A 90-day review is a structured check-in at the end of a new employee’s first three months. It looks at how they are doing against clear expectations, what support they need, and whether the job is what both sides expected. It does not change what the law says about their rights.
| Topic | Example question |
|---|---|
| Expectations | Which goals from the job offer are met, and which are not yet? |
| Skills | What can you now do on your own that you could not on day one? |
| Support | What training, tool or person would help most? |
| Fit | Is the job what you expected? What surprised you? |
| Next 90 days | Two or three specific goals with dates |
Use the 90-day review template and compare the 30-60-90 day plan set at hiring.
A pharmacy hires a technician who scores well on accuracy but is slow on the register. At the 90-day review, the manager asks the fit question, and the technician says she is close to leaving because she was told the job was mostly in the back, filling prescriptions, but she spends half her shifts at the counter.
EZTime digital HR forms let you send, sign and file employee documents online.
The manager checks the schedule records and sees she was put on the counter on 23 of her 50 shifts, mostly to cover for open counter shifts. The job description matches what she expected, so the schedule, not the person, was the problem.
They agree on a split of no more than one counter shift a week, and a second technician is trained for the counter. The 30-minute review was paid time for her as a non-exempt employee. At 6 months she is still there, and the pharmacy has avoided the cost of hiring and training a replacement.
If the review leads to ending employment, the reasons should be job-related and documented, the same as at any other time. A record of the training given and the feedback shared along the way is what shows the decision was fair.
A warehouse hires a picker who misses 5 of his first 40 shifts without calling in and has the lowest accuracy on the team despite retraining in week four.
At the 90-day review, his manager shows the attendance records and accuracy reports, along with notes from the two feedback conversations held earlier. The company ends his employment for attendance and accuracy, the same reasons it applies to anyone, and pays his final wages on time under state law.
The manager and employee look at progress against the goals set at hiring, share feedback, discuss support and set goals for the next period.
In an at-will state, employment can end at any time for a lawful reason, before or after the review. The review does not create new protection or remove existing protection.
No. It is a company practice. Some benefit plans use waiting periods, but no law requires a probation period.
Ask what is going well, what you should improve, what the goals are for the next three months, and how your performance will be measured.
The employee and their direct manager. Some companies add HR when there are serious concerns.
Yes. A short written summary of the points and goals helps both sides and becomes part of the employee’s file.
Digital HR forms and e-signatures let new hires finish forms from their phone, and the documents land in their digital employee file.