In my experience, the probation period is usually 3 months or 6 months in length although it could be longer. In most cases I've seen, a 3-month probation period is fairly standard.

What does it mean to you in practice?

Depending on local employment laws and policies of the company in question, the probation period is typically used to protect the employer if they hire someone who doesn't work out as planned and they need to terminate the person.

Typically, it usually means that the employer can terminate a new employee within the probation period with or without cause.

It can also mean that certain things such as company medical benefits don't kick in until the probation period is over.

This can cause a bit of trouble if you rely on medical benefits – especially if you have a family – and are worried about leaving your current employer where you have paid medical benefits and are thinking about moving to a company where you'll have to wait several months for the medical benefits to kick in.

Negotiating a reduced probation period is something that you might consider when you are speaking with a potential employer about a job offer.

Depending on your situation, you might consider letting the potential employer know during the job offer negotiation stage that having consistent medical benefit coverage as you switch jobs is important to you.

In many cases, it can be a negotiating point that you discuss with the employer and can improve upon or in the best case, get the employer to get rid of completely.

I've negotiated job offers for people where I've been able to eliminate the probation period completely with regards to medical benefits. In other words, rather than having to wait for the probation period to pass before medical benefits kick in, the employer agreed that the employee would be entitled to benefits from day one on the job.

In other cases, I've seen where company policy dictates that no one gets the probation period for medical benefits eliminated or reduced and the employee had to decide whether or not the probation period was a strong enough reason for not accepting the job.

If medical benefits (or other benefits that are delayed by a probation period) are important to you, checking with a potential employer during the job offer negotiation stage about the possibility of receiving these benefits from day one on the job is an option you should consider.