PIP / Performance Improvement Plan Templates, 3 Pack Curated by a SPHR Certified HR Leader & People Manager
Are you looking for a quick and easy PIP template solution that’s trustworthy? Unsure what NEEDS to be included in a PIP? I got you! I’m Kristen, an HR and Recruitment Leader turned Career Coach with just under 20 years experience, and I’ve also spent over half of my career as a people manager.
There’s no need to spend hundreds of dollars on having Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) templates drafted by a lawyer. These are download ready in Google docs, and you can download in Microsoft Office in 3-clicks (directions provided with purchase). These performance improvement plan templates / PIP templates can be used in the United States OR Canada. In addition to my extensive experience in the US in Human Resources, I also lived and worked in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for 2 years and know Canadian employment law.
If you would like to validate my experience, please feel free to check out my Linkedin via the button below!
The verbiage and values in these PIP templates.
“A performance improvement plan (PIP), is a tool to give an employee with performance deficiencies the opportunity to succeed. It may be used to address failures to meet specific job goals or to improve behavior-related concerns.”
— Outlined in the Performance Improvement Plan Procedure
“Encourage employees to lead these meetings, to self-report on how they believe they are doing and what realizations they might have made, or what else they feel they need to succeed. Successful progress made toward the goal should be recognized as a means of motivating the employee toward continued improvement.”
— Outlined in the Performance Improvement Plan Procedure
“We value you as an employee, and it is our intent to make you fully aware of this situation and to assist you in improving your work performance. I’m here to support your growth and improvement. The responsibility to improve, however, is yours.”
— Outlined in the Performance Improvement Plan Notice
Performance Improvement Plan Template / PIP Pack
All Performance Improvement Plan templates / PIP Templates are created by a SPHR certified San Francisco HR Leader and People Manager turned Career Coach.
This Performance Improvement Plan Template Pack includes the following:
Crafted by an HR Director and prior Google and Microsoft Recruiter
Verified by a SPHR certified professional
Can be used in EVERY US State and EVERY Canadian Province
Save HUNDREDS of $$$ by not requesting a lawyer to draft
PIP Procedure Doc is 3.5 pages outlining how managers should properly and effectively oversee a successful PIP
PIP Plan Check-in Doc is 2 pages; Designed for regular check-ins and for signing off on the PIPs completion
PIP Plan Notice Doc is a 1 page guide intended to be filled in by the person delivering the PIP to the employee
Completely customizable with the ability to import your company logo and colors, and to edit text!
Template is in Google Docs, and can easily be converted to a PDF or a Microsoft Word doc with three clicks (File > Download > Doc)
Simply make a copy in Google Docs for unlimited copies (File > Make a Copy)
If you're unsatisfied, reach out for a full refund within 7 days of your purchase!
"I'm Kristen, an SPHR certified San Francisco Bay Area HR Leader, Recruiter, and People Manager turned Career Coach! I've worked and consulted for Google, Microsoft, Activision, Hilton, Essence Global, and frog Design, along with many start-ups and small to mid-sized companies."
….“and I also happen to be your PIP template curator!
Tips for a successful performance improvement plan
The most important thing to remember before you go into this conversation is that a PIP is designed as a tool to give an employee with performance deficiencies the opportunity to succeed. It may be used to address failures to meet specific job goals or to improve behavior-related concerns. These tips can make it easier for you to go into a conversation with an open mind and help your employee achieve the goals outlined in the PIP.
Prep the employee: Start the conversation by clearly outlining why you’ve met. Make sure to provide a platform for two way communication.
Active listening: As a people manager, your goal should be to listen and try to understand. Instead of assigning blame, ask them to explain anything that might be contributing to their performance issues. Speaking individually to them could reveal problems you weren’t aware of before, which may impact the performance improvement plan you create together.
Stay positive: As you give constructive feedback to team members, maintain a positive attitude and assure the employee that this is intended to help them get back on track.
Set Goals and milestones: Outline goals in the performance improvement plan before the meeting and go over them line by line to make sure they’re communicated clearly. These goals should be malleable to any reasonable changes based on the active listening skills you put into action.
Explain that you’ll review their progress: As their people manager, let them know that you’ll be there to support their progress and motivate them along the way. This should also include regular one-on-ones and check-ins. This will let them know that they’re not alone in this journey. It will also help keep them accountable and on track with their goals.
These Performance Improvement Plan Templates are perfect for:
Start-ups looking for Performance Improvement Plan Templates
Company Founders, Leaders, and Executives that don’t know what should be included and omitted from a Performance Improvement Plan
Employers that are in California, anywhere in the US, and anywhere in Canada can use these Performance Improvement Plan Templates
Newly hired or founded HR teams or Recruitment teams looking to save time
New People Managers that have never managed an employee or a team before
People Managers that have never managed a Performance Improvement Plan before
People Managers that have had a negative experience managing a Performance Improvement Plan
Performance Improvement Plan Templates are for start-ups and small businesses that are on a shoestring budget, pre-funding rounds, pre-HR teams, or those small businesses that are self-funding
Those that want to add their logo and corporate branding colors to the Performance Improvement Plan Templates
People looking to save time to focus on other areas of the business!
Those looking for a template curated by a trustworthy source, like a SPHR certified HR Leader: HRCI’s SPHR or Senior Professional in Human Resources certification can’t be taken until someone has at least 5-7 years experience in HR, and professionals don’t often pass the test until at least 10+ year’s of experience. Even then, less than half pass. You can trust that your Performance Improvement Plan Templates have been curated by a pro in HR and recruitment!
What is a performance improvement plan?
A performance improvement plan (or often referred as a PIP for short) is a formal document that outlines existing performance issues and goals, milestones, and objectives to overcome those performance and productivity issues.
Performance Improvement Plans can also be referred to as Performance Action Plans, or even other creative names that are less triggering, as the ultimate goal is to get an employee back on track, and the term PIP has been inaccurately viewed synonymously with termination by employees.
Performance Improvement Plans are intended to be 30, 60, or 90 days with very clearly outlined goals and milestones, and regular communication with management on progress so the employee has the opportunity to course correct.
Perhaps the most important piece of the PIP is the conclusion where the people manager and the employee performing the PIP signs off on the completion if it’s successful. If the PIP is unsuccessful, it can result in an extension of the PIP, a demotion, or even employment termination.
How has remote or hybrid workforce changed the Performance Improvement Plan?
Remote people management is different than in-person people management. This seems like an obvious concept, but one we moved right past because most companies thought remote work was supposed to be temporary. Now, we’re years later and the workforce has demanded with their ability to resign that the world has now changed forever towards a remote or hybrid workforce.
Companies seem to know this, and most that have the ability to seem to be embracing the remote or hybrid workforce in some way, but now we’re in the flow of everyday business. We can’t keep the world from spinning any longer since we lost so much time, and the time to reflect and drastically pivot the business up to its gaps is time consuming. So, we keep dealing with the bumps. Taking the attrition, the economical hits, and hoping that eventually those bumps will erode into a smooth surface. I promise, this will all tie into the Performance Improvement Plan topic. Stay with me.
What’s the better way? Of course you know what I’m about to say by now… Take that time! Stop and collect data. Ask your remote and hybrid employees what’s working and what’s not. Don’t be afraid to ask those questions. From my experience in HR, there’s so much PR around asking these questions and there really shouldn’t be. Just be curious and courageous. It’s ok to be thoughtful, but don’t spend unnecessary time PR-ing collecting people data, or you won’t keep it up in the future.
Ok, so it may have seemed like we went off topic on the Performance Improvement Plan. Let me bring it back right here for ya. We cannot measure success until we’ve provided an environment to be successful in, and until we know how to measure that success. Maybe the onboarding is leaving a lot of gaps? Maybe the tools and processes need to be evaluated now that the business has changed to a remote or hybrid one?
Because employers are the ones to write the checks, the power dynamic can cause the finger to generally point in the employee’s direction very quickly. When crafting a performance improvement plan, I ask you to consider and reflect on the possible pitfalls of the business operations. It could even be that this person isn’t the right fit for the company’s needs, and that may be a reflection of the hiring process…and not just your Recruiter because the decision makers are your hiring teams. All aspects need to be evaluated if that’s the case.
Ultimately, a remote workforce has changed the way business is operated, and we pivoted so quickly as a society and skipped over essential phases, and everyone has time-loss-exhaustion. The job market is showing us that we need to do better.
Performance Improvement Plan for Remote Employees OR Hybrid Employees
Please Note:
You must have a google account to access these Performance Improvement Plan templates, even if you plan on converting them to Microsoft. Google accounts are free and take only a few minutes to create with little information collected. I've selected this method because google offers this software freely, and I support using the software to encourage this option to always be available to those that may not be able to afford tools like Microsoft Suite.
The Bossy Sauce, Master Your Craft, Your Best Masterclass, Kristen McDonald and all its affiliates are not held liable in any way for the use of these documents.