A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is designed to facilitate discussion between the staff member and the supervisor and to clarify the work performance to be improved. You must contact the Director of Human Resources & Employee Development before issuing a performance improvement plan.

The supervisor should review the following six items with the employee when using the document.

  1. State performance to be improved; be specific and cite examples.

  2. State the level of work performance expectation and that it must be performed on a consistent basis.

  3. Identify and specify the support and resources you will provide to assist the employee.

  4. Communicate your plan for providing feedback to the employee. Specify meeting times, with whom and how often. Specify the measurements you will consider in evaluating progress.

  5. Specify possible consequences if performance standards are not met.

Performance Improvement Plans are attached to and incorporated within the performance evaluation . The performance evaluation should reflect a negative rating. PIP's can be given throughout the year and should not be addressed solely during the annual evaluation time period. In most cases the PIP is for a 90 day period, however this time period can be extended if improvement is made, but appears inconsistent.

Performance improvement plans should be addressed in a positive framework, however the employee should be made aware that ultimately if their performance does not improve that they will be dismissed. In this way PIP's function similar to disciplinary corrective actions with the dismissal letter indicating that the dismissal is for unsatisfactory work performance.