

“From April 10-15, showed up at 9:30am every day” is. “Doesn’t show up to work on time” isn’t specific. Don’t just drop the PIP on an employee let the employee contribute their thoughts and ideas.īe firm about the fact that an employee is underperforming. The best way to do this is to work with the employee to develop strategies to help. Rather, it should provide a roadmap for the employee to do a better job, given that it’s in everybody’s interest to have the employee improve.

A PIP shouldn’t be an opportunity for a manager to simply list the things he doesn’t like about an employee. Often the consequence for failing to meet expectations is termination.īoth parties - manager and employee - should sign the PIP, acknowledging that they are committed to fulfilling the expectations it lays out. Set out the specific consequences for both meeting and not meeting those expectations. Daily check-ins? Short, weekly meetings? Acknowledgement that the employee is allowed to work from 10:00am to 6:00pm, and will not be punished for not responding to an 8:30am email?īy adding this section to the PIP, you assure your employee that the company is committed to the employee’s improvement. Here the manager describes what he will do to help the employee. “Employee will meet with manager once a week for ongoing evaluations of expectations.”.“Employee will have all reports read by a co-worker before submitting them to his manager.”.“At 9:00am, employee will email his manager a list of 5 tasks he will complete that day, and will send another email at 4:30pm reporting on the status of those tasks.”.“Employee will attend a weekly training session, where she will review the company’s procedures for dealing with clients.”.

The point is for the manager to help provide the employees with the resources necessary to do their job well. This section should always be completed in consultation with the employee, and partially in response to the manager asking “what steps can you take to reach these expectations?” This is where the PIP describes the specific actions the employee can take to achieve the expectations set out above. “Employee must complete no less than thirty deliverables per week.”.“Employee must be at her desk by 9am every day.”.“Reports must be filled out completely.”.“Log 200 calls for the month of October.”.Here the PIP should specify, in as literal terms as possible, the work expectations for the employee over the next 60 or 90 days. The less personal this section can be, the better: managers should strive to be as objective as possible. Rather, it should objectively cite the issues with the employee’s work: goals that were not met, specific instances, relevant dates, and clear descriptions of the mismatch between expectations and performance. Importantly, this is not a catch-all for complaints about an employee, or a laundry list of issues the manager has. This is where the manager describes ways the employee has not performed the job as well as he could have. It can help managers become better mentors, and can help employees better do their jobs. In short, a good PIP can make communication less turbulent. Employees can also be sure that they are being provided with those tools. Has the employee received all necessary training? Are the job expectations clear to all parties?īy drawing up a PIP, managers can make sure that employees have all the tools available to be successful at their jobs, and that they know exactly what is expected of them. A conversation around a PIP can help clarify.

In fact, when an employee isn’t performing as well as he could be, managers - though they might jump to conclusions - don’t always know the reasons. In the real world of deadlines and deliverables, however, this doesn’t always happen. In an ideal world, of course, managers and employees are always communicating, keeping one another abreast of what’s going well, and what isn’t. Why? Because it’s a clear, objective way to put managers and employees on the same page. Although it’s often derided as a strategy for management to justify a firing, in fact a Performance Improvement Plan can be a valuable tool in the HR toolbox.
