As a human resources consultant and personal coach, one of the most common requests I hear from managers is, “I have an employee who is underperforming in their role. How can I hold them accountable?”
By the time I receive such a request, the relationship between the supervisor and employee has often reached a critical point of tension. Let’s take the recent situation at a local agency between Alan (supervisor) and his employee, Lisa. For several weeks Lisa has called in sick on Mondays without a doctor’s note, failed to meet critical deadlines, responded to emails from Alan several days later, and generally seemed listless. Perhaps this sounds familiar: communication has broken down, and both parties are understandably frustrated. Lisa and Alan, who have previously collaborated well, are starting to take things personally, attributing miscommunication to personality flaws, and Lisa has started feeling like Alan’s feedback is a personal attack.
The critical shift happens for Alan when he starts asking me: “How can I hold Lisa accountable?” rather than, “How can I help her meet expectations?”
When previously positive work relationships reach this fever pitch, the most effective approach I’ve found is to step back and assess the situation honestly. Often, the challenges affecting an employee’s performance can be resolved through training, reassignment, or simply having an honest conversation. If an employee was a high performer and suddenly isn’t, it could be due to a personal challenge.
Let’s say this isn’t a personal challenge. Let’s say that Lisa is truly not meeting expectations and Alan has to take action before it affects the team. The key at this point is to clearly define the employee’s areas for improvement and provide a well-defined, measurable path toward meeting expectations through a more collaborative form of performance management and give you some tips on how to build a more effective Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).
Effective Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)
PIPs often get a bad rap. They’re perceived as a time bomb that indicates an employee is about to be fired. Employees fear them, and employers see them as a formality. But how can we build an effective PIP that keeps employees engaged and not defensive?
Frankly, I haven’t found this conventional wisdom around PIPs to be true. I’ve been a part of many PIPs that have been successful in correcting an employee’s performance and improving workplace relations.
When preparing a PIP, there are a few essential qualities that effective PIPs share:
- Clearly state problem areas. A PIP shouldn’t be a laundry list of issues. Give employees no more than 3 to 5 problem areas to improve.
- Focus on baseline performance. The goal is not to turn the employee into a star performer immediately, but to ensure they meet acceptable standards. From there, we can build on their skills.
- A blend of technical skill and behavioral improvements. It’s important to focus on what the role requires, and tailor the plan to those requirements. Employees must be able to perform the role as described, and meet behavioral standards as well.
- A related support plan. Employees should be provided with resources to support them as they attempt to improve.
- Key performance indicators. There should be clear and measurable benchmarks for improvement.
- A supervisor who is open-minded. The commitment to an employee’s improvement has to come from both sides. Supervisors must be focused on helping the employee improve.
The outcome of a PIP should not be predetermined. It’s not a list of reasons for firing an employee. When done right, a PIP is a genuine effort to reach a shared agreement and resolve conflicts. That collaborative agreement is the most important part of any PIP.
Why This Approach Works
When I’m called in to resolve a performance management challenge, I will usually offer training to supervisors as well as their employees. Alan and Lisa both needed to feel responsible for resolving communication breakdowns. For these employees, and most that I work with, I’ve found that this leads to significant improvements in communication and helps repair any breakdowns, as both sides get the opportunity to feel heard and understood. Often the real origins of the challenge have been forgotten or minimized as communication breaks down.
Taking disciplinary action is like holding someone back a grade. You’re failing them instead of helping them grow. A performance improvement plan should be a tutoring plan to help them learn the job or sharpen their skills, rather than going straight to a punitive step.
A strong Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) can be a viable option and better path before undertaking formal discipline.
Getting Buy-In from All Stakeholders
Can a performance issue be turned around? The answer is yes, but only if both the employee and employer are committed to the process. Alan needs to want to help Lisa grow and Lisa needs to be open to that growth. I work with supervisors to show them that the time and effort they invest in a PIP should be the standard.
One of the toughest conversations I have with employees is helping them decide whether they want to stay or leave the organization. Sometimes, employees are in the wrong role, but with the right guidance, they can find their fit. In other cases, it’s about redirecting the employee’s approach toward a future-forward perspective at another organization, and positively supporting those goals. To determine their commitment to the organization and desire to stay, one of the first questions I ask employees is, “Do you want to be here?” If the answer is no, we discuss where they’d rather be. But if they do want to stay, we focus on how to make that a reality. Often, employees feel disengaged because they don’t feel heard.
The Benefits of a Collaborative Approach
By sharing the focus instead of placing the burden solely on the employee, we can increase the chances of achieving a successful resolution for the employee and team.
This approach not only strengthens the employee but also ensures better outcomes for the organization in the long run. Performance management doesn’t have to be adversarial—it can be a collaborative journey that helps both employees and employers grow.
MRG affiliated consultant Rumi Portillo is a human resource professional, consultant, and executive coach, with more than thirty years in public service. Rumi has worked extensively with industrial psychologists, attorneys, and medical professionals on complex and sensitive employment-related matters. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Rumi served as the Chief People Officer (CPO) for the City of Palo Alto. As CPO, Rumi oversaw recruitment, labor and employee relations, benefits, compensation, training, organizational development, risk management, and health and safety.