A performance improvement plan, also known as a PIP, is a formal document that outlines specific steps and goals for an employee to improve their performance or face potential termination.
“Ideally, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’re placed on a PIP,” says Leigh Henderson, who worked as an HR leader for nearly 20 years, supporting a handful of Fortune 100 organizations.
“If your manager is [effectively] managing you, you should have already received signs and feedback in multiple sessions indicating that your performance is declining. If no improvements are made, you may be placed on a PIP,” she explains.
But if you find yourself on a PIP, here’s what you can expect and what you need to do to successfully come back from one.
The PIP Meeting is crucial for gaining clarity
According to Henderson, if you’re being put on a PIP, your manager will most likely inform you that they are speaking with HR to initiate a performance improvement plan. Then you will meet together and this meeting is a crucial step for coming back from a PIP.
When the meeting happens, it’s important to remember that “all HR knows is what your leader has shared with them,” says Henderson.
“This is now your opportunity to make sure that everything’s professionally on the table. How can you professionally state your case? For example, if you received a strong performance rating, bring up that rating and note how you have never received any negative feedback, expectations, or coaching from your leader. And make sure you voice any concerns that you may have,” she advises.
During the meeting, you should also ensure that your goals are clear and quantifiable. It shouldn’t just say, “employees need to send emails every week,” she says. If it does, ask, how many emails? 10? To which parties? It needs to be clear.
Then, “you want to make sure it’s time-bound. If there’s no time frame to complete these things as an employee, you need to have clarity on that,” she explains.
If needed, you should ask: “How long are you giving me? I don’t see any time here. Can I get a quarter? Can I get 90 days to complete this PIP?”
To make the meeting effective, Henderson suggests ensuring that you leave with a clear understanding of expectations. This means making sure things are time-bound, actionable, and that you get all of your questions answered by your leader.
Nolan Church, a former recruiter at Google, DoorDash, and ex-chief people officer at Carta, adds that when you are in the meeting and the company says, “you’re not performing, here are the things you need to do,” it’s not best to walk in and just say: “Hey, let’s negotiate,” on the goals.
Instead, “it’s important to be a reasonable adult, and get clear on what the goals are.” This is the time to seek clarity on how you can move forward, he says.
In the meeting, you might want to say: “Instead of just meeting the terms of the PIP, I want to crush it and become a top performer. What would that look like?” Church suggests.
Church explains, then from there, read into the body language and the tone of your manager, as that will give you a clearer sense of whether they actually believe it’s possible for you, or if they are just looking to fire you.
“If you have any sort of hesitancy, you should start looking for a job right away,” Church says.
Utilize resources and training to learn
Henderson explains that PIP discussions can sometimes reveal that an employee missed out on a training, and you, as the employee, should point this out.
You might professionally say, “Hey, everyone else got X, and I never got to go through it,” which could be a remedy for you.
If you’re trying to come back from a PIP, “be selfish about what your needs are, your wants, and just anything and everything that you require to be successful in your position because what’s on the line is your employment,” says Henderson.
Henderson says to ask yourself: Do you need accommodation? Do you need software? Do you need training? What are you missing to be successful?
You may have been too shy, anxious, or reluctant to ask for these things before, but this is your opportunity to develop and get better,” she says. Ask for those things so you can improve.
Keep track of your progress and communicate
According to Church, when people get put on a PIP, they often focus on the moment it happens. While the moment you find out is a big deal, if you’d like to come back from a PIP, your progress check-ins are more important.
“To truly know where you’re standing and if you’re improving, it is important to ask for feedback from your manager—which will require a weekly conversation,” he says.
Henderson also explains that most people on a PIP will want to shy away from these meetings because they can feel bad or scary. But, she says, it’s important to lean into the discomfort and to make sure those meetings are on the calendar.
You could say, “I want to prove to you that I can excel in this role, and I want to make sure that I have that opportunity to share what I have accomplished,” and then ask to have those meetings regularly.
This will allow you to share your accomplishments and take some control back, explains Henderson. When you’re in those meetings, “seek to understand how your manager feels about your performance and your behavior,” Church adds.
Even if you feel like you’re crushing it, your manager’s perception is what matters, he explains. “And the only way that you can stay in alignment with where you’re standing is to ask for feedback.”
Are they worth trying to come back from?
PIPs are beatable, says Henderson. “You can absolutely come back from a PIP if you are with an organization that means a lot to you, you love your job, and you really want to keep it, then take the PIP seriously.”
You can do that by asking for those development opportunities, really advocating for yourself, and making sure those follow-ups are on the calendar.
With that said, “that doesn’t mean PIPs are always used appropriately. In my career, I’ve certainly seen PIPs used by leaders as a way to try and force someone out of the organization, and this typically occurs when a leader just wants to get rid of somebody, but they’ve documented nothing,” she explains.
“In these cases, leaders, especially toxic leaders, will use PIPs as a chance to get some documentation quickly with no intention of giving the employee a fair shake,” she explains.
Church echoed this statement. Oftentimes, when a manager wants to fire an employee, HR will look to see what documentation they or the manager have. And when the manager says, “What do you mean, documentation?” HR will respond with a PIP to ensure that the employee knows the severity of the feedback and to justify terminating an employee if the time comes.
“I’m not a fan of PIPs,” says Church, who believes termination is the most likely outcome.
It’s important to reflect about what you want and whether or not it makes sense to stick around—especially if the PIP was a surprise, says Henderson.
“Really think about that relationship between you and your leader. Is it unhealthy? Are there some areas where you can truly improve? Take control, be self-reflective, and start asking yourself some deep questions on whether this is the right place for you,” says Henderson.