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View full libraryIf you have employee performance concerns, this model guide will help you to agree improvement plans for them to achieve and maintain the standards expected.
If you are managing employee performance concerns, the toolkit brings together practical HR templates covering discussions, improvement plans, reviews and outcomes.
The purpose of the Performance Improvement process is to establish or clarify any cause(s) of an employee's underperformance and to agree a plan to try to improve it.
Setting the scene
Where you have concerns about performance a meeting should be organised. The meeting should be against a backdrop where the manager has already been giving regular feedback to the jobholder about their performance, including regarding aspects of the jobholder's performance which are not satisfactory.
The meeting should take place in private, in an environment that is comfortable, non-threatening and away from interruptions or distractions. A representative from HR should be in attendance to take notes.
The manager should confirm that the jobholder has been offered to have a colleague or trade union rep with them in the meeting, and ask the jobholder to clarify whether they have accepted or declined the offer.
The manager should advise the jobholder that notes are being taken of the meeting; that a copy of the notes will be provided to him or her; and that the notes will not be copied to any other party. The manager should clarify that the purpose of the notes is to help both parties by providing a clear record of the meeting.
The manager carrying out the interview should begin the meeting by outlining to the jobholder the objectives of the Performance Improvement meeting.
These are:
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Managers should ensure consistent and fair treatment for all and to assist any employee who is considered to be experiencing difficulties in performing satisfactorily the duties required of the post to which they were appointed.
Unfortunately occasionally an employee's performance does not always meet standards expected.
This guidance provides managers with a framework to improve an employees performance in the workplace, and includes the following steps:
Related HR resources and workflow
Explore the HR resources that may be relevant before and / or after using the Managers guide to performance improvement plans (PIP), helping you understand the wider process, maintain appropriate documentation and follow a consistent approach.
This Concern About Performance Letter provides a clear written record when an employee's performance is not meeting the expected standard.
The First Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Meeting Notification Letter formally invites an employee to an initial meeting to discuss performance concerns and establish a structured improvement plan.
Yes. This template has been designed for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities and growing employers. It follows UK employment law best practice and can be adapted to suit your organisation.
Our templates are developed with UK employment legislation, Acas guidance and HR best practice in mind and are reviewed and updated as relevant requirements change. However, every employment situation is different, so the template should be adapted to the circumstances and checked against the employee's contract and your organisation's procedures before use.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the document that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable format (such as .doc or .xls) so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Managers guide to performance improvement plans (PIP), along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
AI can produce a document quickly, but effective HR documentation needs to be more than well-written words. It needs to reflect relevant UK employment law, HR best practice, practical considerations and the circumstances in which it will be used. These resources have been professionally developed around that wider HR context, drawing on extensive practical experience, rather than simply generating a generic document from a prompt.
It gave us something sensible to refer back to when the same issue came up again. The Managers guide to performance improvement plans (PIP) was easy to dip into when the issue came up.
How this content is developed and reviewed
The Managers guide to performance improvement plans (PIP) is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates and supporting information are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing performance improvement HR processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
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