A clear 60-day Performance Improvement Plan with SMART goals, weekly check-ins, and explicit success criteria. The right way to address underperformance before any separation decision.
Termination based on rating alone is risky. A documented PIP with measurable goals and reasonable timelines is the gold-standard preamble to any performance-based separation in at-will US states. It demonstrates good-faith effort, satisfies handbook commitments, and creates a paper trail that reduces wrongful-termination and discrimination exposure.
Get a properly formatted Microsoft Word (.docx) file with headings, bullets and placeholders already styled. Replace all [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PLAN (PIP)
Employee Name: ____________________________________
Employee ID: ____________________________________
Job Title: ____________________________________
Manager: ____________________________________
PIP Start Date: ____________________
PIP End Date: ____________________ (typically 30, 60, or 90 days)
1. PURPOSE
This Performance Improvement Plan ("PIP") documents performance concerns and the specific improvements required for [EMPLOYEE NAME] to remain in the [JOB TITLE] role at [COMPANY NAME]. This PIP is intended as a constructive process; it is not a disciplinary action and does not change your at-will employment status.
2. PERFORMANCE CONCERNS
The following performance concerns have been identified:
Concern 1: ____________________________________
Evidence: ____________________________________
Concern 2: ____________________________________
Evidence: ____________________________________
Concern 3: ____________________________________
Evidence: ____________________________________
3. IMPROVEMENT GOALS (SMART)
Goal 1 (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound):
____________________________________
Success metric: ____________________
Deadline: ____________________
Goal 2:
____________________________________
Success metric: ____________________
Deadline: ____________________
Goal 3:
____________________________________
Success metric: ____________________
Deadline: ____________________
4. SUPPORT AND RESOURCES
The Company will provide the following support:
- Weekly 1:1 check-ins with [MANAGER NAME]
- [Specific training, mentorship, or tools]
- [Other resource]
5. CHECK-IN SCHEDULE
- Week 2: Initial progress review
- Week 4: Mid-PIP review
- Week 6 / 8: Final review
- Each check-in will be documented in writing and signed by both parties
6. OUTCOMES
At the end of the PIP, one of the following outcomes will apply:
(a) Successful completion: All goals are met. The PIP is closed and you remain in your role.
(b) Partial progress: Significant improvement has occurred but not all goals are met. The PIP may be extended once for a defined period.
(c) Unsatisfactory: Goals have not been met. Employment may be terminated effective [DATE].
7. AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT
This PIP does not modify your at-will employment status. The Company retains the right to end the employment relationship at any time during or after the PIP, with or without notice. The PIP is offered as a good-faith opportunity to improve and is not a guarantee of continued employment.
8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have read this PIP and understand its expectations and consequences. My signature does not constitute admission of the concerns described.
Employee signature: ____________________ Date: ____________
Manager signature: ____________________ Date: ____________
HR signature: ____________________ Date: ____________Not legally required in at-will states. But strongly recommended — it is the single best mitigation against wrongful-termination, discrimination, and unemployment-insurance challenges in performance-based separations.
30 to 90 days is the standard range. 60 days is the most common — long enough to show meaningful change, short enough to maintain urgency.
Yes — for serious misconduct, performance regression, or insubordination. But terminating early on the original performance grounds undermines the PIP's good-faith framing. Consult HR before doing so.
Always. A verbal PIP is effectively no PIP. The written document is the evidence trail that supports the eventual outcome — success or termination.
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