A plan that works starts before anything is written down. The manager checks that the standard was clear, rules out causes a plan cannot fix, such as a health condition, a training gap or an impossible workload, and only then sets a small number of measurable objectives with real support behind them. This free performance improvement plan checklist covers that whole process: deciding whether a PIP fits, drafting and approving the plan, the meeting, documented check-ins and the final outcome. It usually follows an Employee Performance Review that found a gap, and if the plan does not succeed it hands over to the formal capability or disciplinary procedure.
A PIP is for capability, not conduct. It suits someone who is trying but not reaching the standard: missed targets, repeated errors, slow output. Deliberate behaviour, such as rudeness, refusing instructions or breaking a rule, is misconduct and belongs in the disciplinary procedure. Putting a conduct issue on a PIP muddles both processes.
It should never be the first conversation. The employee should already have heard about the problem in one-to-ones or a review, with examples. A PIP that arrives as a surprise reads as a step towards dismissal, and the employee spends the period defending themselves instead of improving.
Rule out causes a plan cannot fix. Acas advises employers to find out why performance has dropped before acting. A health condition or disability, caring pressures, a missing piece of training, an unrealistic workload or broken tools will not be fixed by objectives. Each needs its own response, and some, like reasonable adjustments, are a legal duty.
Decide what success looks like before you start. The manager, HR and, ideally, the employee should all be able to say at the outset what result at the end of the plan would count as success. If nobody can, the objectives are not ready. Agree too what happens if the plan is only partly met: an extension, a different role, or the formal process.
The standard is clear: written down, explained and met by others in the same role.
The gap is documented: dated examples, not a general impression.
Informal feedback has not worked: the employee has heard about it and had a chance to adjust.
Other causes are ruled out: health, training, workload and tools have been checked.
It is misconduct: use the disciplinary procedure.
Health or disability is involved: look at adjustments or accommodation first, with occupational health where available.
The role or tools changed: start with training and a development plan.
The whole team is struggling: fix the workload or the process, not one person.
United Kingdom. The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures covers poor performance as well as misconduct. Acas guidance says a performance plan should set specific objectives, a reasonable timeline and the support offered, with a written record shared with the employee. An informal plan meeting carries no statutory right to bring a companion, but a formal meeting that could lead to a warning does. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. From 1 January 2027 the unfair dismissal qualifying period falls from two years to six months, so a fair process matters for far more of your workforce.
United States. No federal law requires a PIP, and most employment is at will. But the EEOC says employers may hold an employee with a disability to the same performance standards, and that accommodation is not retroactive. When an employee on a PIP asks for an accommodation, the EEOC’s own example postpones the plan while the request is discussed. Absences protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act cannot be counted against the employee. State laws add their own protections, so check the state where the employee works. If a plan may end in dismissal, take advice from an employment lawyer on the specific case.
Six phases, from deciding whether a plan fits to the final outcome. The adjustments phase appears only when health or disability may be a factor, and the last phase changes with the outcome.
Shown when health or disability may be a factor.
Most PIPs fail at the objectives. “Improve communication” cannot be met or missed, so the final review becomes an argument about impressions. A SMART objective is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound: the employee can see on any day whether they are on track, and so can anyone who reviews the file later. The examples below show the same intent written both ways.
| Role | Weak objective | SMART objective | Evidence at check-ins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer support | Improve customer service | Resolve at least 85% of tickets within the 24-hour target each week from week 3, up from 68% now, with no more than two reopened a week | Weekly ticketing report |
| Sales | Be more proactive | Book at least eight qualified discovery calls a week by week 4 (currently four; team average ten), each logged in the CRM with a next step | CRM activity report |
| Software developer | Write better code | By day 60, have four in five pull requests approved after no more than one round of changes, and include a test with every bug fix | Code review history |
| Accounts payable | Make fewer mistakes | Keep the invoice error rate below 2% on the weekly sample check from week 4, down from 9% now | Sample check results |
| Project coordinator | Communicate better | Send the status report, with risks and next steps, to all stakeholders by 10am every Monday for the length of the plan | Sent reports and stakeholder feedback |
| Team lead | Show more leadership | Hold a documented one-to-one with each direct report every two weeks, and agree a development goal with each by day 45 | One-to-one notes and goals |
What to write at each check-in. Keep every entry in the same shape: the date, each objective, the measure this week against the target, the support given since the last meeting, anything the employee raised, and the agreed next step. Write it the same day and share it with the employee. Short, factual entries are more useful than long ones. At the final review, the log should tell the story on its own: whether the objectives were met, whether the support was delivered as promised, and whether anything changed along the way. If the log is thin, the outcome will be hard to defend, whichever way it goes.
Check-in tasks are due a set number of days after the plan start date and assigned to the line manager. Each one adds a row to the check-in log, so a skipped week shows up as overdue rather than being discovered at the final review.
One dropdown shows the adjustments phase when health may be a factor, with UK or US steps by jurisdiction. The outcome dropdown shows the extension, hand-off or follow-up tasks, so nobody has to remember what comes next.
The plan is an approval task for the HR approver, and the checklist halts until it is approved. Evidence and letters are uploaded to their tasks, and the audit trail shows who did each step and when.
Performance management runs across the year. CheckFlow’s HR checklist software runs reviews, development plans, PIPs and disciplinary cases from templates, with assignments, due dates and approvals shared between HR and line managers.
A PIP sits between two other processes. The Employee Performance Review Checklist is where the gap is usually found, and the Disciplinary Procedure Checklist is where an unsuccessful plan goes next, with the same evidence carried across.
A performance improvement plan, or PIP, is a written plan for an employee who is not meeting the standard of their role. It sets out the gap, a small number of measurable objectives, the support the employer will give, how long the plan lasts, when progress will be reviewed and what happens at the end. Done well, it is a genuine attempt to help someone succeed, with a clear record of what was tried.
Long enough for the employee to show sustained improvement, which depends on the role. Thirty days can work for high-volume tasks with weekly measures; sixty or ninety days suits roles where results take longer to show. No law sets a period. Set the length in the plan, review it at the mid-point, and extend only once, for a clear reason such as an absence or an adjustment that started late.
It depends on your policy. Many employers use an informal PIP first and move to a formal capability procedure only if it fails. Others make the plan the first formal stage: the Acas guide describes an “improvement note” for poor performance that is equivalent to a first written warning. In the UK, if the meeting could lead to a formal warning, the employee has the right to be accompanied. Tell the employee which kind of plan this is.
Pause and look at it before going further. In the UK, consider reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 and an occupational health referral. In the US, start the ADA interactive process; the EEOC’s example postpones the PIP while an accommodation request is discussed. Once adjustments are in place, restart the plan with fresh dates. Past poor performance does not have to be excused, but the plan should give a fair chance with the adjustments in place.
No. Ask them to sign to confirm they have received the plan, and say clearly that a signature does not mean they agree with it. If they decline, note that the plan was handed over and when. Invite their comments in writing and keep them with the plan: disagreement often points to something the manager missed.
The case moves to your formal capability or disciplinary procedure, which can lead to a written warning, a final warning and, if improvement still does not follow, dismissal. Redeployment to a more suitable role is worth considering first. Carry the plan, the check-in log and the evidence across, so the formal stage starts from a clear record rather than a fresh argument.
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