Sample performance improvement plan for behavior

If you’re currently dealing with behavioral issues with your staff, a performance improvement plan can be an excellent tool for correcting those issues and getting your employees back on track. Performance improvement plans are tools for guiding underperforming staff members. They act as a performance action plan to help employers deliver constructive feedback, clear performance expectations, and resources for improving employee behavior.

Check out our performance improvement plan samples for behavior to explore some specific examples of how to leverage an improvement plan in your workplace.

What is a performance improvement plan?

A performance improvement plan (PIP) is an action plan that is created to address poor performance. It includes a description of the behavior that needs to be addressed, measurable goals for improvement, and a timeline with regular check-ins and goal milestones.

The performance improvement plan process should be a collaborative effort between the employee and their manager. The manager should provide ongoing support, coaching, and resources to help the employee improve their job skills and meet their performance goals.

What behavior problems can a performance improvement plan address?

Performance improvement plans can address a number of common employee behavior concerns including insubordination, poor attitude, not putting adequate effort into their work, being rude to customers, and more.

While these are significant issues, they are correctable issues, if the employee is willing to do so. Ensure that, before putting an employee on a PIP, it’s for a problem that is plausible to correct through the plan.

What behaviors should a performance improvement plan not be used to address?

Performance improvement plans can be excellent tools for addressing performance issues. However, they are not the right course of action for all behaviors and often should not be the first attempt at correcting performance problems. When putting an employee on a performance improvement plan for behavioral issues such as attitude, it is important to dig into the root cause of the issue. Sometimes employees need a different kind of support or for managers to adjust their perspective on the situation.

For example, sometimes cultural differences may impact how people communicate. Some cultures tend to be more concise or direct while speaking, A manager may find that to be a sign of attitude or disrespect if they aren’t exercising cultural awareness. Before you start drafting a performance improvement plan, have a conversation. Similarly, a sudden drop in performance from a previously stellar employee could indicate that the employee is dealing with personal struggles or that something is going on in the workplace like harassment. In that case, all you might need is a conversation.

Likewise, there are some times when more drastic measures may be needed. An employee caught stealing or harassing another employee, likely is a candidate for immediate termination. In this case, a PIP is probably not a sensible course of action.

Sample performance improvement plan for attitude

Employee Name: Trevor Jackson

Employee Title: Operations Assistant

Direct Manager: Ashley Boyce

This performance improvement plan is intended to help Trevor Jackson improve his work performance related to his attitude in the workplace.

Areas of Concern

The employee has displayed a negative and disrespectful attitude toward his supervisor and peers. He has received one prior write-up for this on December 5, 2022, as well as informal warnings and coaching.

Performance Improvement Goals

Show respect to coworkers, customers, and supervisors by maintaining a positive and respectful attitude during all interactions.
Receive zero complaints related to attitude during the performance improvement plan duration.
Learn and practice stress management techniques to maintain a calm, respectful demeanor during stressful or busy moments.

Resources

Stress management e-learning course.

Performance Plan Duration

The performance improvement plan will be in place for a timeframe of 60 days commencing on January 15, 2023.

Key Milestones

Milestone: Complete stress management course.
Deadline: February 1, 2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Complete 30-day check-in with manager.
Deadline: February 15, 2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Complete 60-day check-in with manager to review the outcome of the PIP.
Deadline: March 15, 2023
Outcome:

Acknowledgment

I understand that failure to comply with the set employee performance plan may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employee Name: Trevor Jackson
Employee Signature:

Manager Name: Ashley Boyce
Manager Signature:

Sample performance improvement plan for persistent tardiness

Employee Name: Jessica Alvarez

Employee Title: Office Manager

Direct Manager: Deion Williams

This performance improvement plan is intended to help Jessica Alvarez improve her work performance in the area of persistent tardiness and failure to complete office opening procedures.

Areas of Concern

The employee has been late to work nine times in the past 30 days. Ms. Alvarez is expected to be at the office at 7:30 am every day in order to complete the office opening procedures before employees begin arriving for their 8am start times. On four documented occasions, her tardiness caused other employees to arrive to a locked office, causing a delay in their work.

Performance Improvement Goals

Clock in at 7:30 each scheduled work day with zero unexcused lateness during the performance improvement plan duration.
Complete all office opening procedures including unlocking the doors and turning on all lights and office equipment by 8 am. Employee will check off each opening task each day on the opening task checklist.
Alert supervisor or designated backup opener in the event of an unexpected absence or if you will be late due to circumstances outside of your control.

Resources

Opening procedures checklist.
List of backup openers with contact information.

Performance Plan Duration

The performance improvement plan will be in place for 90 days. Continued tardiness during this timeframe may result in disciplinary action or termination.

Acknowledgment

I understand that failure to comply with the set employee performance plan may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employee Name: Jessica Alvarez
Employee Signature:

Manager Name: Deion Williams
Manager Signature:

Sample performance improvement plan for poor customer service

Employee Name: Roger Alvin

Employee Title: Customer Service Representative

Direct Manager: John Benjamin

This performance improvement plan is intended to help Roger Alvin improve his work performance in the area of customer service.

Areas of Concern

Mr. Alvin has received seven customer complaints in the past 90 days. Customers complained that he was rude, did not take the time to listen to their needs, and rushed them off the phone.

Performance Improvement Goals

Consistently provide a high level of customer service and obtain satisfactory customer service survey ratings with an average rating of 8 or higher.
Receive zero new customer complaints during the duration of this performance improvement plan.
Complete customer service training and earn a certificate of completion.

Resources

Mr. Alvin will re-complete the company’s customer service training course and obtain an updated certificate of completion.
The employee will use the Customer Service Manager as a resource for questions and support.
Mr. Alvin will be assigned a Senior Customer Service Rep as a mentor throughout the process. He will shadow his mentor for at least one shift to see how the mentor communicates with customers and resolves concerns.

Performance Plan Duration

The performance improvement plan will be in place for a duration of 90 days commencing on February 24, 2023.

Key Milestones

Milestone: Complete Customer Service Training.
Deadline: 3/1/2023
Outcome:

Meet with mentor and schedule job shadowing session.
Deadline: 3/15/2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Complete 30-day check-in with Customer Service Manager.
Deadline: 3/25/2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Complete 60-day check-in with Customer Service Manager.
Deadline: 5/25/2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Complete final check-in with Customer Service Manager.
Deadline: 5/25/2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Obtain an average customer service rating of 8 or higher.
Deadline: 5/25/2023
Outcome:

Acknowledgment

I understand that failure to comply with the set employee performance plan may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employee Name: Roger Alvin
Employee Signature:

Manager Name: John Benjamin
Manager Signature:

Sample performance improvement plan for failure to meet deadlines

Employee Name: Randall Bishop

Employee Title: Executive Assistant

Direct Manager: Carla Acosta

This performance improvement plan is intended to help Randall Bishop improve his work performance in the area of time management and meeting deadlines.

Areas of Concern

Mr. Bishop has consistently missed set work deadlines. This has negatively impacted his coworkers on several occasions. On January 17, Mr. Bishop failed to complete Mrs. Acosta’s conference registration by the deadline. On January 25, Mr. Bishop failed to complete key documents in time for the board meeting causing an important agenda item to have to be postponed to the next meeting.

Performance Improvement Goals

Institute a task management system to closely track upcoming deadlines and manage workload.
Employee will meet all deadlines as set by their manager and will communicate any potential delays or concerns in advance.

Resources

Employee will use their manager, Carla Acosta, as a resource and proactively communicate with her regarding project timelines and prioritizing tasks.
Employee will complete the assigned time management skills training course on the company’s e-learning platform.

Performance Plan Duration

The performance improvement plan will remain in effect for 60 days.

Key Milestones

Milestone: Completion of time management e-learning course.
Deadline: 2/15/23
Outcome:

Milestone: 30-day check-in with manager.
Deadline: 3/1/23
Outcome:

Milestone: Final check-in with manager.
Deadline: 4/3/23
Outcome:

Acknowledgment

I understand that failure to comply with the set employee performance plan may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employee Name: Randall Bishop
Employee Signature

Manager Name: Carla Acosta
Manager Signature:

Sample performance improvement plan for low productivity

Employee Name: Melissa Evans

Employee Title: Sales Development Representative

Direct Manager: Hector Gonzalez

This performance improvement plan is intended to help Melissa Evans improve her work productivity.

Areas of Concern

Ms. Evans fell 40% below her sales goal for the last quarter. Upon discussion with the employee and observation, it has been determined that the root cause of this was a failure to use her time productively at work. Ms. Evan has been logging an average of 25 sales activities per day into the CRM compared to the department-wide average of 94.

Performance Improvement Goals

By the end of the 90 performance improvement plan, Ms. Evans should work up to making 94 sales connections per day on average. This may include email messages, phone calls, voice mails, meetings, and other applicable activities.
Ms. Evans will increase her sales revenue by 20% over the prior quarter.

Resources:

Mentorship from the Sales Manager and a high-performing SDR.
Time management training on LinkedIn Learning.
Re-certification on the company’s sales e-learning course.

Performance Plan Duration

The performance improvement plan will be in place for a time period of 90 days.

Key Milestones

Milestone: Completion of time management training.
Deadline: 2/1/2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Re-certification in sales skills training.
Deadline: 2/8/2023
Outcome:

Milestone: Complete initial meeting with mentor.
Deadline: 2/17/2023
Outcome:

Milestone: 30-day check-in with manager to review progress.
Deadline: 2/27/23
Outcome:

Milestone: 60-day check-in with manager to review progress.
Deadline: 3/27/23
Outcome:

Milestone: Final check-in to review outcome of PIP.
Deadline: 4/27/23
Outcome:

Acknowledgment

I understand that failure to comply with the set employee performance plan may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employee Name: Melissa Evans
Employee Signature:

Manager Name: Hector Gonzalez
Manager Signature:

Sample performance improvement plan template

Ready to fill one out on your own? Use the template below to create an employee performance improvement plan for your staff.

Employee Name:

Employee Title:

Direct Manager:

This performance improvement plan is intended to help [employee name] improve their work performance in the area of [specific performance concern].

Areas of Concern

List specific areas of concern. Use examples of prior incidents and how they negatively impacted the business or other team members where possible.

Performance Improvement Goals

List out the agreed upon S.M.A.R.T. goals. These should be specific goals and ideally measurable with metrics such as productivity or customer service scores.

Resources

In a clear easy-to-read format like bullet points, list out the resources that the employee will utilize to improve their performance.

Performance Plan Duration

Tell the employee how long the plan will be in effect here. You can also mention potential outcomes if the employee does not successfully complete the PIP.

Key Milestones

If you want to break out the plan goals into smaller goals with milestones throughout the PIP plan process, list them here. Some employers choose to use a 30-60-90-day format similar to the one that is often used for employee onboarding to monitor the employee’s progress.

Milestone:
Deadline:
Outcome:

Acknowledgment

I understand that failure to comply with the set employee performance plan may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Employee Name:
Employee Signature:

Manager Name:
Manager Signature: