Probation Workflow Module

Overview

The Probation Workflow module manages the evaluation and confirmation of new employees during their initial probation period. It provides a structured supervisor review process with HR oversight.

Scope

Feature	Status
Probation Review CRUD	✅ Implemented
Manager Submit / Resubmit	✅ Implemented
HR Approve / Send Back	✅ Implemented
Outcome Auto-Apply	✅ Implemented
Notifications	✅ Implemented
Digital Signature	✅ Implemented
Automatic Triggering	✅ Implemented

Data Model

probation_reviews (
    id              BIGINT PRIMARY KEY,
    employee_id     BIGINT REFERENCES employees(id),
    reviewer_id     BIGINT REFERENCES employees(id),  -- Manager
    status          VARCHAR,    -- pending, submitted, approved, sent_back
    recommendation  VARCHAR,    -- confirm, extend, terminate
    performance_rating  INTEGER,
    strengths       TEXT,
    improvements    TEXT,
    comments        TEXT,
    hr_comments     TEXT,
    signature       TEXT NULL,
    review_date     DATE,
    created_at      TIMESTAMP,
    updated_at      TIMESTAMP
)

Workflow

State Machine

                    ┌──────────────────────────┐
                    ▼                          │
┌─────────┐    ┌───────────┐    ┌──────────┐  │
│ Pending  │───▶│ Submitted │───▶│ Approved │  │
└─────────┘    └───────────┘    └──────────┘  │
                    │                          │
                    ▼                          │
               ┌──────────┐                   │
               │ Sent Back │──────────────────┘
               └──────────┘

Transition	Actor	Description
Pending → Submitted	Manager	Manager completes and submits review form
Submitted → Approved	HR	HR approves the manager's assessment
Submitted → Sent Back	HR	HR returns the review for revision
Sent Back → Submitted	Manager	Manager revises and resubmits

Outcome Application

When HR approves a probation review, the outcome is automatically applied to the employee record:

Recommendation	Employee Record Changes
Confirm	employment_lifecycle → Confirmed
Extend	Remains Probationary; new review date set
Terminate	employment_lifecycle → Terminated, activity_status → Inactive

Automatic Triggering

The system monitors probation periods and automatically creates review records when an employee's probation end date approaches (typically at the 3-month mark). The employee's direct manager is assigned as the reviewer.

Architecture

Backend Components

Component	Path	Purpose
Model	app/Models/ProbationReview.php	Eloquent model
Controller	app/Http/Controllers/ProbationReviewController.php	REST endpoints
Service	app/Services/ProbationReviewService.php	Business logic & transitions
Policy	app/Policies/ProbationReviewPolicy.php	Authorization
Resource	app/Http/Resources/ProbationReviewResource.php	API response
Requests	app/Http/Requests/ProbationReview/	Validation

Frontend Components

Component	Path	Purpose
List Page	app/dashboard/probation-reviews/page.tsx	Review list with filtering
Detail/Form	app/dashboard/probation-reviews/[id]/	Review form & details

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/probation-reviews	List reviews (role-scoped)
POST	/api/probation-reviews	Create a review manually
GET	/api/probation-reviews/{id}	Get review details
POST	/api/probation-reviews/{id}/submit	Manager submits review
POST	/api/probation-reviews/{id}/approve	HR approves
POST	/api/probation-reviews/{id}/send-back	HR sends back

Authorization Rules

Action	Admin	HR	Manager	TeamLead	Employee
View all reviews	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
View assigned reviews	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Create review	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
Submit review	✅	✅	✅ (assigned)	✅ (assigned)	❌
Approve / Send back	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌

2026-03 UX Updates

• Rating inputs in probation review detail were changed from dropdowns to single-select 1-5 checkbox controls.
• All review rating items are now explicitly numbered for faster manager scoring.
• Existing signature files now support Preview Current Signature in addition to download.