PIP that's actually fair (vs. PIP-to-fire theater)

60-Second Summary

The honesty test: ‘If this person hits every milestone, will I genuinely want to keep them?’ If the answer is no, do not run a PIP. Terminate with severance and skip the theater.
A fair PIP is 30–60 days, has 3–5 measurable goals tied to the gap (not the job description), names the specific support the company is providing, and is co-authored with the employee — not delivered to them.
PIP-to-fire theater fails 90%+ of PIPs and creates lawsuits. Fair PIPs succeed 50%+ and create either a turned-around employee or a clean, defensible departure.
If you cannot articulate the gap in one sentence, you do not have a PIP — you have a feeling. Do not pursue.
Document weekly. Email the employee a written summary after every PIP check-in. ‘Verbal feedback’ in a PIP context is evidentiary suicide.

‘PIP’ has become a slur because it usually deserves to be. The vast majority of PIPs are reverse-engineered paperwork to justify a decision the manager already made. That is bad for the employee (loss of dignity, false hope), bad for the manager (drains a quarter on theater), bad for the company (legal exposure, Glassdoor reviews), and bad for HR’s credibility (we are seen as terminating-on-rails).

A fair PIP is the opposite — a genuine development tool used early enough that the gap is closeable, with the company holding up its end of the bargain. The test for which one you are running is brutally simple.

The honesty test

Three questions, answered out loud

1) ‘If this person hits every milestone in this PIP, will I genuinely want to keep them?’ 2) ‘Is the gap I’m describing one this person can plausibly close in 30–60 days with the support I’m providing?’ 3) ‘Have I given them clear, specific, written feedback on this gap at least twice in the last 90 days BEFORE proposing a PIP?’ If any answer is no, do not run a PIP.

When NOT to run a PIP

The decision is already made. Skip to a respectful exit with severance. Faster, kinder, cheaper, more defensible.
The gap is values/integrity. PIPs are for skills and execution. Code-of-conduct or values violations should follow a different process (investigation, written warning, termination).
The role itself is being eliminated. Use a layoff/restructure process, not a PIP.
It is the first time the employee is hearing about the gap. A PIP that lands as a surprise is procedurally unfair and indefensible. Have at least two prior coaching conversations first, both documented.
There is a protected-class context (recent return from parental leave, recent disability disclosure, recent harassment complaint). Loop in employment counsel before any documented performance action.

Anatomy of a fair PIP

The 5 sections every PIP should have

1
1. The gap, in one sentence
‘[Name]’s output on [specific deliverable] is consistently below the standard expected for [level], specifically in [2–3 named dimensions].’ If you can’t write this sentence, you don’t have a PIP.
2
2. The evidence
3–5 specific, dated examples from the last 90 days. Include the impact (‘which caused [delay/quality issue/customer complaint]’). No personality language. No ‘consistently,’ ‘always,’ or ‘seems to’ — specific events only.
3
3. The goals (3–5)
Measurable, time-bound, scoped to the gap (not the entire job). Example: ‘Ship 2 production-quality PRs per week for 6 weeks, with no more than 1 round of major review feedback per PR.’
4
4. The support
What the company is providing — manager check-in cadence, specific training, mentor, lightened load, removal of blockers. Symmetric obligation.
5
5. The consequences
‘Successful completion: PIP concludes and you return to standard performance management. Unsuccessful: employment may be terminated.’ Honest, not threatening.

The support side of the ledger

If the PIP only lists what the employee must do, it is not a development plan, it is a checklist for termination. A fair PIP has a parallel column of company obligations:

Weekly 30-minute structured check-in with the manager — protected, recurring, not skippable.
A specific mentor or peer pairing where relevant.
A re-prioritized workload that gives the goals a fair chance (you cannot PIP someone while loading them at 120%).
Specific training, course, or coaching budget where the gap is a skills gap.
Removal of named blockers (a difficult stakeholder, a tooling gap, an unclear remit).
A written ‘what success looks like’ artifact for each goal — examples of the kind of output you want to see.

Weekly cadence & documentation

Weekly 1:1, 30 minutes, agenda fixed: progress against each goal, blockers, support requested, calibration of expectations.
Within 24 hours of the 1:1, the manager emails the employee a written summary: what was discussed, what each side committed to, status of each goal (on track / off track / at risk).
Employee has 48 hours to reply with corrections. Their corrections become part of the record.
Mid-PIP review at the halfway point: formal written assessment, with employee comments invited.
Final review on the close date: written, signed by both sides, with HR present.

No verbal-only feedback during a PIP

If it was not written down in an email within 24 hours, it did not happen for legal purposes. The single most common manager mistake is giving ‘good’ feedback in 1:1s all month and then issuing a ‘failed PIP’ termination — every employment lawyer in the country pounces on this.

Outcomes & the close conversation

Outcome	What it looks like	Next step
Pass	All / most goals met. Trajectory is up.	Formal PIP close letter. Employee returns to standard performance management. Do NOT re-PIP within 6 months without a fresh issue — that is retaliation territory.
Partial pass	Real progress, not all the way. Manager believes the employee can close the remaining gap.	Extend by 30 days OR transition to coaching-without-PIP. Be honest in writing about which it is.
Fail with effort	Genuine effort, did not close the gap. Skills mismatch or role mismatch.	Severance-supported separation. The employee deserves the soft landing — they did the work. Often the highest-trust departures happen here.
Fail without effort	Did not engage with the process.	Standard termination, severance per policy.

The fair-PIP template

Use this skeleton verbatim. Replace placeholders. Have employment counsel review the first one you write.

“Performance Improvement Plan Employee: [Name] Manager: [Name] HRBP: [Name] Start date: [Date] | End date: [Date] (60 days) 1. The gap [One-sentence gap statement] 2. Recent examples - [Date]: [Specific event] — Impact: [What happened] - [Date]: [Specific event] — Impact: [What happened] - [Date]: [Specific event] — Impact: [What happened] 3. Goals (must be met by end date) - Goal 1: [Specific, measurable, time-bound] - Goal 2: [Specific, measurable, time-bound] - Goal 3: [Specific, measurable, time-bound] 4. Company commitments - Weekly 1:1 with [Manager], every [Day] at [Time] - [Specific training/mentor/coach] - [Reprioritized workload — what is being removed] - [Other named support] 5. Review cadence - Weekly written check-in summary (manager → employee, 24h after 1:1) - Mid-point formal review: [Date] - Final review: [Date] 6. Consequences Successful completion: PIP concludes; you return to standard performance management. Unsuccessful: employment may be terminated. Signed: ____________ Date: ____ Manager: ____________ Date: ____ HRBP: ______________ Date: ____”

Written by Pawan Joshi.Sources cited inline.

First published 15 Jun 2026See site changelog →