Performance improvement plan template

When a PIP is the right tool

Use a performance improvement plan when someone has had clear feedback, the gap is still there, and you genuinely believe they can close it with structure and support. It suits skill and output problems: missed quality targets, slow processing times, poor follow-through. It is the wrong tool for misconduct such as harassment, theft or safety violations, which belong in your disciplinary process, often starting with a written warning template.

If the gap is new, start with informal coaching and document it on a coaching form. A PIP that arrives without any earlier feedback feels like an ambush and usually is one. For a broader definition and how PIPs fit performance management, see the performance improvement plan glossary entry.

A worked example

Kevin Brooks is a claims processor at an insurer's service center. His standard is 45 closed claims per week at 97 percent accuracy. Over the last quarter he averaged 31 claims at 91 percent accuracy, and his last performance review rated productivity a 2, with two documented coaching sessions since.

The plan runs 60 days. Target one: at least 42 closed claims per week for each of the last four weeks of the plan. Target two: accuracy of 96 percent or better on the weekly quality audit for the same four weeks. Support: two half-day sessions with a senior processor in week one, a daily 10-minute huddle with his supervisor in weeks one to three, and removal from the overflow queue so he works one claim type. Check-ins every Friday, with the weekly numbers shared.

Notice that the end target is slightly below full standard. That is a deliberate, common choice: it asks for a clear trend and sustained improvement without demanding perfection inside 60 days.

Writing a fair, defensible plan

Fairness and legal defensibility come from the same habits.

• Measurable targets. "Improve attitude" cannot be met or missed. "Respond to every customer email within one business day" can.
• Consistency. The standard should be the one others in the same role are held to. If peers miss the same target without a PIP, expect a discrimination claim to point that out.
• Real support. Write it in and deliver it. A plan whose promised training never happens is hard to defend.
• Honest check-in notes. Record progress as well as gaps. A log that only lists failures looks pre-decided.
• Watch the timing. Placing someone on a PIP right after they request leave, report a concern, file a complaint or disclose a disability or pregnancy creates retaliation risk. Talk to HR or counsel first, and check whether a reasonable accommodation conversation is needed under the ADA.

This is informational, not legal advice. Rules vary by state, and unionized workplaces must follow the collective bargaining agreement.

Delivering the plan

Hold the meeting in private with HR present. Explain that the purpose is to help the person succeed and that the outcome depends on reaching the targets. Walk through each issue, the target and the support, and let them respond. Expect emotion; give them time to read the plan and allow written comments.

Send a short follow-up the same day summarizing the plan and the first check-in date. Our performance improvement plan email gives you wording that is clear without being harsh.

PIPs in high-volume frontline teams

In contact centers, warehouses and retail, a supervisor may run several plans at once. Standardize them: one template per role with the core metrics, standards and typical support pre-filled, so supervisors fill in the individual data and examples. Thirty days is usually enough for metrics measured daily, such as handle time, adherence or units per hour.

Track PIP outcomes by supervisor. If one supervisor's plans almost always end in termination and another's almost always succeed, the problem is likely in how the plans are written or supported, not in the people on them.