About this template
This agenda template will help you kick off the performance improvement plan process, and ensure you and your employee start the plan on the right foot.
This agenda will help you kick off the PIP process.
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This agenda template will help you kick off the performance improvement plan process, and ensure you and your employee start the plan on the right foot.
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The purpose of a PIP is to save an employee, turn them around and fix whatever issues are present. In many cases, a PIP is used as a last resort. Leading up to this meeting, a manager will spend time trying to coach an individual with the hopes that the employee will improve and perform at the level that’s expected of them. A PIP provides the employee with clearly defined expectations and benchmarks for where they need to be in order to be successful at the end of the process (usually 90 days). If the individual is not successful by the end of the PIP, they will likely be terminated.
The initial conversation of putting someone on a PIP can be incredibly stressful for both parties. That’s why we’ve outlined the following agenda, to help you and your direct report get through this difficult conversation together.
With such a serious conversation, your employee might tune out what you’re saying at the start. They might immediately take it as being let go. Don’t get into the weeds right away. Instead, give them time to process the information, take a step back, and slowly walk them through what a PIP is and why they’re on it. Things you should clarify and share during this time:
Share the official start and end dates of the PIP. Generally, your HR team will have a specific process and time period for this, 90 days is most common. Explain what will happen if your employee succeeds or fails the PIP process.
You’ll also want to spend time outlining all milestones and check-in points they’ll need to be aware of. This can include:
Let your direct report know that you’d like to meet frequently so that you’re both able to increase their chance of succeeding. Don’t forget to make it known that you want them to succeed (and mean it).
During this time, you’ll want to walk through what success (and failure) will look like at the end of the PIP. Be extremely clear so that, in a case that they don’t succeed, they aren’t surprised by the consequences.
Prior to this meeting, write down a list of expectations and why they’re necessary. While this should still be treated as an open discussion, come with all of your expectations, milestones and ideas written down.
The PIP process is typically uncomfortable, scary, and difficult for both the manager and the employee. So, it’s important to leave a significant amount of time at the end of this meeting for questions. You don’t want either of you leaving that meeting with a different understanding of what’s expected of the employee. It might also help to book a follow-up meeting for questions the next day to give your direct report some time to absorb and process all of the information you’ve just shared with them.
Have an amazing performance improvement plan meeting in SoapBox: a central place for all your team meetings and one-on-ones.
Our meeting management tools make it easy to prep for your performance improvement plan meeting quickly and easily. Keep your one-on-one as efficient as possible with our shared agendas and integrated meeting minutes.
Never lose track of a follow-up item again: our summary feature and action item tracker makes it easy to track decisions and next steps, right in your performance improvement plan meeting agenda.
Meaningful conversations happen when everyone in your one-on-one is prepared. Use our suggested items and agenda templates to get the conversation flowing in your performance improvement plan meeting.