Written for SA2Eire by a Member
Probation in Ireland is a very different beast. It is not a case of serving time or ticking boxes, and the expectations around passing it are quite different to what many people are used to.
In most cases, people will not tell you if they think you are underperforming, particularly in the corporate and professional services sector. By the time you become aware that there is a concern about your performance, it is often too late to do much about it.
Part of this comes down to culture. Irish workplaces tend to be less direct and more conflict-averse than many other cultures, and employers may unintentionally avoid uncomfortable conversations in a professional setting. On top of that, the law changed in December 2022. Before that change, organisations could extend your probation if they were unsure about your performance. Now they are under far more pressure to make a clear decision within 6 months. The challenge is that many employers have not yet built more effective systems to assess performance in that tighter window, and the conflict-averse culture has not changed overnight.
Here is what you can do to help yourself:
- Do not assume that silence means satisfaction. If no one is raising concerns, that does not mean they are happy with your performance.
- From day one, ask what good looks like in the role and how you will be assessed during probation.
- If no one is making time to give you feedback, take the initiative. Request a meeting with whoever is making decisions about your performance and ask directly how you are tracking.
- In Irish corporate culture, people respond well to employees who actively seek feedback and show a willingness to understand how things work locally. Find ways to learn from those around you and make that visible.
- Document every performance-related discussion and keep a record. If you reach the end of probation and do not pass, that documentation may matter in any discussions with DETE, particularly if you are on a work permit.
- Familiarise yourself with Irish employment law and your rights during and after probation before you accept an offer. There are many cases of people being dismissed after years of employment, and for work permit holders this can have serious implications for your right to remain and work in the country.
- Be aware that some organisations will recruit you, invest in your visa and relocation, and still let you go if probation does not go well. If that happens you may be required to repay relocation costs. Know what adequate performance looks like in your role from the start and make sure you are getting regular feedback along the way.
As with anything that comes with moving to a new country: do not assume it works like home. Even if you are moving from a company in one country to an Irish branch of the same organisation, it will be different, culturally and otherwise. Give yourself time to figure out how things work here, and be deliberate about protecting yourself in the process.
