How to Put an Employee on a Performance Improvement Plan

Overview

This session provides managers, HR professionals, and business owners with a complete, practical guide to designing, implementing, and managing a Performance Improvement Plan correctly.

Attendees will learn when a PIP is the right tool and when it is not, how to build a PIP with goals that are specific, measurable, and achievable, how to deliver the PIP conversation professionally and compassionately, how to document progress and conduct throughout the PIP period, and how to manage the outcome - whether that is successful improvement, extension, or termination - with a record that is complete and defensible. Please note - this session is designed as a practical management guide and does not constitute legal advice. Attendees are encouraged to consult qualified legal counsel for state-specific guidance.

Why you should Attend

If you have ever put an employee on a PIP that did not work, avoided putting an employee on a PIP because you were unsure how to do it correctly, or used a PIP as a paper exercise rather than a genuine performance management tool - this session is for you. A poorly constructed PIP does not just fail the employee. It fails the manager, exposes the organisation, and in many cases, makes a difficult situation significantly worse.

This session gives you the exact framework to build, deliver, and manage a PIP that is fair, legally defensible, and genuinely designed to give the employee a real opportunity to succeed.

Areas Covered in the Session

• What a Performance Improvement Plan is and what it is designed to achieve 
• When a PIP is the right management tool and when it is not appropriate 
• The legal significance of a PIP in the United States and why documentation matters 
• How to build a PIP - the essential components every plan must contain 
• Setting performance goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound 
• How to identify and document the support, resources, and coaching the employee will receive 
• Delivering the PIP conversation - what to say, how to say it, and how to manage the employee's response 
• How to conduct and document progress check-ins throughout the PIP period 
• Documenting employee performance, conduct, and engagement during the PIP 
• How to manage a successful outcome - when an employee meets the standard 
• How to manage an unsuccessful outcome - when performance does not improve 
• The documentation required to support a termination decision following an unsuccessful PIP 
• Common PIP mistakes that create legal exposure and how to avoid every one of them

Who Will Benefit

• Managers
• HR Professionals
• HR Managers
• Business Owners
• Team Leaders
• Operations Managers
• Department Heads
• People Managers
• Senior Leaders
• HR Business Partners
• Anyone Responsible for Managing Employee Performance