PIP Template: Performance Improvement Plan With Worked Example

A PIP is the right tool when three conditions hold. The performance gap has been raised in writing in at least one prior 1:1 or review, so it is not a surprise. The gap is specific enough to measure against a clear standard. The employee has the capability to close the gap with reasonable support; the issue is not a misaligned role, in which case a role conversation is the right tool instead.

A PIP is not the right tool when used as a paper trail to support an already-decided termination. Courts and employment tribunals in the UK, US, and EU read that pattern in the documentation. It is also not the right tool for one-off behavioural incidents (which belong in a written warning) or for redundancy and restructuring (which have their own statutory processes).

SHRM and CIPD guidance is consistent on this: the PIP should be a genuine attempt to retain the employee. The framing in the document and the manager's conduct during the PIP both signal whether that is true.

1. The specific performance gap. Three to five bullet points naming the gap. Each bullet is a fact, not an interpretation. Wrong: “Not a team player.” Right: “Missed three of the last four sprint commitments by an average of two days.”

2. The standard. What does meeting the bar look like, in measurable terms. “Ship committed sprint work on time on at least seven of the next eight sprints.”

3. The support. What the employer commits to: weekly 1:1, technical pairing time, a named mentor, additional training. The support section signals whether the PIP is a genuine attempt at retention.

4. The timeline and review dates. PIPs are usually 30, 60, or 90 days. Each milestone is a written checkpoint. Skipping the mid-PIP check-in is the single most cited procedural failure when PIPs are challenged later.

5. The consequence if the PIP is not met. Must be stated explicitly. Usually: termination of employment. Acceptable variants include reassignment or further formal process. Vague phrasing here is read as bad faith.

This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Employment law differs materially by jurisdiction. Before issuing a PIP that could result in termination, route the draft through HR or employment counsel in your jurisdiction. The following considerations come up repeatedly across UK, EU, and US employment-law guidance:

• Protected characteristics. Document that the performance issue is unrelated to a protected characteristic (age, sex, race, disability, pregnancy, religion, sexual orientation, union activity). A PIP issued shortly after disclosure of a protected status invites scrutiny.
• Reasonable adjustments. If the employee has a disclosed disability or mental health condition, the PIP must factor in reasonable adjustments. The support section should reflect this explicitly.
• Procedural fairness. The employee should have been told the standard before the PIP existed; the PIP should not be the first time the gap is raised. Hand-deliver and sign the document; record the meeting in the manager log.
• Right to representation. In the UK, the employee has a statutory right to be accompanied in the PIP meeting. In the US this varies. Tell the employee they may bring a representative or colleague.
• Constructive dismissal risk. A PIP set up to be unachievable (e.g. a target 40 percent above the team's top performer) can amount to constructive dismissal. The standard must be realistic for the role.