Question

Why is it important for a team to have an “improvement plan”? What is an Improvement Plan?

Answer 1

The Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is designed to facilitate constructive discussion between a staff member and his or her supervisor and to clarify the exact work performance they must improve. It is implemented, at the discretion of the manager, when it becomes necessary to help a staff member improve his or her performance. The manager, with input from the affected employee, develops an improvement plan; the purpose of the activities outlined is to help the employee to attain the desired level of performance.

A performance improvement plan (PIP), also known as a performance action plan, is a great way to give struggling employees the opportunity to succeed while still holding them accountable for past performance. It is not always clear why an employee has poor performance. Did he or she not receive appropriate training? Does the employee not understand the expectations of the job? Are there unforeseen roadblocks in the way? Therefore, it is critical to allow for an open dialog and feedback from the employee to help determine whether the employee has been provided all the tools and resources necessary for him or her to be successful. Performance improvement plan (PIP) may be used to address either failures to meet specific job performance-related issues or behavior-related concerns. PIPs may lead to several different outcomes, including improvement in overall performance, the recognition of a skills or training gap, or possible employment actions such as transfer, demotion or termination. Alternatively, a PIP may be used for employees who may be new to a role as a tool to communicate performance expectations.

The formal performance improvement plan will not help every employee meet performance expectations every time that you use the process. But, if your organization approaches the tool properly, as a tool to help an employee succeed, you will have successes.

Hence it is beautifully explained the meaning of Improvement plan and why it is important.