3 Months / Post Probation Pulse
Purpose: Assess the outcome of onboarding and probation, then establish a clean transition into the employee's ongoing performance, development and engagement experience.
Timing: Immediately after the formal probation review. Where a council uses a probation period other than three months, trigger this pulse after the actual probation review rather than at an arbitrary three-month date.
At this point the employee has enough experience to answer broader employment questions credibly. The question set therefore combines key EOF conditions with all four Employee Survey X-Factor outcomes.
Recommended question set
| Question | Type | Recommended wording | EOF driver | Employee Survey alignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3.1.1 | Scale | Overall, my experience working at Council has been positive. | Experience | Direct X-Factor alignment to the Employee Survey. [X1.1] |
| M3.1.2 | Scale | The work my team does positively impacts our community | Community Focus | Direct alignment to the Employee Survey. [1.1.2] |
| M3.1.3 | Scale | The design of my job makes good use of my skills and experience | Roles & Clarity | Direct alignment to the Employee Survey. [2.1.2] |
| M3.1.4 | Scale | My probation review included a meaningful conversation about my performance and next steps. | Performance & Feedback | Lifecycle-specific adaptation of Employee Survey item 2.6.1 on meaningful performance conversations. [2.6.1] |
| M3.1.5 | Scale | I feel I have a good working relationship with my manager | Values-Based Leadership | Direct alignment to the Employee Survey. [1.2.4] |
| M3.1.6 | Scale | Council supports my development goals | Development & Pathways | Direct alignment to the Employee Survey. [2.5.2] |
| M3.1.7 | Scale | I am treated with respect by my colleagues | Collaboration & Connection | Direct alignment to the Employee Survey. [3.3.1] |
| M3.1.8 | Scale | I am proud to work for Council and of the work we deliver. | Pride | Direct X-Factor alignment to the Employee Survey. [X1.4] |
| M3.1.9 | Scale | I would recommend the Council as a great place to work. | Advocacy | Direct X-Factor alignment to the Employee Survey. [X1.3] |
| M3.1.10 | Scale | It would take a lot to get me to leave Council. | Intent | Direct X-Factor alignment to the Employee Survey. [X1.2] |
| M3.2.1 | Open Text | What is one thing Council should improve for future new starters? | Experience | Onboarding process diagnostic; no direct annual survey comparator. |
| M3.2.2 | Open Text | What support or development would help you be successful over the next six months? | Development & Pathways | EOF diagnostic item; no direct annual survey comparator. |
Why these questions are included
| Question | Why it is included |
|---|---|
| M3.1.1 | Uses the Experience X-Factor as the headline onboarding outcome once the employee has had enough exposure to form an overall view of working at Council. |
| M3.1.2 | Tests whether the employee can see the connection between their team’s work and community outcomes — a distinctive and important source of purpose in local government. |
| M3.1.3 | Tests substantive role fit after the employee has experienced the job beyond initial induction. It helps distinguish onboarding problems from job-design or placement problems. |
| M3.1.4 | Tests the quality of the probation review, not simply whether it occurred. A meaningful discussion should close onboarding with clear feedback, performance expectations and next steps. |
| M3.1.5 | Tests whether the employee has established a productive working relationship with their manager by the end of probation, using the exact annual-survey comparator. |
| M3.1.6 | Shifts the conversation from initial competence to future growth. Development support is a useful signal that the employee is transitioning from onboarding into an ongoing employment relationship. |
| M3.1.7 | Tests whether respectful colleague behaviour has been sustained beyond the welcome period and is being experienced as part of the normal team culture. |
| M3.1.8 | Uses the Pride X-Factor to test whether the early employment experience has created connection to Council and its work. |
| M3.1.9 | Uses the Advocacy X-Factor to test whether the new starter would recommend Council as an employer — a strong summary signal of the recruitment and onboarding experience. |
| M3.1.10 | Uses the Intent X-Factor to provide an early retention-confidence signal at the point onboarding and probation conclude. |
| M3.2.1 | Captures a retrospective improvement insight while the onboarding experience is still fresh. It directs the response toward future process improvement rather than general commentary. |
| M3.2.2 | Creates a forward-looking handover from onboarding into normal performance and development planning, giving the manager a practical agenda for the next six months. |
Interpretation
M3.1.1–M3.1.3 and M3.1.5–M3.1.10 use direct Employee Survey wording. These items provide the strongest bridge between onboarding results and the annual Employee Survey.
M3.1.4 is intentionally lifecycle-specific: it tests whether the probation review itself was a meaningful performance conversation. Compare the underlying theme with Employee Survey item 2.6.1, but do not treat the two wordings as identical measures.
The four X-Factors — Experience, Pride, Advocacy and Intent — provide the headline outcome read at the end of onboarding. They should be interpreted alongside the diagnostic items rather than as stand-alone scores.
Download current source: 3 Months / Post Probation question set
Related: Onboarding Feedback | EOF and Employee Survey Alignment