Remote performance improvement plans (PIP)

PIPs are apparently more popular than ever, according to the Wall Street Journal: “Workers subject to performance improve plans have grown from 33.4 workers out of 1,000 in 2020 to 43.6 in 2023.” That’s over a 30% increase.

PIPs have a reputation as being the last stop to getting fired, and are too often used as leverage to do so. Remember the goal of a PIP is to help the employee overcome a rough patch, turn it around, and become an invested and productive member of the team. If you don’t do your due diligence first, then intentionally make it difficult to “pass”, you’re using a PIP just to fire someone and it’s a sign of unethical mismanagement of your organization. As managers it is our responsibility to make sure that our employees are set up for success.

It’s popular for a reason: It’s a standardized way of documenting performance declines, making it much harder to sue your employer for wrongful termination. A PIP is typically considered only after an employee has been not meeting their job expectations for longer than an acceptable period. For me as a manager, that’s 3 months, if I have also been doing my due diligence in the meantime, like setting clear expectations and providing support.

Do your due diligence first

A Performance improvement plan (PIP) shouldn’t come into play until you’ve completed exhausted all the following ideas:

1. You’ve given ongoing, weekly feedback in your 1:1s using clear wording and effective communication of what to do and what not to do, and examples of what the employee has done well and what to improve and how.

2. You’ve retrained the person 2 times in each specific task that they are not meeting quality standards. You’ve offered access to additional courses, experts, group trainings, videos, and documentation.

3. QA standards have been clarified, formalized, documented, and gone over with the employee to ensure they understand their job duties and your expectations.

4. You have set clear behavior guidelines and standards for communication, collaboration, and task management.

5. You’ve had an open-ended conversation with them about whether or not they’re even happy in their role. Maybe they already want to leave, or feel a strength of theirs is not being used. Give a role shift a thought – sometimes the biggest unlocks come from moving people into positions that enable their strengths.

6. Be open and nonjudgmental to what else is going on in their life. Is their performance slipping because of something personal, or have they just lost passion or aren’t being challenged enough?

Having a conversation like this, even if uncomfortable, could avoid this whole process altogether. If someone isn’t being challenged enough, lack of passion can turn into lack of performance very quickly. 

What is a PIP?

A performance improvement plan (PIP) is a document that outlines specific steps that an employee needs to take in order to improve their job performance. It is typically used when an employee's performance is not meeting the expectations of their employer, and it is intended to help the employee identify areas where they need to improve and provide them with the support and resources they need to make those improvements.

A PIP should include specific projects and tasks for the employee to complete, deadlines for meeting the goals, and a timeline for review and evaluation of the employee's progress. It may also outline any additional training or support that the employee will receive in order to help them improve their performance.

The goal of a PIP is to help the employee become a more effective and productive member of the team, and to help the organization achieve its goals.

I tend to use 2 weeks as the time period personally because the cadence of my business makes it clear after that point whether the employee is going to improve or not. Regardless, the employee may see it as the first step in the firing process.

How is a remote performance improvement plan different?

With remote management, there are more opportunities for you to screw up, as a manager. That’s why with remote performance reviews it’s absolutely crucial that you’re certain you’ve done everything you can to give the person the best shot at success.

If you haven’t completed the list above (listen, instruct, clarify, guide), then try that first. Only when you’re certain, “I’ve give this person enough chances and clear communication that they should be able to complete the tasks in their role description,” only then can you move them into a PIP.

Here’s how to put someone on a PIP

In the event an employee is not meeting expectations, management can step in with a 2-week performance improvement plan. A performance improvement plan is an opportunity for the employee to learn how to succeed in the areas where they are not meeting minimum expectations. It is the last and required step before letting someone go. 

• Putting an employee on a PIP is a last resort. All training, management techniques, and ongoing feedback options should be exhausted before a manager moves to this option.

• Please contact your manager for help in deciding what to do next with an employee who is not meeting expectations. 

The PIP objective is to make it very clear and explicit to the employee what they need to do in order to fulfill their job duties in a satisfactory manner. It should be clear that if they cannot meet these expectations or improvements after the 2-week period, they may be let go.

Requirements of the manager are to:

1. Explain to the employee that if they don't respond to additional training and feedback, they will be put on a PIP. Please contact your manager about how to deliver this feedback. 

2. Initiate the PIP over video chat or in person, to make it clear why it is happening and when it begins. 

3. Create a clear document that explains what they need to do to fulfill the PIP and improve their performance. 

   Hold a daily standup with the employee, to give ongoing feedback and answer questions about the pace and status of each task.

4. Clearly identify goals for the duration of the plan. 

5. Deliver transparent communication and feedback on progress. 

6. Hold a review at the end of the PIP to let the employee know if they passed or not.

Depending on the employee performance, the employee may:

1. Be released from the PIP

1. If they pass, explain that this new performance level will be expected of them on an ongoing basis from now on. Transition from the PIP back to regular 1:1s and project management. Continue to give weekly feedback to help them grow and improve. Remember, this is the goal! That they turn it around and become an invaluable, productive contributor on the team.

2. Extend the PIP

1. Rarely, we may choose to extend the PIP. We’ll do this only if extenuating circumstances arise, force majeure of sorts, like the assignments relied on tech that was down. I would definitely extend the PIP if there were errors or mis-management in setting it up or delivering it. For example, unclear or unrealistic expectations, directions, or feedback by the manager.

3. Be terminated. 

1. This process must be proposed with formal review and manager sign off: If they did not pass, explain clearly which tickets, failures and behaviors led to this. Arrange with IT to close their accounts directly at the end of the meeting. Let the employee know that they will receive instructions on how to return their tech.

4. Be demoted

1. Very rarely, we may move them to a lower role and give them more time to master that role before giving them more responsibilities. 

5. Be moved to another role

1. Sometimes people perform better when they can exercise different strengths. On rare occasions, we may find that another role altogether is a better fit for this employee. 

Download the PIP template:

Be prepared to talk with the team and answer questions about what’s going on. They’re going to know that this person is under extra scrutiny and if the PIP ends in termination, they will absolutely want to know if they’re next.