UK Recruitment Glossary
Trial Period
In recruiter context
Different from probation. Trial periods specifically apply when an employer has offered an alternative role to redundancy — UK law gives the employee a 4-week trial to assess fit without losing redundancy entitlement. If the trial fails, the employee can leave and still receive statutory redundancy. Trial periods can be extended by mutual agreement. Common in restructures where multiple roles are being consolidated or geographies changed. Worth knowing about — many UK employees don't realise trial periods exist as a redundancy alternative.
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