How to write a PIP that actually works.
A good performance improvement plan, or PIP, names specific gaps with examples, sets measurable goals, gives a clear timeline of 30 to 90 days, offers real support, states the consequences plainly and schedules check-ins. Done that way, it either turns the person around or creates a fair record. Luman Group in Long Branch, New Jersey, explains how.
A PIP should do one of two honest things. Genuinely turn the person around, or create the clear, fair record you'll need if it doesn't. A vague PIP does neither, and can backfire on you.
Most PIPs fail for the same reason. They're vague. "Improve your communication" is a complaint, with nothing in it to measure. A good PIP is specific enough that both of you can tell, on a set date, whether it was met. That specificity is what makes it fair to the employee and what makes it hold up if the relationship ends.
What does a good PIP include?
- Specific deficiencies. The actual gaps, with concrete examples and dates.
- Measurable goals. What improved looks like, in terms you could both verify. Numbers, deadlines, quality standards.
- A clear timeline. A defined period, often 30, 60 or 90 days, with check-in dates built in.
- Support and resources. Training, coaching and tools you'll provide. A PIP with no support reads as a setup, and courts notice.
- Consequences, stated plainly. What happens if the goals are met, and what happens if they're not.
- Scheduled check-ins. Regular, documented touchpoints, so the plan is revisited after you hand it over.
Which mistakes make a PIP backfire?
- Vague goals nobody can objectively measure, so any outcome looks arbitrary.
- No support, which makes the PIP look like a pretext rather than a genuine chance.
- Using it purely as a paper trail to fire someone you've already decided on. If it is obviously pretextual, especially right after a complaint or a protected activity, it can strengthen a claim instead of protecting you.
- Inconsistency, putting one person on a PIP for what others do freely.
- No follow-through on your own check-in commitments.
Don't start a PIP from a blank page.
The Progressive Discipline Packet gives you a PIP template, the corrective action form, and a guide to running the whole sequence, specific, fair and defensible, without HR jargon.
This guide is general HR information from Luman Group, not legal advice. Employment law varies by state and changes over time. For your own situation, talk to an employment attorney, or call us and we will point you the right way.
Common questions.
Is a PIP just a step before firing?
It shouldn't be treated as one. A good PIP is a genuine chance to improve, and if the person does, you've kept an employee. If they don't, you have a fair, documented record. Going in having already decided is the mistake.
How long should a PIP be?
Long enough to fairly show improvement, commonly 30 to 90 days depending on the role and the goals. Too short looks like a formality.
Does a PIP protect me legally?
A fair, specific, consistently applied PIP with real support is strong documentation. A vague or pretextual one can do the opposite, so how it is written matters.
What if they don't improve?
Then the consequences you stated up front apply, and you have the record to support the decision.
Tell us what's going on.
Send the form and Meghan will point you to the right-sized help, from a single template to a full HR partnership. Prefer to talk? Call or text.
- (929) 459-7160Call Luman Group
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- meghan@luman-group.comEmail Meghan
- 219 Long Branch AvenueLong Branch, NJ 07740
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