How HR Makes Performance Improvement Plan Work for Everyone?

What is HR’s role in PIP?

One of the biggest challenge of working in human resources can be the role that you play in employee struggles and difficulties i.e poor performance reviews, disciplinary actions, conflicts between employee and manager and many more.

HR plays a crucial role throughout the PIP process, from creation to communication and beyond.

PIPs may have a poor reputation, but if designed and implemented correctly, they can genuinely help an employee turn their performance around. If used effectively as part of a comprehensive performance management strategy, PIPs can help employees understand exactly where their performance is lacking, get a clear sense of how to improve their work and set tangible goals so they can take ownership of their own improvement.

Remember, HR’s role is to be a neutral and supportive resource throughout the PIP process. Their involvement helps ensure fairness, clarity, and a higher chance of success for both the employee and the company.

Best practices for implementing a PIP

1. Determining if a PIP is appropriate:

HR helps assess the situation’s severity and whether a PIP is the best course of action. They consider factors like:

• Performance history: Has the employee consistently underperformed, or is this a recent issue?
• Previous attempts at improvement: Have there been documented efforts to address the performance concerns?
• Root cause of the issue: Is it due to lack of skills, motivation, or external factors?
• By analyzing these factors, HR helps ensure the PIP is used constructively and not as a mere formality.

2. Guiding PIP development:

HR works with the manager to develop a clear, concise, and fair PIP. They ensure it includes:

• Specific and measurable performance concerns: Avoid vague statements like “needs to improve communication.” Instead, focus on concrete examples and data.
• SMART goals: Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This provides a roadmap for improvement.
• Actionable steps: Outline specific actions the employee can take to achieve each goal. Resources and support should also be identified.
• Communication plan: Determine how progress will be tracked and communicated, including regular meetings and progress reports.

3. Communication and training:

HR helps train managers on effectively communicating the PIP to the employee. This includes:

• Setting the right tone: The conversation should be constructive and focused on improvement, not accusatory or punitive.
• Active listening: Managers should encourage open communication and address the employee’s concerns.
• Clear expectations: Ensure the employee understands the PIP’s purpose, goals, and consequences.

4. Ongoing support and monitoring:

HR provides ongoing support to both the manager and the employee throughout the PIP process. This may include:

• Coaching and mentoring: HR can offer resources or connect the employee with internal or external coaches.
• Progress tracking and adjustments: Regularly reviewing progress and adjusting the PIP as needed to ensure its effectiveness.
• Mediation: If conflict arises between the manager and the employee, HR can provide mediation to facilitate communication.

5. Documentation and legal compliance:

HR ensures the PIP process is well-documented and complies with company policies and legal requirements. This includes:

• Maintaining accurate records of all PIP-related communication and progress.
• Ensuring the PIP is consistent with anti-discrimination laws and company policies.

What to avoid when writing a performance improvement plan?

1. Ambiguous targets

If an employee doesn’t know how or when they’re supposed to meet their goals, that’s when a PIP can become a major de-motivator.

2. Bias

When creating and implementing a PIP for their direct reports within their teams, leaders need to avoid biases. Like :

• The “horn effect” — whatever an employee does is viewed as negative
• “Just-like-me” bias — the manager only evaluates employees positively if their personality and work approach is similar to that of the manager.

3. Unrealistic time frames

Setting an unrealistic time frame for attaining specific goals can be demotivating. It also sets your employees up for failure. Think of ways you can make their goals attainable in a reasonable stretch of time.

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How to approach a PIP with an employee?

Implementing a PIP can be touchy situation, because the employee is likely to feel embarrassed that things have gotten to this point and could be emotional or defensive.

Here are some things you can do to help make the plan implementation easier for everyone :

1. Let them know you’re i their corner : the employee may feel overwhelmed, so the idea that someone has their best interests at heart during a tough time can help.
2. Get the employee’s perspective on the issue : let them explain where they think things went wrong and see if they have a different perspective on what the expectations were, whether they were lacking in resources etc. it’s possible the employee has different interpretation of how or why things went wrong and it’s important to get both sides.
3. Balance the negative with some positives : let the employee know what he/she is doing well instead of hitting the negative over and over.
4. Don’t be vague or ambiguous : provide clear examples of the problematic behaviour, as well as the next steps needed to correct the issue. Also be clear about the impact of his/her behaviour or poor performance.
5. Give constructive feedback : saying “this is unacceptable” or “just be better” without offering potential solutions or next steps is unlikely to help the employee correct the issue. Give recommendations on how they can improve because he/she must be already aware about the required improvement but may not be clear on how to approach it.
6. Make time to meet with the employee : make sure he/she feels supported throughout the process, it’s not enough to say “ok, here’s the plan, do this”. Checking in can help ensure that : the progress is happening and the employee understands what’s expected at every step.