Managing an Employee through a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

Dealing with a poor performer can be a stressful part of being a supervisor. It’s important to reflect on what led to this point, but it is also important to take action to either help the person improve or start the process of removing them. A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a tool for assessing and improving performance in a structured way, where expectations are clear and feedback is provided, and as a leader, knowing how to deliver a PIP is a crucial skill to managing your directs and your team. 

When to Implement an Improvement Plan for an Employee?

Deciding to put an employee on a PIP is done in close collaboration with Human Resources (HR), as it’s important to discuss and assess the situation before arranging a performance improvement plan meeting. Here are some indicators it might be time to implement a PIP:

Consistent Underperformance: Delivering a performance improvement plan is needed when an employee consistently fails to meet performance standards or goals set for their role, despite clear expectations. Examples could include incomplete, inaccurate, or low-quality work, consistently missing deadlines, or carrying a less-than-full workload (low productivity). Another example is a noticeable decline in the employee’s performance over time. A PIP process is easier to defend and implement if employees have clear performance plans.  

Failing to Respond to Training and Feedback: Before proceeding with a PIP, ask yourself and Human Resources: has the employee been given training and feedback about their performance issues, with concrete examples of the improvement needed? Only proceed with delivering the PIP if you have documented evidence that you tried to course correct, but there’s little to no improvement. 

Behavioral Issues: Also called conduct issues, this is when the employee has a consistently negative attitude that affects their work and team morale. Other examples are when the employee fails to take responsibility for actions, blaming others or external factors for poor performance, or when the employee disrupts the work environment, including having frequent conflicts with others.  

Impact on Team or Business: It is important to link personal performance to organizational impact. To proceed with putting an employee on a performance improvement plan, you need to illustrate how the employee’s performance or behavior negatively affects the productivity of the team. There may also be complaints from customers about the employee’s work quality, behavior, or lack of responsiveness.

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Clear, Achievable Goals for Improvement: A PIP should include specific, measurable areas where the employee needs to improve. The organization must be prepared to provide the needed support, training, or resources to help the employee succeed. There also needs to be a reasonable timeframe within which the employee can be expected to show improvement – often, this is 4-6 weeks. 

Before issuing a PIP, make sure you fully understand any internal or external factors that might be affecting the employee’s performance. It is important you have discussed the issues previously with the employee – a PIP should never be a true surprise. An employee should be given multiple opportunities to improve before a performance plan is implemented.

How to Deliver a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

A PIP gives the employee a fair opportunity to improve while also protecting the organization’s interests. Later in this article, we provide a concrete script for the actual conversation. This section gives an overview of the process, from setting up a performance improvement plan meeting, to assessing the PIP’s success.  

Prepare Thoroughly: Once you decide to proceed with a PIP,

gather relevant documentation, such as performance reviews, feedback and any prior warnings. A detailed PIP needs to be clear and concise, consisting of:

• Specific areas of improvement
• Measurable goals
• Timeline for improvement
• Support the organization will provide.

As a leader, you must make it clear that the improvement plan for an employee is for their own benefit, and as their manager or supervisor, you want to help them grow as an employee and as an individual, but you must also make the consequences clear of not meeting the improvement goals. Have HR review the PIP, and inform your own supervisor. 

Schedule a Private Meeting: Schedule a private, face-to-face meeting in a neutral, confidential setting. Make sure there are no interruptions. Let the employee know in advance that you will be discussing their performance so they aren’t surprised.

Communicate Clearly and Compassionately:  Begin the PIP meeting by setting a constructive tone. The script below may help. The overall goal is to help the employee improve– the PIP is the tool for doing that. Be specific and factual as you review the PIP document, avoiding emotional language or generalizations. Build in time for a dialogue – but don’t argue.  

Document the Meeting: Once the meeting is over, document the meeting both for yourself and the employee; attach the PIP electronically – have the employee acknowledge the PIP by signing the document or through an email confirmation.

Monitor Progress: Monitor the employee’s progress against the goals set in the PIP. Provide constructive feedback regularly and document progress or continued challenges. If you are pointing out areas of failure, don’t just tell them what they did wrong – tell them what success would have looked like. Make sure to involve the employee, and ask them questions to guarantee they’re on the right path: do you feel that these goals are realistic? Are we providing the right resources? Establishing a dialogue during  periodic meetings is crucial, as it makes the employee feel heard, and helps them understand what the next step in the PIP is.

Evaluating PIP Success. At the end of the PIP period, objectively determine whether the employee has met the goals successfully. If they have improved, acknowledge their effort and outline the next steps to maintain their progress. If the employee has not met the objectives, talk with HR about the next steps, which may involve extending the PIP, reassignment, or removal (termination). It is vital that the employee understands their status shortly after the PIP period ends.

Maintain Confidentiality. It is important to respect privacy surrounding the PIP. Make sure the details of the PIP and the employee’s performance are kept confidential, shared only with those who need to know (e.g., HR, direct supervisors).

PIP Conversation Script 

Here’s a script for delivering a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP): personalize it to fit your style, your relationship to the employee and the situation. We recommend that you pause after each area of focus and ask the employee if they have any questions. When you are delivering the PIP, ask if they have any concerns. Be empathetic, listen actively, but don’t argue – you are there to deliver the PIP, not to debate it. Delivering a PIP effectively requires balancing firmness with support. Remember, accountability supports fairness for all your employees who are meeting customer needs.   

Opening:  Thank you for meeting with me today. This conversation is about concerns we have about your performance. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss a Performance Improvement Plan, or PIP, that we’ve developed to help you improve in specific areas. 

Background: This meeting should not be a surprise to you. You have received feedback about your performance verbally and in writing over the past XXXX timeframe. For example, [provide examples].  

Why It’s Needed: We are implementing this PIP because we’ve noticed that your performance is not meeting expectations in a few key areas. We want you to have the opportunity to succeed. This plan is designed to provide you with the guidance and support you need to improve. Note: If expectations are described somewhere, like in a position description or performance plan, you may want to refer to that as the tool for baselining expectations.  

Specific Performance Issues: The specific areas where we’re looking for improvement include [mention the specific issues, e.g., missed deadlines, quality or completeness of work, communication issues]. For example, [provide a specific example of the issue]. These are important because [explain the impact of these problems on the mission or other people].

Outline the PIP:  The performance improvement plan outlines specific goals and expectations for employee improvement. I am giving it to you in writing, but I would like to talk through it as well. These are the areas we’ll be focusing on:  [Describe each goal and what success looks like – include any outcomes or processes critical to success]. You will have [X] weeks to meet these objectives. During this time, we’ll have regular check-ins (e.g., weekly) to review your progress and address any challenges you might be facing.

Support and Resources: We want to support you through this process. To help you succeed, we’ll provide [mention any resources, such as additional training, mentorship, or adjusted workload]. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask. This is an important way for you to show what you can do here, and we want it to work well for you and for the organization.  

Other Resources: Special Cases: Your organization may want you to mention the availability of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if the employee needs other forms of support. If your employee mentions that a disability is hindering performance, acknowledge and note that, ask if there are any specific needs that the employee has to accommodate those disabilities, and then discuss with HR after the meeting. Be sure to reconnect with the employee about accommodations that can be made, or to engage in a separate process on that process.   

Consequences: I want to be clear that if the objectives of the PIP are not met within the given timeframe, it may lead to further action, which could include reassignment, or even termination (or removal). However, our goal is for you to improve and continue to be a valuable part of our team.

Invite Employee Input: I understand this is a lot to take in, so I want to give you the opportunity to share your thoughts. What questions do you have about the PIP, or is there anything you’d like to discuss regarding your performance?

Next Steps and Closing: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You can now start working on the goals in the PIP. We’ll schedule our first check-in for [date], and we’ll meet regularly to review progress. I’m also providing you with a copy of the PIP so that you can use it as a planning and self-assessment tool. Let’s work together to make sure you succeed. If you have any questions or need assistance at any point, please reach out to me.

That’s it! Knowing how to deliver a PIP is to speak with clarity, empathy, and an objective focus on improvement. When putting an employee on a performance improvement plan, adjust the tone and content as needed to fit the specific context of your situation. 

Workplace Training on Performance Management 

Performance management, including the PIP process, is an important part of leading others. Knowing not just how to implement an improvement plan for employees, but knowing how to address a PIP with confidence is crucial for all individuals in leadership roles. Pryor’s online and in-person trainings on Management and Leadership can help you develop these skills described above. Here are some good examples: 

• Dealing with Employee Discipline & Performance Problems
• Set Employee Goals and Define Performance Expectations
• How to Conduct Employee Performance Evaluations
• Performance Gap Series
• Communicating with Tact and Professionalism 
• Leadership, Team-Building and Coaching Skills for Managers and Supervisors