2027. A decision on Friday 30 July with the statutory week of notice ends on 6 August, inside six months. The same decision left to Friday 27 August ends on 3 September, after it. Check your own dates with your adviser, because your contract may require longer notice than a week.

Why decide before five months

From 1 January 2027 the qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal in Great Britain falls from two years to six months. What counts is the effective date of termination, which is when the employment actually ends, not the day you decide.

Once an employee has a month's service they are entitled to at least a week's statutory notice. If you dismiss without giving it, the law treats employment as continuing for that week, and that applies whether or not you pay in lieu. The exception is gross misconduct. So a decision at five months and three weeks can still land after six months. Employment law firms such as Mishcon de Reya suggest deciding at or before five months, either with a probation of five months at most, or four months plus an optional one-month extension.

Two limits. Some claims, such as discrimination, need no minimum service, so a fair process matters from day one. And none of this is legal advice. Our guide to the January 2027 changes sets out the rule and the date, and the capability procedure for sales managers covers what happens if a rep is not meeting the ramp.

How to run it

Agree the ramp on day one, in numbers. A new rep cannot hit full target in week one. Write down what good looks like at weeks 4, 12 and 20, and give the rep a copy.
Hold the three reviews on the dates. Acas suggests regular formal reviews plus a final one, with informal check-ins between. Missed review dates are the first thing a rep's representative will point to.
The manager's commitments are the plan. Call reviews, live-call listening, role plays, each with a date. A probation record that lists only what the rep must do is a warning, not support.
Ask the rep whether the support happened. Record their answer, not yours. If they disagree, write that down too.
Share the record after each review. Acas says to keep a record of each review and share it with the employee afterwards. The outcome should never come as a surprise.
Put the decision date in the diary at the start. Make it before five months, and let the final review fall at least a week or two ahead of it.

A note for US teams

Most US employment is at-will, so a probation or introductory period usually has no legal effect on your right to end employment, and the six-month rule above is a UK rule. The reviews still matter. A dated record of the ramp, the support given and the rep's own comments is the best evidence that a decision was consistent and not discriminatory or retaliatory. The template works unchanged. Swap the currency.

Common questions

How long should a probation period be?

There is no fixed legal length. Three to six months is common. From 1 January 2027 an employee in Great Britain can claim ordinary unfair dismissal after six months' service, so many employers now plan to decide before the five-month point. A shorter probation with a decision date written in the diary does more good than a long one that nobody reviews.

Can I end probation early without unfair dismissal risk after January 2027?

Ordinary unfair dismissal needs six months' service, but the end date counts, not the date you decide. If you do not give the statutory minimum notice, the law treats employment as continuing for that notice period, whether or not you pay in lieu (gross misconduct is the exception). Some claims, such as discrimination, need no minimum service at all. A fair, recorded process matters from day one. This is not legal advice, so check your case with Acas or a solicitor.

How many probation review meetings should there be?

Acas says the employer decides how many and when. It suggests regular formal reviews plus a final one, with informal check-ins between. The template uses three, at about weeks 4, 12 and 20, so the last one falls before the five-month decision date.

Can I extend a probation period?

Often yes, if your contract allows it. Acas says the manager and employee should discuss and agree a plan. Remember the six-month point: an extension that runs close to six months leaves little room for notice. Some firms plan four months plus an optional one-month extension, so the total stays inside five.

What should be recorded at each probation review?

The figures against the agreed ramp, the support the manager gave, anything the rep disputes, and the next step. Acas says to keep a record of each review and share it with the employee afterwards. Records must be kept in line with UK GDPR.

Does a sales rep need different probation targets from other staff?

Usually yes. A new rep cannot hit full target in week one. Agree a ramp in numbers at the start, such as a share of full target by each review, so the rep can see what good looks like and the manager has something fair to measure against.

Sources

Acas, Probation periods: reviews. Frequency, records and sharing them, extensions, and that the outcome should not be a surprise.
Mishcon de Reya, Unfair dismissal rights from six months and why acting at five months may not be enough. The statutory notice rule and the five-month suggestion.
SI 2026/559. The effective date of termination rule for the January 2027 change.

Reviewed by: not yet reviewed by a solicitor. If you are an employment solicitor in Manchester and would like to review this page and be credited, get in touch through the book page.

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