Performance improvement plan (PIP)
A measurable, time-bound performance improvement plan with clear expectations, support resources, and review cadence.
Performance Improvement Plan
Employee: · Role: · Manager:
Plan duration: (from to ).
1. Performance concerns
2. Expectations during the plan
3. Support & resources
4. Check-in cadence
. Each check-in will document progress against the expectations above and any obstacles encountered.
5. Consequences
Acknowledgement
By signing below, the employee acknowledges receipt and understanding of this Performance Improvement Plan. The employee's signature does not indicate agreement with all of its contents — only that the plan was reviewed and explained. The employee may attach a written response within 5 business days.
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Made with WalnutsHR Paper · Reviewed for Ontario · April 2026
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No compliance hints for this jurisdiction yet — your document looks good for the basics. Have a lawyer review before sending anything consequential.
About this template
A performance improvement plan (PIP) is a written, time-bound plan that gives an underperforming employee a clear path back to satisfactory performance — and gives the employer a documented record if the path doesn't work. Used well, a PIP often saves a relationship; used badly, it's the opening salvo of a wrongful-dismissal claim.
When to use it
- An employee's performance has fallen materially short of expectations, beyond the kind of variance that coaching alone can fix.
- Coaching, feedback, and informal conversations have not produced the change you need.
- You want to give the employee a fair, documented opportunity to improve before considering termination.
What to include
- Specific, factual performance concerns — not adjectives, but examples with dates.
- Concrete, measurable expectations with thresholds the employee can hit or miss.
- Explicit support: coaching, training, time, tools, peer help.
- A check-in cadence (usually weekly) and a clear plan duration (30, 60, or 90 days).
- A consequence statement that is honest about what happens if the plan is not met.
- Space for the employee to respond in writing.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a PIP run?
Long enough that real improvement is observable. For most knowledge-work roles 60 days is the sweet spot; complex roles or those with quarterly cadences may justify 90 days. A PIP that ends after two weeks reads as a paper exercise to support a pre-decided termination.
Can the employee refuse to sign the PIP?
Yes. The signature is acknowledgement, not agreement. If the employee refuses, note that fact in writing and have a witness sign that the plan was delivered and explained — the obligation is to communicate the plan clearly, not to obtain consent.
What if the employee improves during the PIP and then slips back?
Document the improvement, close the PIP, and re-open if the slip-back is material. A new PIP with up-to-date examples is far more defensible than relying on an old one. Keep the file consistent: a closed PIP followed three months later by termination without re-engaging the process looks like the original PIP was the real cause and the closure was procedural.
Legal disclaimer. A PIP is documentation. Courts and tribunals read it. A PIP that uses generic language ("attitude problems," "not a culture fit") and ends in termination is read as evidence that the employer was looking for a reason to fire — not a genuine attempt to support improvement. A PIP that is specific, fair, and accompanied by real support is read as evidence the employer behaved reasonably. Build the PIP for the second case.
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