U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Probationary Employees

	A probationary employee can appeal his or her termination for unsatisfactory performance or misconduct to the Merit Systems Protection Board only if he or she can allege discrimination due to marital status or political partisan affiliation.
	A probationary/trial period, depending on the type of appointment, generally lasts only one to two years. In your efforts to avoid future performance problems, be sure to make a thorough assessment of a new employee's performance during this period.

Key Points To Remember: Within-Grade Increases

	Granting of within grade increases is determined based on meeting the appropriate waiting period and having the most recent rating of record be at an acceptable level of competence or better.
	To grant a within-grade increase, you must issue a determination that the employee is demonstrating an "acceptable level of competence" as documented in a current rating (i.e., not more than 1 year old).
	Once a within-grade increase has been denied, a supervisor has the flexibility to approve a within-grade increase at any time thereafter once the employee is determined to be performing at an acceptable level of competence, but the agency must consider the employee's performance at least every 52 weeks after the denial.