A PIP done honestly is a coaching tool: it tells a struggling employee exactly what ’good’ looks like, by when, and what help they will get. A PIP done cynically — as paperwork theater before a predetermined termination — usually reads that way to a jury, too. The difference is in whether the goals are real, measurable, and supported.
This memo template keeps the PIP honest. It documents the specific performance concern with prior feedback history, sets goals the employee can objectively hit or miss, defines the review period and check-in schedule, and commits the organization to specific support — training, coaching, resources. Whichever way the PIP ends, the record shows a fair process.
Who should use this template
- Managers addressing sustained performance gaps informal feedback hasn’t fixed
- HR professionals coaching supervisors through their first PIP
- Organizations that currently jump from frustration straight to termination
- Supervisors who want retention, with a record either way
What it helps prevent
- Terminations for performance with no documented improvement opportunity
- PIP goals so subjective that success is whatever the manager says it is
- Support promised in the meeting but never delivered or documented
- Check-ins that quietly stop happening after week two
- Wrongful-termination narratives built on a rushed or empty PIP
What’s inside
- Purpose and philosophy — the PIP as coaching plus accountability
- Performance concern documentation with prior feedback history
- Measurable goals and expectations section
- Defined timeline with scheduled check-in dates
- Support and resources commitment section
- Outcome language and signature blocks
Before you process payroll, terminate, classify, deduct, or respond to a claim, get the decision reviewed.
Faulkner HR Solutions helps Texas employers, nonprofits, municipalities, and growing businesses fix the people systems behind recurring workplace problems. If this resource raised a risk flag, do not guess your way through the next step.