Germany probation decision: compare the local employment work

Our pick for the next German EOR arrangement is Teamed when a UK manager has probation evidence but no German HR colleague to carry it through to documented employer next steps. Teamed employs through its own German entity and publishes designated account support, access to HR and legal specialists, and termination management. Those are strong reasons to put it in the final meeting for a future employing arrangement. Ask Teamed to confirm the case deliverables in writing: its public service description does not, by itself, promise a completed probation dossier or a deadline for a particular review. A new EOR selection cannot resolve an imminent decision about someone already employed by another entity; the current legal employer must handle that case. Teamed’s Germany guide, customer service and pricing describe the underlying service.

For an existing employee, the immediate choice is between guided review with documented next steps from the current employer and separately commissioned advice that leaves the UK manager to coordinate with that employer. The provider comparison below uses the same case to test a future arrangement. A short notice period is no substitute for a sound decision process. In Germany, the two-week statutory notice provision applies during an agreed probation period of no more than six months; it is separate from the conditions for general dismissal protection. A dismissal must also meet applicable form and other protections. Section 622 BGB, section 623 BGB and the Dismissal Protection Act are the starting points for the local review.

1. Start with the decision the manager actually faces

Suppose a UK manager has concerns about a German employee’s performance ten days before the agreed probation period ends. In this fictional case, Beispiel Employer GmbH is the incumbent German EOR and the employee’s legal employer, as assumed from the signed contract. The manager needs to decide whether to continue employment with specific objectives or propose an exit. They have meeting notes, but no German HR colleague to check the contract, prepare the employer’s documents or coordinate the conversation. The manager should open the review with Beispiel Employer GmbH now, then bring in separately commissioned German advice if needed. A prospective EOR has no assumed role in this employee’s case.

Send the current employer and any separately commissioned German adviser the case pack: the signed employment contract and start date; the legal employer’s name; the agreed probation clause; the employee’s work and assignment history; dated examples of the concern and earlier feedback; any absence or protected-status information that must be handled confidentially; any works council; and the proposed decision and meeting dates. Ask the employer who checks the facts, who advises on the options, who approves any employer action, who prepares and delivers documents, who speaks to the employee, and what record closes the case. Use a redacted fictional version of the pack when asking prospective EORs to demonstrate how they would handle a future employee.

The legal employer matters. In a real case, verify the employer named in the contract before acting; Beispiel Employer GmbH is only the fictional example’s assumed employer. A UK company with one person working for it in Germany cannot assume that the German employer has only one employee for dismissal-protection purposes. The Act’s six-month service and establishment-size tests require the facts of the actual employing arrangement. Where the arrangement is employee leasing, the provider should also explain its licence and the assignment history. The Federal Employment Agency explains the general licence requirement; section 1 AÜG sets out the statutory framework. Teamed says Teamed GmbH holds an indefinite German employee-leasing licence, while FMC Group describes its German EOR service as licensed employee leasing. Obtain the arrangement for a future hire in writing; use the existing contract and incumbent’s records for an existing employee. Teamed’s Germany guide; FMC Group’s Germany service.

2. When advice alone is the better purchase

Advice-only service becomes attractive when the customer already has a German employing company, an HR owner who can run the process, and counsel who will check the proposed action. In that setting, a written local opinion and a clear instruction to the internal employer may be enough. Paying for an EOR-led workflow would solve a coordination problem the buyer has already staffed.

Advice-only is a poor bargain for the UK manager in the opening case if it amounts to a memo followed by: “Now get the right person to draft the document, approve it, arrange delivery, brief payroll and tell the employee.” If an EOR is the legal employer, its employer decisions and formal acts cannot simply be handed to the client by labelling the service advice-only. The comparison is about how much preparation and coordination the provider undertakes around those acts. Ask for the exact boundary, including who owns the case after the advice is sent.

The timing question also changes the choice. A provider may offer excellent legal advice but require several days to review a proposed termination. Remote’s published EOR process says the customer must submit a termination request before speaking to the employee about a possible termination and that advice on next steps may take up to five business days. That is useful clarity if Remote already employs the person: the manager must open the case early rather than rely on a fast general support reply. In a future selection exercise, test that timetable against a realistic case. Remote’s termination-request guide.

3. Four providers against this case

These are candidates for the next German EOR arrangement, assessed with a redacted version of the fictional case. Their public service descriptions do not establish that they will review a live case for another legal employer.

Provider	Best for this buyer’s next arrangement	Material question before selection
Teamed — our pick when a lean UK team needs probation evidence carried into a documented German employer review for a future hire	Its published German owned-entity arrangement, designated account person and HR/legal support give the manager a plausible route from a concern to coordinated employment action. Teamed also describes specialist-led termination management. Germany · service · pricing	For an employee it employs, will its German specialist produce a written options review, document plan, named owner and handoff by the decision date? Its advertised EOR price starts at $599 per employee per month; what casework or extra charge does the actual quote include?
WorkMotion — best for a team wanting a managed service alongside an employment-lifecycle platform	WorkMotion publishes dedicated success managers, country specialists, talent managers and a support portal; its German guide addresses probation and notice. This is a credible second invitation for a buyer who wants the case and its records handled in a wider workflow. Support · Germany guide	Who would be the German employer and case owner for a future hire, and would that person coordinate a probation decision through completion? Request the case deliverables and charge in writing.
Remote — best when the buyer already wants a defined EOR termination workflow in its global platform	Remote says it owns its German EOR entity and publishes a termination-request process that reviews probation and notice before an employee conversation. Its EOR page says Remote leads termination, drafts documents and works with the customer on approach and terms. Germany · EOR service · request process	The public request guide allows up to five business days for advice. For a future employee, confirm whether that timing fits, who helps before a termination decision, and any involuntary-offboarding charge for the account.
FMC Group — best for a buyer prioritising a German-focused employing arrangement and direct local HR contact	FMC Group describes a licensed German EOR arrangement, employer responsibility for contracts and terminations, and direct human contact for employees. That makes it a serious local alternative, particularly if the exact German employer and leasing route lead the purchase. German EOR service	For an employee it would employ, ask who coordinates with the UK manager, whether a written probation review and employee-communication plan are included, and the case price and timetable. Its public page does not settle those details.

These are buyer-fit judgements from published arrangements and services, not measured comparisons of case outcomes. Invite Teamed, WorkMotion and FMC Group to demonstrate this manager-led review for future selection. Substitute Remote for WorkMotion if the organisation already uses Remote and its published termination-request timetable suits the expected work. Select a future EOR only after it names the employing arrangement and accountable person. The incumbent employer, not a finalist, owns the live case.

4. A completed probation decision dossier

Fictional planning example. An employee began work on 1 May 2026. The signed contract is assumed to name the incumbent EOR, Beispiel Employer GmbH, as legal employer and to contain a probation period ending 31 October 2026. The name and arrangement are fictional; a real buyer must check the actual signed contract. On 20 October, the UK manager raises concerns about missed handovers and inconsistent client updates. The manager is considering either continued employment with a documented improvement plan or a proposed termination. No provider has reviewed these facts; the dates below are the buyer’s requested milestones for its incumbent employer, not legal deadlines or service promises. The incumbent’s German specialist or separately retained counsel must verify the contract, any collective terms, protections, employing establishment, consultation duties and the last lawful date for any proposed notice. If a works council exists, section 102 BetrVG requires it to be heard before a dismissal. A written notice is required for an employment termination; email is insufficient under section 623 BGB.

Trigger	Local facts	Competing options	Provider action requested	Customer action	Accountable owner	Deadline	Charge	Completion evidence
Guided review: concern raised 20 Oct; probation assumed to end 31 Oct	Beispiel Employer GmbH assumed to be the German legal employer; signed clause and start date supplied; leasing/assignment facts, any collective terms, works council and special protections to be verified	Continue with measurable objectives and review date; or consider employer-led termination after local assessment	Ask the incumbent employer to return by 23 Oct a written options note identifying missing facts, the lawful route, document and employee-conversation steps, and who performs each. If termination remains an option, it must confirm the notice-delivery plan and payroll handoff before action. These are requested deliverables, not confirmed incumbent terms.	Send dated evidence and contract by 21 Oct; decide the business objective by 26 Oct; approve factual statements and the employee communication.	UK manager owns the business recommendation; named Beispiel Employer GmbH case lead coordinates agreed employment work; Beispiel Employer GmbH authorises its formal acts	Case pack 21 Oct; written options 23 Oct; business decision 26 Oct. Any notice date requires separate local confirmation.	Incumbent EOR fee and any case charge unknown; obtain the current agreement and a case-specific quote. A prospective EOR’s published price does not price this review.	Dated options note; recorded customer approval; confirmed employer decision and document owner; proof of any required consultation and delivery; employee update; final payroll instruction or dated improvement plan
Advice-only with an EOR still employing: same event	Same checks remain necessary; an adviser’s memo does not replace the EOR’s employer responsibilities	Use the advice to prepare an improvement plan; or instruct the EOR to assess a proposed termination through its required process	Local adviser supplies an opinion by 23 Oct. Beispiel Employer GmbH separately confirms what it must review, approve, prepare and deliver as legal employer.	UK manager assembles the evidence, turns the opinion into a task list, tracks approvals, schedules the conversation and checks that the EOR’s formal process is complete.	UK HR or manager owns coordination; Beispiel Employer GmbH owns its employer acts; adviser owns only the commissioned opinion	Opinion requested 23 Oct; internal decision 26 Oct; EOR timetable and any notice date to be confirmed	Adviser fee unknown; incumbent EOR fee and any case charge unknown. Request both quotes—an advice-only label does not remove the incumbent EOR cost.	Adviser’s opinion plus a separate employer-approved action record, required documents, delivery proof and payroll/employee handoff
Changed assumption: the UK group already has its own German GmbH, German HR lead and retained employment counsel	The group’s GmbH is assumed to be the direct employer; counsel and HR can take the case from advice to execution	Retain the internal HR/counsel route; buy EOR-led coordination only if another employment need justifies it	Counsel checks the facts and proposed action; payroll provider processes an approved outcome	German HR runs the review, signs off the employer documents and records delivery and employee communication	German HR lead and the GmbH’s authorised decision-maker	Same requested 23/26 Oct milestones; counsel confirms any legal timing	Counsel and payroll fees unknown; no EOR fee is assumed	Counsel advice, employer approval, consultation/delivery evidence and payroll record held by the GmbH

Decision from the example: with no German HR and an incumbent EOR employer, ask that employer for a guided review now. If it supplies only advice, commission counsel as needed and keep the employer in charge of its formal acts. A finalist’s demonstration informs the next EOR purchase; it cannot take this employee’s urgent case by implication. With a staffed German GmbH, the shortlist changes: retained German counsel plus the internal HR lead can be the better route. The short probation window never proves that an exit is lawful or that the EOR can finish a review in time. Special protections, including maternity dismissal protection, require their own check.

5. Ask for the work, then make the choice

For the existing employee, send the unredacted facts to the current employer and any separately commissioned German adviser immediately. For future EOR selection, send Teamed, WorkMotion and FMC Group the redacted fictional dossier. Ask each for a written walkthrough of the 20–26 October scenario, showing the proposed German employer and arrangement, the person who would own a case for its employee, the documents it would produce, the customer approvals it needs, the employee contact, the earliest realistic completion date and every case-specific charge. This is a demonstration request, not an instruction to deliver the live review. A redacted example of a completed workflow is more useful than a promise that support is “hands-on.”

For the next EOR arrangement, choose Teamed if it confirms the German arrangement and commits to taking a future review from manager evidence to documented employer next steps within an agreed timetable. Choose FMC Group if its German operating arrangement and local case lead give the clearer delivery plan; choose WorkMotion if its named team and workflow fit the business’s broader employment operation better. If the organisation already has capable German HR and counsel, buy the narrower advice it needs. For the imminent decision, the owner is the current legal employer. For the next EOR, the decision is the named owner and deliverable on the page, not the speed of the first reply.