Performance Improvement Plan | Full form of PIP

What is Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) ?

PIP refers to a “Performance Improvement Plan.” It is a strategy developed by the industries to assist candidates who are unable to meet job performance objectives. A PIP focuses on specific areas of the employee’s performance, identifies the cause and areas of deficiency in the employee’s performance, and sets clear expectations for the employee’s future conduct. If the employee fails to meet the target within the timeframe specified, the employer may terminate the employee’s employment or transfer the employee to a different team. PIP is issued to employees only after discussion with the team managers or team leads to make sure that PIP is appropriate for that employee. In short, PIP is a plan developed for employees who have had a performance setback during a specified time period, and the PIP plan is there to make it right so the employee can work on his or her weak areas. 

Companies also organize training or development sessions for such employees. In most organizations, it is found that the HR and the managers make the PIPs, and once they are done, they inform the team leads about this, and the team leads pass this information on to the employees who are found to be defaulters during the specific time period. However, all the team members should be aware of the PIPs so that they do not have to find themselves in that place. PIPs are a very helpful and easy way to improve an employee’s performance and an organization’s growth. During PIP, the employee does not receive the same target as the other employees because they are given a timeline to improve their performance, so they begin with easier targets and gradually increase their targets based on their progress.

Benefits of Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

The benefits of Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) are:

• Helps in company’s growth: Making PIP helps in the company’s growth because if there is a PIP policy in the company, the employees work more seriously to meet their targets as they know that if they do not meet their targets, they might have to face disciplinary actions from the management.
• Motivates staff to perform better: PIP’s main focus is to help the staff perform better rather than penalize them for their underperformance.
• Saves a lot of time and money: Improving current employee performance saves companies a lot of time and money, because if the employer fires the non-performing employees, the company may have to face the expenses that come with recruiting a new candidate for that role. Instead, the employer can use the PIP policy and help the employees by arranging some training sessions for them to improve their performance.
• Better understanding of organization: Employees put in more effort when they understand what the organization expects of them, and employers also do not have to be ruder towards their employees if they have a PIP policy.
• Helps to understand weak points: PIPs assist employees in charting a clear path to success by identifying their weak points.
• Helps companies in terminating underperforming candidates: PIP supports employees whose performance has slipped, but it is sometimes beneficial for the employers as well, as they get an excuse to terminate a continuously underperforming employee.
  

Ideal way to implement Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) in an Organization

• The organization’s performance should be measured, and based on that, each employee should be assigned targets and tasks. If an employee is unable to meet the set targets, their perspective on why they are unable to meet those targets must be considered, and only their targets and the PIP timeline should be revised as a result. Rather than terminating them from their job, they should be given a fair amount of time to make possible improvements in their performance.
• With the help of the performance parameters, the employees should be informed about the areas where they are lacking, and if needed, they should be provided with the required training that can help them improve their performance.
• Make sure that the employee has been made aware of the consequences and timeline of PIP.
• Once the employee is in PIP, their performance should be reviewed regularly, and they should be informed about their performance so that they can make more efforts to make possible improvements in their performance.
• The employee should be supported by their team and management during the PIP, and they should try not to put too much pressure on them so that they can work freely and perform better. PIPs’ main objective should always be results and performance.
• After the PIP period is over, the employee’s performance should be reviewed one by one, and they should be informed about their performance during the PIP period, and appropriate action should be taken based on their performance as per the company’s regulations.
  

What can be included in a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) document?

A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)document can include the following:

• Employee Information: Information like name, designation, emp code, and department name should always be included in the PIP document.
• Reason for PIP issuance: The reason must be clearly communicated to the employee, along with the data showing the setback in the areas which show the performance.
• Targets that will be assigned during the PIP: The employee should be clearly informed about the targets during the PIP so that they can do their best to make possible improvements in their performance.
• Timeline should be clearly mentioned: The timeline of the start date of the PIP and the end date should be mentioned in the PIP.
• Consequences and expectations: The consequences should be mentioned in the PIP document if the employee fails to meet the PIP targets.

Performance improvement plans (PIPs) should be included in the companies’ plans, and the employees must be made aware of them. This is best for the managers, as it becomes a formal process to deal with the employees who are not performing. PIPs help the organization achieve a better outcome and also help them to know their best-performing employees, which can also help the organization in its internal recruitment processes. Issuing PIPs may be preferable in firing underperforming employees, and employees may express gratitude to the company because they know their employer supports them, and they may work harder to keep their job. Also, the employer gets to know about the areas in which they have to work, and they can conduct more training sessions for the employees to attain better results.