Ask Lisa: How to Have a PIP Conversation
Recently, we asked our newsletter readers to submit their questions about their HR challenges to Lisa, so she could respond. Someone sent in the following question:
About 6 months ago, we hired a Video Production Director. His performance has not been great. We like him a lot and want to give him a chance, so we are considering put him on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). What are your tips for how to have a conversation with him? – I.N.
Dear I.N.,
It is always frustrating when employees aren’t performing in a way that you’d prefer, especially so soon after they have been hired. With just six months tenure, the employee is still fairly new to your company and my HR brain wonders if there are other factors at play causing or contributing to the poor performance.
Before we get to a potential PIP conversation, let me ask you a few questions.
Is the employee super clear on your expectations and what good performance looks like in their role? If not, then there is likely to be misalignment and the employee might believe that they are performing well. Ideally, you want to review the job description with your new employee, as well as set both expectations and goals, so they know what they should be achieving. If their performance is poor, revisit and clarify the expectations and set goals.
Have you already given them feedback on the issue on more than one occasion? This is a must. How can someone improve if they don’t know they are failing and in what ways?
Have you given the employee a reasonable amount of time to adjust their performance? If you answered “no” I can only say “Come on, really?” Research shows that it takes about 66 days for new behaviors to become automatic, and that’s when we are focused on performing the new behavior every single day. I’m not saying that you should put up with poor performance forever, however, consider what is truly reasonable when asking an employee to improve.
Have you provided them the necessary resources and other support so that they can change their performance? Sometimes this looks like additional training, coaching or mentorship. Other times, it’s a referral to your Employee Assistance program to get help (see question 5).
Could the poor performance be related to something personal or have some other context? As much, as we may not want it to, things happening in our personal lives have an impact on our work and we often need grace from our employers. Furthermore, there are often factors in the workplace that cause the breakdown. Make sure you take the time to uncover any potential contributing factors first with a poorly performing employee.
If you answered “no” to any of the first four questions or “yes” to the final one, I’d recommend taking a step back and working it through with the employee some more first. Go back to the first question that you answered “no” to and start there.
If you are satisfied that you have done everything that you can to help the employee improve their performance, then I have a final question for you: Do you believe that the employee is capable and willing to improve their performance?
If you do not, then there is no point in placing the employee on a PIP. At the end of the day, it is simply a waste of time for you as the manager and it gives the employee false hope. Ultimately, the true goal of a PIP is to help the employee actually improve their performance and not, as many of us falsely believe, to hint that the employee should start looking for another job. The better approach would be to have the difficult conversation and ask them to exit the company. If you are concerned about legal risks, talk more with an HR consultant or an attorney before taking any action.
If you do believe that the employee is able to improve, then by all means go ahead and place them on a PIP.
Here is a template that you can use to document the PIP, along with this step by step guide to inform the conversation.
Good luck!
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