A performance improvement plan gives an employee a clear, fair, written chance to fix a specific problem in a set time. Below you'll find a complete PIP template, a filled-in example, and the part most plans skip: naming the skill behind the gap and scheduling the training to build it.

What Is a Performance Improvement Plan?

A performance improvement plan is a written agreement that names a performance gap, sets the standard the employee must reach, and gives a deadline and support to reach it. Most HR teams shorten it to PIP.

A good PIP answers five questions in plain language. What is falling short, with examples? What does good look like, in numbers where possible? By when? What help will the employee get? And what happens if the standard isn't met?

A PIP is not a performance review. A review looks back at a whole period. A PIP looks forward at one or two problems and treats them as urgent.

Why PIPs So Often Fail

Most PIPs fail before they start, because the employee never knew the standard in the first place.

Gallup found that only 47% of employees strongly agree they know what is expected of them at work, down from 56% just before the pandemic (Gallup Panel, 18,665 U.S. employees, August 2023, published May 2024). If more than half your people aren't sure what the job requires, a PIP is often the first time anyone wrote the expectation down. That's late.

The second failure is the support section. Most plans list "resources available" and leave it there. The employee gets a deadline and a warning, but no way to build the skill they're missing. Then the plan becomes what everyone suspects it is: a paper trail for an exit.

Fix both and a PIP becomes what it should be. A focused, time-boxed plan to close a skill gap, with a fair record either way.

The Performance Improvement Plan Template (Copy It)

Copy the plan below into a document, or download the template (.docx). It runs 60 days as written. Shorten it to 30 days for a narrow, quick-to-fix problem, or stretch it to 90 for a complex role.

Section 1: Plan details

• Employee name and role:
• Manager:
• HR partner:
• Plan start date and end date:
• Date of the meeting where this plan was shared:

Section 2: The performance gap

List one or two gaps, no more. For each one, fill in three lines.

• The expectation: what the role requires, in one sentence.
• What happened instead: two or three dated examples, with facts, not adjectives.
• Earlier conversations: when this was raised before, and by whom.

Section 3: The skill behind the gap

• Likely cause: skill, clarity, resources, or something outside work. Discuss it with the employee before you finalize the plan.
• The skill to build: named as something a person can learn, such as "planning a week of work around fixed deadlines," not a trait like "disorganized."

Section 4: The standard to reach

• Measurable goal: what success looks like by the end date, with a number where one exists.
• Milestone at the midpoint: what progress should look like halfway through.
• How it will be measured: the report, work sample, or observation you'll use.

Section 5: Training and support

This is the section that decides whether the plan is fair. Fill in every line with a date.

• Training: the session, course, or practice that builds the skill in Section 3, with dates booked.
• Practice on real work: one live task where the employee uses the skill, with feedback after.
• Manager support: what the manager will do, such as reviewing a plan each Monday.
• Tools or resources: anything missing that the employee needs to do the job.

Section 6: Check-in schedule

• Weekly check-in day and time: booked on both calendars for the full plan.
• Midpoint review date:
• Final review date:
• Written summary: the manager sends a short note after each check-in, and the employee can add comments.

Section 7: Outcomes

• If the standard is met: the plan closes, and the goals move into regular check-ins.
• If progress is real but incomplete: the plan may be extended once, for a stated period.
• If the standard is not met: state the consequence your policy allows, such as a role change or termination, in the wording HR and counsel approve.

Section 8: Acknowledgment

• Employee comments:
• Employee signature and date: a signature confirms the employee received the plan, not that they agree with it.
• Manager and HR signatures and dates:

How to Write a Performance Improvement Plan, Step by Step

Write the plan over a few days, with HR involved from the first draft. These steps follow the order of the template.

Confirm a PIP is the right tool

Use a PIP when a specific, documented problem has continued after at least one clear conversation. If you've never raised the issue directly, start with that conversation. Strong performance review examples can help you find the words.

Write examples, not adjectives

Every gap needs dated examples. "Missed the March 6 and March 13 order deadlines" holds up. "Unreliable" does not, and it starts an argument instead of a plan.

Diagnose the cause with the employee

Ask before you assume. Is it a skill the person doesn't have, an expectation nobody stated, a missing tool, or something outside work? Each one needs a different fix, and only one of them is fixed by training.

Set a standard the employee can control

Pick goals the employee can hit through their own work. A sales rep can control calls and proposals sent, not a market downturn. SHRM also advises that a PIP run at least 30 days, with 60 or 90 days more customary.

Book every check-in before the plan starts

Weekly or biweekly check-ins, each with a written summary, are what make a plan fair. The same SHRM guidance is blunt about it: if a manager can't commit to regular check-ins, don't start the PIP. A one-on-one meeting template keeps those check-ins short and consistent.

Deliver it in person, then in writing

Share the plan in a private meeting with HR present or informed. Walk through each section, ask for the employee's view of the cause, and adjust Section 3 if they raise something real. Then send the final version in writing the same day.

Turn the Support Section Into a Training Plan

The support section is where a PIP proves it's fair. If the gap is a skill gap, the support must be training, scheduled and checked, not a line that says "resources are available." Build it in three moves.

1. Name the skill behind the problem. A missed deadline is often a planning skill. Tense conflict with a peer is usually a difficult conversations skill. Errors in finished work often point to a quality checking habit nobody taught.
2. Pick the format that fits the gap. If the person doesn't know how, start with a short lesson or a live session. If they know how but freeze under pressure, use coaching and practice on a real situation. If they need judgment, give a stretch task with a debrief.
3. Check the skill where the work happens. At each weekly check-in, look at the work itself: the plan, the email, the finished order. Completing a course is not the measure. Doing the job differently is.

Then train the manager, too. Running a PIP takes skills most managers were promoted without: describing a problem without blame, holding a standard without a fight, and writing a fair record. A manager who struggles with those will struggle with every plan, no matter how good the template is.

How PIPs Change by Company Size

The template stays the same. What changes is who writes it, who reviews it, and how much support you can offer.

• Small companies (under 100 employees): there may be no HR team, so the founder or an outside HR advisor should review every plan. Training often comes from outside, because nobody inside has time to teach the skill.
• Small to mid-sized companies (100 to 500 employees): this is where PIPs go wrong most often. HR is one or two people, and many managers were promoted and never trained. Have HR review every draft, and make Section 5 mandatory, with dates.
• Large companies (over 500 employees): policy and consistency matter most. Use one company-wide template, have HR track plan outcomes by department, and watch for managers who use PIPs far more or far less than their peers.

Is a PIP Just a Polite Way to Fire Someone?

Many employees believe it is, and sometimes they're right. Some companies start a PIP after the decision is already made. The plan exists to build a paper trail, and everyone in the room knows it.

What that view misses is that the problem isn't the PIP. It's a PIP with no real support. A plan with dated examples, a named skill, booked training, and weekly check-ins gives a capable employee a real path back. If they don't take it, the record shows they had a fair chance.

So the test is simple. Read Section 5. If it has no training with dates, it isn't an improvement plan. It's a notice.

Build the Skills Behind the Plan

A PIP works when the employee can actually learn the missing skill, and when the manager can run a hard conversation well. Bundle's manager training covers both sides. In 1:1 Training, an expert trainer works with one person in 90-minute live sessions on a lesson plan personalized by role, level, and industry. Across more than 5,000 session reviews, learners rate trainer effectiveness 4.9 out of 5. For managers facing their first formal plan, new manager training builds the feedback and difficult conversation skills a PIP depends on. When the plan closes, carry the goals forward in an individual development plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a performance improvement plan last?

Most PIPs run 30 to 90 days. SHRM advises at least 30 days, with 60 or 90 more customary. Match the length to how long the skill takes to build and show in the work.

What should a PIP include?

It should include the specific gap with dated examples, the standard to reach, a deadline and midpoint, the training and support the employee will get, a check-in schedule, and the outcome if the standard isn't met. An acknowledgment line confirms the employee received it.

Does a PIP mean you're getting fired?

Not always, but it means the job is at risk. A plan with real training and regular check-ins gives an employee a fair chance to improve. If the plan has neither, treat it as a warning and ask your manager what support you'll get.

Can an employee refuse to sign a PIP?

They can decline to sign, and the plan still applies. Note the refusal and the date on the form. The signature confirms receipt, not agreement, so make that clear in the meeting.

What happens at the end of a PIP?

The manager and HR compare the work against the standard in Section 4. If it's met, the plan closes and the goals move into regular check-ins. If not, the stated outcome follows, which may be an extension, a role change, or termination under your policy.

One Last Thing

A PIP is only fair if it comes with a way to get better.

Bundle ties what a review or PIP finds to live training that builds the missing skill, and companies with 10 or more learners can start with a free session: talk to Bundle.

‍

This post is not legal advice. Check every plan with HR or employment counsel before you share it with the employee.