SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL

Topic:

PROBATION PERIOD

Section:

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

Number:

VII.3.

Date Issued:

April 18, 1991

Date Revised:

April 17, 2007,

March 11, 2014

PURPOSE:

To identify regulations and probation periods that allow appointing authorities to evaluate employee's knowledges, abilities and skills to perform the work of the class.

LEGAL BASIS:

County Code Section 3.28.090 Probationary Period

Personnel Regulations, Section 110, Definition, #58 Probation Period

Civil Service Rules, Section VI.E. Probation

Civil Service Rules, Section X, Employee Performance Evaluation

Civil Service Rules, Section IV., Standards and Qualifications for Employment

Personnel Regulations, Section 140, Computation of Probation (hours of service equivalent to six and twelve month probation periods)

POLICY:

  1. A "probation period" is a period of service used for employee train ing, adjustment, and evaluation, which is served upon initial appointment to a class and in other instances as specified in Civil Service Rules.
  2. The probation period is an extension of the selection process, where the appointing authority has an opportunity to evaluate the employee's knowledges, abilities, and skills to perform the work of the class in an on-the-job capacity.
  3. All employees appointed to a regular or limited term position in the classified service must serve a probationary period if appointed to any class in which they had not previously held permanent status. A probationary period must also be served upon:
    1. Reinstatement
    2. Substitute Appointment
    3. Appointment to a Former Higher Class
    4. Appointment to a position in the classified service from non- Civil Service status
    5. Appointment from a County-wide Reemployment list.
    6. Demotion
  4. A probation period of hours of service equivalent to six months shall apply to all classes, with the exception of certain classes approved by the Civil Service Commission which will have a probationary period of hours of service equivalent to twelve months. The only exception to this is for an employee appointed from a County-wide Reemployment list to a position in a different department from the one in which laid off; such employee shall serve a probation period of hours of service equivalent to six months, regardless of the length of the normal probation period for the class.
  5. The probation period for full-time and part-time employees is based upon completion of hours of service equivalent to six months or one year, depending upon the probation period which has been designated for a class.
    1. For full-time employees, the probation period means completion of 1040 hours of service for a class with a six month probation period and 2080 hours of service for a class with a twelve month probation period.
    2. For part-time employees, the hours of service for a six month probation period shall be determined by multiplying the authorized hours of the position by 26, and the hours of service for a twelve month probation period shall be determined by multiplying the authorized hours of the position by 52.
    3. Should an employee move from full-time to part-time, or vice versa, during the probation period, it will be necessary to re-compute the hours of service remaining in the probation period.
  6. Hours of service remaining in an employee's probation period are shown on the "Hours Accumulator" report distributed to departments each pay period.
  7. Civil Service Rules, Section X, requires that employees in the County's Civil Service system be evaluated:
    1. at three months and at six months while serving a six month probation period;
    2. at three, six and twelve months while serving a twelve month probation period;
    3. at least once a year after attaining permanent status in their job class.
  8. Civil Service Rules provide that the probation period may be extend ed for a period of two months beyond the required initial probationary period, if mutually agreed upon by the employee and the department PRIOR to the completion of the required initial probationary period (either six or twelve months).

PROCEDURE:

The Personnel Director maintains a listing of classes with a one year probation period (all other classes have a six month probation period). The probation period for a class is also reflected in the "Budgeted Position Listing" report which is distributed to departments each pay period.