Onboarding and Probation for Professional Services
A first day that is the same for the fifth joiner as the first.
What this looks like in professional services
The parts of onboarding and probation that are specific to this sector, rather than general.
Onboarding a Fee Earner
Chargeable from when, and supervised until when.
What this coversHide
Onboarding a Fee Earner
Chargeable from when, and supervised until when.
What this coversHideA professional firm onboards people who are expected to be chargeable quickly and whose early work carries the firm's name. Both facts have to shape the induction.
- Professional qualification and credential verification at joining
- Firm methodology, templates and working-paper standards
- Client confidentiality and conflict-check process
- Practice management and time recording from day one
- Supervision arrangements stated - who reviews their work and when
- Chargeability expectations explained with a ramp, not a cliff
- Client introduction handled by the firm
- Probation reviewed on quality and conduct, not only hours
A stated supervision arrangement is the protection that matters most in the first months, both for the client and for the individual, and it is often left to whoever happens to be available.
The general method — what onboarding and probation covers, the questions it answers and what an engagement produces — is the same whatever the sector, and is set out on the employee onboarding and induction page. What is above is the part that differs for professional services.
Other HR topics for professional services
Where to start
Most engagements begin with a review of how this runs in your business today, then a written process and the sequence to implement it.
See all HR topics for professional services, or another industry.