In a group hiring dozens of restaurant staff monthly, probation deadlines kept slipping — and weak hires became permanent by default. We automated 30/60/90-day check-ins with a forced confirm-or-flag decision, so no probation period ever lapses unreviewed.
Typical results
96%
Check-ins completed
90 sec
Manager form time
31→22%
90-day attrition
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Across nine restaurants, managers were supposed to review every new hire at 30, 60, and 90 days. In practice, only 40% of check-ins happened, HR tracked deadlines in a shared calendar nobody opened, and around 14 probation periods a year lapsed unreviewed — including two hires the group had legal grounds to release but kept by accident.
Before and after
Missed probation deadlines
−100%Manager check-ins completed
2.4×90-day attrition
−29%The automation
Every new hire in the HRIS now spawns a probation timeline automatically. At days 30 and 60, the manager gets a 90-second WhatsApp form — performance, attendance, attitude. Skipped forms are chased, then escalated to the area manager. Ahead of day 90, the system compiles all check-ins and forces an explicit decision: confirm, extend, or flag for release — with HR alerted well before the legal deadline.
How it works
- 01
Timeline on day one
Each new hire in the HRIS automatically gets 30/60/90 milestones and a legal deadline clock.
- 02
90-second check-ins
Managers rate performance, attendance and attitude in a short WhatsApp form at each milestone.
- 03
Chase and escalate
Skipped forms are nudged automatically and escalated to the area manager after 48 hours.
- 04
Forced decision
Before day 90, compiled check-ins demand a choice: confirm, extend, or flag for release.
- 05
HR safety net
HR sees every approaching deadline on one board, alerted long before anything can lapse.
Starts from
- New hires from HRIS
- Probation deadlines
Delivers
- Manager check-in forms
- Escalating deadline alerts
- Confirm-or-flag decision
The impact
Missed probation deadlines drop to zero, down from 14 lapses a year. Manager check-in completion jumps from 40% to 96%, problems surface in month one instead of month four, and 90-day attrition eases from 31% to 22% as struggling hires get coached, or released, on time.
Questions about this automation
How does the automation know when each probation period ends?
When a new hire is added to the HRIS, the automation reads the start date and the probation length for that role and builds a timeline with 30, 60 and 90-day milestones. The legal deadline is stored with the record, so a change to the start date updates every milestone automatically.
What does a manager fill in at each check-in?
A short WhatsApp form asks the manager to rate performance, attendance and attitude, with an optional comment. It takes about 90 seconds. Answers are saved to the employee's record, and if the form is skipped, a reminder follows and the area manager is alerted after 48 hours.
What happens as the 90-day deadline approaches?
The automation compiles all check-ins and asks the manager for an explicit decision: confirm, extend or flag for release. HR sees every open decision on one board and gets an alert well before the deadline if none has been made. A multi-step build like this is usually rolled out in stages, starting with the 30 and 60-day check-ins.