Performance Improvement Plan (PIP): What It Means and What to Do

A performance improvement plan, or PIP, is a written plan that names the parts of your work your employer says are falling short, sets targets and a deadline for fixing them, and states what may happen if you do not. Acas, the British workplace advisory service, in its 2026 guidance describes it as the step an employer can take when informal efforts have not worked, setting out specific objectives, a reasonable time to meet them and whatever further support or training you need.¹

The document rarely says whether it is meant as a fair chance or as the start of an exit. What to do once you have one:

1. Clarify every goal in writing
2. Ask for the support and check-ins the plan promises
3. Keep your own record of the work and the meetings
4. Check your rights and who can help
5. Quietly prepare a plan B

No step can promise you keep the job, but together they give the plan a real chance and leave you with evidence if the process proves unfair. For the longer view, see what research finds moves a career forward.

What a performance improvement plan usually contains

Most plans share one skeleton whatever the template: the problem, the standard to reach, the actions and support, a timeline with check-ins, how progress will be measured, and the possible outcomes. That list comes from a 2026 guide for managers by Culture Amp, a company that sells performance-management software, which also includes a sign-off by both sides.²

Each part has a purpose. The problem description and the measurable standard let someone check later whether you met it. The support section is the employer’s side of the bargain: Acas, writing for Great Britain, says employers must provide “adequate resources” for an employee to do the job, which might include training.¹

A made-up example: an account coordinator’s plan says “improve attention to detail,” which nobody can measure. Compare “client invoices sent by the third working day of each month, with no more than one correction.” The second tells her what to do on Monday, and tells anyone reviewing the case later whether she did it.

Read your plan as those two lists: what you owe and what you are owed. If the second list is empty or vague, raise that before anything else.

Does a PIP mean you will be fired?

Not automatically, but it is a serious warning, and nobody has reliable figures on how often people come through one. James McDonald, a US employment lawyer, told SHRM’s 2025 conference that a well-drafted PIP gives an employee time to improve and can save good employees, and also that it documents the warning in case the employer later dismisses them; he named termination or demotion as the usual stated consequences.³

The possible endings are spelled out in guidance. In Great Britain, Acas lists an extension if you improve but not enough, or a final written warning followed by dismissal if the problem continues, and calls dismissal a last resort that needs a fair procedure.¹

No published study we found measures how many people pass a PIP. A grim figure does circulate online, that about 85 percent of people on a plan fail or quit, and the one source behind it that we could read is thin.

The study

Limited evidence

One source behind a much-repeated PIP failure figure

A 2024 conference paper by authors at Campbellsville University in the US surveyed 35 people who had been through a PIP about how fair the process felt. It reports that 85% of participants quit or failed to complete the plan, while also stating that all respondents answered no when asked whether they kept their job afterward; its own reliability checks on the survey items were poor.⁴

Thirty-five people cannot tell you your odds, and the paper does not show how typical they were. So plan on two tracks at once: give the plan a genuine effort, and protect yourself as if it might not work.

Support plan or paper trail? How to read yours

The signals sit in how the plan is written and how the first two weeks go. What follows is our reading of employer guidance, not a tested checklist, and a plan can show mixed signs. A plan meant to help costs the manager time every week; a plan meant only to document costs little beyond paperwork. Watch where the effort goes.

McDonald told employers that a plan should only cover what the employee can control, and that check-ins should happen weekly or every two weeks, with a written summary handed to the employee after each one.³ His warning about skipping them is the clearest test you have.

It’ll look like you’re just papering the file to get rid of the person.

Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman, in 2026 guidance, says a plan should list the support to be provided, give a reasonable time to improve and set a date for a follow-up meeting. Its guide for employers also describes a technology business whose policy requires at least one agreed action to be something the manager does to support the employee.⁵

Signs of a plan built to help

• Goals are specific and within your control
• Support is named: training, coaching, tools or time
• Check-ins are scheduled, and they happen
• The timeline is long enough to show change on the real work

Signs it may be a paper trail

• Goals are vague, or depend on things you do not control
• No support is listed, or what was promised never arrives
• Check-ins slip or are cancelled
• The deadline is too close for results to show

Watch the first check-in closely. If it happens on time and you leave with notes, the plan is at least being run as written. If check-ins slip without new dates, raise it politely in writing.

How long does a performance improvement plan last?

Most plans run 30 to 90 days, though there is no default length; Culture Amp’s guide makes both points, and its sample plan runs for 60 days with check-ins every two weeks, about four chances to see where you stand before the end.²

Timelines can move both ways. McDonald, speaking to US employers, said a plan should run at least 30 days, with 60 or 90 days more customary. He advised employers to reserve the right to extend a plan for someone who shows promise or takes significant time off, and to state that they may end it sooner if the employee is not improving.³

Length matters because change has to show up in the real work. If one target is a monthly invoice run, a 30-day plan gives you one cycle to prove it and a 60-day plan gives you two. On day one, put each check-in date in your calendar next to the target you want to show progress on by then.

What to do during a PIP, week by week

For the manager’s side, see our guide for managers on handling underperformance.

1. Week one: clarify every goal in writing

For each target, ask what counts as meeting it, how it will be measured, by whom and from what data. Then send a short email summarizing your understanding, the same habit Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman recommends to employers after each performance discussion.⁵

If you think a target is wrong or out of your control, say so in the same email, factually and once. Signing usually confirms you received and understood the plan, not that you agree: Culture Amp describes the sign-off that way.² One option is to sign and attach your written comments.

If a health condition or disability is part of the picture, consider raising it early; whether to disclose is your choice. In the US, EEOC guidance from 2008 says an employer does not have to excuse poor performance that came before an accommodation request, so the timing of the request matters.⁶ In Great Britain, Acas says employers must make reasonable adjustmentsreasonable adjustments: Changes an employer makes so that a disabled job applicant or worker is not put at a disadvantage, such as extra time in a test or changed hours. Great Britain calls them reasonable adjustments and the US reasonable accommodations; what the law requires depends on the country.Full entry in the glossary for a disabled employee and consider them before any disciplinary action.¹

2. Weeks one and two: ask for the support and check-ins the plan promises

If the plan names training or coaching, ask for dates. If it names none, ask what help is available, and tie each request to a target: “To hit the invoice deadline I need access to the billing system before the first of the month. Can we set that up this week?” A written request tied to a target is hard to ignore and easy to show later.

Confirm the check-in schedule too. If you and your manager already hold standing one-on-ones, ask whether the check-ins replace them or come on top.

3. Every week: keep your own record

After each check-in, note the date, what was said and agreed and what is due next, and send the short version to your manager. Keep a dated list of results against each target. Store your notes where you can still reach them if you leave, but never copy confidential company files; your employer’s policies still apply.

The employer keeps a record too. In Great Britain, Acas says an employer dismissing for capability must be able to show the weak performance itself and what was done to help the employee improve, such as review records and plans showing a failure to improve.⁷ Your notes are the other half of that file.

4. Early on: check your rights and who can help

Dismissal rules differ sharply between countries; treat these as examples, current as of October 2026.

• United States: most employment is “at will”, meaning an employer can dismiss without having to show good cause; Montana is the only state to change that rule by statute.⁸ The Department of Labor says that where discrimination, whistleblower protection or a complaint under its laws is not involved, a termination is governed only by any contract between you and the employer, or a union contract.⁹ The EEOC says it can be unlawful retaliation to give a lower evaluation than deserved because someone complained about discrimination or asked for an accommodation.¹⁰
• Great Britain: Acas’s 2015 Code of Practice applies to poor performance, not only to misconduct. At a formal disciplinary meeting that could lead to a warning or dismissal, workers can bring a colleague or a trade union representative, and employees can appeal formal decisions.¹¹
• Australia: the Fair Work Ombudsman tells employers to let employees bring a support person to performance meetings and to give written reasons and a chance to respond before any dismissal.⁵
• Elsewhere: in countries that have ratified the ILO’s 1982 Termination of Employment Convention, a worker should not be dismissed for performance before having a chance to answer the allegations.¹² Your national labour authority or a union can tell you which rules cover your job.

5. Quietly prepare a plan B

Update your CV, reconnect with a few contacts, and look at what starting a job search would involve, without letting it eat the hours the plan needs. A prepared exit means a bad ending would not also be a sudden one.

You can usually resign while on a PIP, but check what leaving costs first. In the US, unemployment benefits generally go to people unemployed through no fault of their own, and each state runs its own program.¹³ In Great Britain, some employers offer a settlement agreement, which Acas says is only legally valid if you get advice from an independent adviser.¹⁴

During a performance improvement plan

• Email my understanding of each target, how it is measured and by whom
• Decide early whether to raise a health condition or adjustment I need
• Ask for the support the plan names, with dates
• Put every check-in date in my calendar
• After each check-in, send a short written summary
• Keep a dated list of results against each target
• Find out who can advise me: union rep, employment lawyer or labour authority
• Update my CV and contacts without cutting time from the plan

What each piece of advice rests on

Most of this guide rests on employment guidance and practitioner advice, because research on employees on plans barely exists.

When to get advice, and how soon

Some situations call for advice within days, because time limits or a signature are involved; others only if the plan stalls. These tiers are our suggestion; no law sets them.

Now. If you have been dismissed, or you believe the plan followed a complaint about discrimination or a request for an accommodation, speak to an employment lawyer, a union representative or your national labour authority straight away. In the US, you generally have 180 calendar days from the day it happened to file a discrimination charge with the EEOC, or 300 days in some places; federal employees generally have 45 days to contact an agency EEO counselor.¹⁵ In Great Britain, Acas says the time limit for most employment tribunal claims rose from 3 to 6 months on 1 October 2026, and unfair dismissal claims generally need 2 years’ service until January 2027, when 6 months is due to be enough.¹⁶

Soon. Before a formal meeting that could lead to a warning, arrange a companion if you have the right to one, and get independent advice before you sign any settlement or exit agreement. In Great Britain, the Acas helpline answers questions about individual circumstances.¹

Routine. If targets stay vague after you have asked in writing, or support never arrives, raise it with HR and keep the reply.

The bottom line

A performance improvement plan is a warning and a chance in the same document, and nobody can tell you your odds. Make every goal measurable in writing in the first week, ask for the support it promises, keep your own dated record, and know your rights where you work. Prepare a plan B quietly, in case the plan ends badly.