Performance Improvement
What is performance improvement and how does it work?
Performance improvement is the structured process of helping an employee whose work has fallen below expectations meet performance standards. It typically combines specific feedback, clear expectations, regular check-ins, training or coaching support, and a defined timeline. The most formal expression is a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), but informal performance improvement happens continuously through one-on-ones and project feedback. Effective performance improvement is genuine intervention; ineffective versions are just paper trails for termination.
Performance improvement is the discipline of intervening early when an employee's work falls below expectations, with the goal of getting performance back on track rather than building a termination record. The work happens on a spectrum: most performance improvement happens informally through manager one-on-ones and project feedback; the formal end is a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with documented expectations and timeline. The biggest predictor of success is genuine management intent to help the employee improve, not the formality of the process.
The Performance Improvement Process
Identify specific gaps with examples. Communicate expectations clearly. Provide resources (coaching, training, mentoring, project support). Set check-in cadence. Document progress honestly. Decide on continuation, completion, or termination based on actual results.
Informal vs. Formal Performance Improvement
Informal: through regular one-on-ones, real-time feedback, manager coaching. Most performance issues resolve here. Formal (PIP): structured document with explicit timeline and consequences. Used when informal hasn't worked or for serious issues. See PIP for the formal version.
What Makes Performance Improvement Actually Work
Specific behavioral examples rather than vague concerns. Clear, measurable expectations. Manager genuinely wants the employee to succeed. Resources actually provided. Honest progress assessment. Calibrated against bias (some employees get more chances than others on the same behavior).
Building Performance Improvement Into Manager Capability
Train managers on giving specific feedback before there are problems. Build performance conversations into regular one-on-ones. Use performance review data to identify patterns. Audit performance improvement outcomes by manager and demographic to catch implicit bias. See performance management for the broader system.
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