Probation Termination, How to Do It Legally and Fairly试用期终止 · 如何合法且公平地执行

The most persistent myth in Malaysian HR is that probationary employees can be terminated "at will." They cannot. Not now, not thirty years ago, and not in any published Industrial Court ruling we are aware of.马来西亚人力资源领域流传最久的迷思，就是试用期员工可以"随意解雇"。事实并非如此。现在不行，三十年前不行，在我们所知的任何一份已公开的工业法庭裁决中，也从来不行。

The Industrial Court has held, consistently and for decades, that probationary employees enjoy procedural protection. A dismissal during probation can be successfully challenged, and often is, where the employer failed to follow a fair process. The fact that the employee was "still on probation" is not a defence.数十年来，工业法庭的立场始终一致：试用期员工同样享有程序上的保护。若雇主未遵循公平程序，试用期内的解雇可以被成功挑战，而且这种情况屡见不鲜。"员工仍在试用期"本身并不构成抗辩理由。

Here is what the case law actually says, and what employers should do instead.以下是判例法的真正立场，以及雇主应当采取的正确做法。

What "probation" actually means"试用期"的真正含义

Probation is a period during which the employer assesses the employee's suitability for confirmation. It is an assessment period, not a free-dismissal period. During probation, the employer may:试用期是雇主评估员工是否适合转正的阶段。它是一个评估期，而不是"自由解雇期"。在试用期内，雇主可以：

• Confirm the employee, if performance and conduct are satisfactory表现与操守令人满意时，为员工转正
• Extend the probation, if more time is needed to assess需要更多时间评估时，延长试用期
• Terminate the employment, if confirmation is not warranted不符合转正条件时，终止雇佣

That third option, termination, is where employers most commonly go wrong. A termination during probation is still a termination, and the employee retains the right to challenge it as unfair dismissal.第三种选择，也就是终止雇佣，正是雇主最常出错的地方。试用期内的终止仍然是终止，员工依然有权以不公平解雇为由提出挑战。

What the Industrial Court has said工业法庭的立场

Across multiple rulings, the Industrial Court has held that a probationer who is terminated without being given:在多项裁决中，工业法庭均认定，试用期员工在被终止雇佣前若未获得：

• Clear performance feedback during the probation period试用期内清晰的绩效反馈
• A reasonable opportunity to improve after receiving feedback收到反馈后合理的改进机会
• Proper notice of the employer's concerns before termination终止前雇主对其疑虑的正式告知
• Reasons for the termination, in writing以书面形式说明的终止理由

…has been unfairly dismissed. The Court is not requiring employers to confirm underperforming probationers. It is requiring that the decision to terminate be based on a fair and documented process.……即属不公平解雇。法庭并非要求雇主为表现欠佳的试用期员工转正，而是要求终止雇佣的决定必须建立在公平且有记录可循的程序之上。

How to do it right正确的做法

A defensible probation-termination process looks like this:一套经得起挑战的试用期终止程序应当如此：

Step 1, Set clear expectations at the start第一步 · 一开始就设定清晰期望

At the start of probation, the employee should receive written confirmation of what is expected during the probation period, performance standards, behavioural expectations, and the criteria that will be used for confirmation. "Do a good job" is not a standard. Specific, observable behaviours are.试用期开始时，员工应收到书面说明，列明试用期内的期望、绩效标准、行为要求，以及转正所依据的评估准则。"好好表现"不是标准，具体、可观察的行为才是。

Step 2, Provide regular, documented feedback第二步 · 提供定期且有记录的反馈

Mid-probation check-ins are not optional. At minimum, there should be a documented review at the 30-day, 60-day, and pre-confirmation marks. Concerns should be raised when they are observed, not stored up for a "surprise" at the end.试用期中段的检视不是可有可无。至少应在第 30 天、第 60 天及转正前各进行一次有记录的评估。发现问题应当即时提出，而不是攒到最后来一个"惊喜"。

Step 3, Give a genuine opportunity to improve第三步 · 给予真正的改进机会

If concerns emerge, the employee should be told specifically what needs to change, by when, and with what support. This is the "opportunity to improve" the Court looks for. It doesn't need to be a formal performance improvement plan, but there needs to be a clear, documented conversation before termination is on the table.若出现问题，应明确告知员工需要改进什么、期限多长、公司提供哪些支持。这正是法庭所要求的"改进机会"。它不一定要是正式的绩效改善计划，但在考虑终止之前，必须先有一次清晰且有记录的沟通。

Step 4, Extend probation, if appropriate第四步 · 视情况延长试用期

If the employee is making progress but is not yet at standard, extend probation rather than terminate. An extension is procedurally cheaper, legally safer, and often resolves itself in one of three ways: the employee improves and is confirmed, the employee doesn't improve and can be terminated on a now-strong record, or the employee resigns on their own.若员工有进步但尚未达标，应延长试用期而非直接终止。延长在程序上成本更低、法律上更安全，而且通常会以三种方式之一自然收场：员工改进并获转正；员工没有改进，而此时的记录已足够扎实，可以据此终止；或员工自行辞职。

Step 5, If terminating, do it properly第五步 · 确需终止时，把程序走完

When termination is warranted: a letter explaining the reasons for the decision, referencing the feedback that was given, the opportunity to improve that was provided, and the grounds for the conclusion. Notice pay as per contract. Handover. Clean exit.当终止确有依据时：发出一封说明决定理由的信函，引述曾给予的反馈、曾提供的改进机会，以及得出结论的根据；按合约支付代通知金；完成交接；干净利落地办理离职。

The quiet benefit of doing it this way这样做的隐性回报

Employers who follow a disciplined probation process rarely have their probation terminations challenged, and when challenged, almost always win. Employers who treat probation as "hire and hope" and terminate quickly when it doesn't work out, spend time and money defending Industrial Court claims they didn't need to face.遵循严谨试用期程序的雇主，其试用期终止极少被挑战；即便被挑战，也几乎总能胜诉。而把试用期当作"先请了再说"、一不合意就迅速解雇的雇主，则要花时间和金钱去应付本可避免的工业法庭诉讼。

"Probation is the employer's assessment window. It is also the employee's legal protection window. Both can coexist, if the process is right.""试用期是雇主的评估窗口，也是员工的法律保护窗口。只要程序得当，两者可以并存。"

A good probation process is not a legal burden. It is a performance-management discipline that, properly executed, produces better hiring decisions and more defensible terminations. The companies that do this well end up hiring better, terminating rarely, and almost never seeing the inside of the Industrial Court.良好的试用期程序不是法律负担，而是一种绩效管理纪律。执行到位，它带来的是更好的招聘决策和更站得住脚的终止决定。把这件事做好的公司，招人更准、解雇更少，也几乎不会踏进工业法庭的大门。