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Performance improvement

Introduction#

One of the things that new people leaders struggle with most is supporting the people they manage through a performance improvement plan (PIP).

Because a lot is at stake, a PIP is emotionally demanding for everyone involved.

A PIP involves systematically managing how a person carries out their role to move it from a position where they are underperforming to a conclusive resolution. The aim is to help them drive improvement to a point where their performance is satisfactory, but other possible outcomes are that they move roles or even leave the organisation.

If it is your first time dealing with or being the subject of a process like this, it can be daunting. But your organisation should have people skilled and experienced in this who can help.

Key points
  • Provide good, regular feedback to avoid getting into a situation where issues go undetected and unresolved.
  • Deal with potential performance issues early, don’t wait.
  • Don’t jump to conclusions, seek first to understand.
  • Don’t overreact to one-off mistakes. A PIP is appropriate to tackle systematic issues, not one-off lapses.
  • Seek help from your manager, Human Resources (HR) representative or similar.
  • Be attentive and track progress regularly.
  • Take a constructive, forward-looking approach that aims to help the person make an improvement.
  • Clearly document every stage in writing.

Mistakes to avoid#

Unfortunately, performance improvement is a process that is often handled badly.

Mistakes to avoid
  • Performance issues can be left unaddressed until they become acute and need urgent attention, which is a bad experience for all concerned.
  • Conversely, a PIP can be triggered based on a one-off mistake which led to serious consequences. Instead, lessons should be learned on how the organisation can be more resilient to one-off mistakes such that the effects are less serious.
  • When performance concerns are discovered, they are often handled in an overly informal way for too long, with nothing being recorded in writing.
  • Because it is uncomfortable, attention to resolving the issues can be inconsistent, with periods elapsing where the issue is unacknowledged and unmentioned.
  • A pessimistic attitude can arise, where improvement is not seen as a likely outcome. This attitude can in fact lead to this outcome when it could be avoided.

Seek first to understand#

A support plan should form part of every PIP.

When first approaching a performance concern with the colleague, first ask if there is anything they want to share which may explain the issue and if there is anything you can do to better support them. This can be particularly relevant if there has been a sudden change in performance which may result from a sudden change in personal circumstances. But also, there can be underlying factors such as neurodivergency or mental well-being issues which may affect how a person shows up at work. Keep enquiries general and ensure the colleague feels able to decline to offer details.

Offering an opportunity to share

Is there anything you’d like to share which may help me support you better?

Neurodiversity

The signs of of neurodivergent conditions such as autism, dyslexia or ADHD can be misinterpreted as poor performance. Take the time to understand how this could be a factor. See neurodiversity.

Setting goals#

If you have performance concerns, a good way to establish a better understanding of the situation is by starting with structured feedback which clearly conveys both the areas of concern and the positive behaviours observed. Then focus on the areas of most concern and give more detailed guidance. A useful format for this is to take each focus area individually and identify the current observed behaviours and the desired target behaviours.1

Prepare by thinking of current and desired behaviours for each area. Then start with a blank template as below and work with the colleague to populate it together. You should feed in your ideas but also encourage them to offer their own. Creating the goals together builds a stronger sense of ownership for the colleague.

Along with the proposed changes, identify a support plan to help the colleague. This makes it a joint enterprise and maximises the likelihood that they will reach the goals.

Meet regularly to track progress. You could use a numeric scale to indicate where you both think the colleague is on their journey toward the desired behaviours.

This is illustrated in the example below.

Communicating within team

Current behaviour Desired behaviour
Does not give clear updates on current work at stand-up. Plans what to say before stand-up and comes prepared with a brief but relevant update on progress and any issues.
Does not raise issues or concerns early so they can be resolved by the team. Raises issues as soon as they arise to whoever needs to know.
Little contribution in retrospectives. Active participation in retrospectives, raising positive points, concerns and constructive proposals.
Makes important decisions unilaterally without consulting colleagues. Does brief analysis, then works with colleagues to make or agree a decision.
Tech Lead to provide additional prompting in stand-up and retrospective to encourage desired behaviours.

Tech Lead to introduce new decision log process to encourage surfacing of decisions early.
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How to structure the process#

  1. Start by providing the colleague with structured feedback to ensure they have a rounded understanding of both the areas you are happy with and where you have concerns.
  2. For each area of concern, seek to understand underlying causes and additional needs.
  3. Work together to create specific performance improvement goals with a target timeline to resolve performance concerns.
  4. Meet regularly (usually weekly) to review progress together.
  5. Seek help and guidance from your manager and HR representative or similar at every stage.
  6. Keep to the timeline and to the goals.
  7. Be realistic both about what improvement is necessary and whether adequate progress is being made.
  8. Conclude cleanly.
    • If the performance concern has been resolved, explicitly confirm this in writing and verbally.
    • Otherwise, there should be a clear action to move the person to a different role or our of the organisation.
    • In all cases, engage with HR throughout to ensure a fair and proper process is followed that conforms to all relevant legislation.

If you are the subject of a PIP#

Being subjected to a PIP can be upsetting and emotionally demanding. But if handled well, it can have a positive outcome for you. Even if that outcome is that you change role or even organisation, it can be beneficial in the long term.

When entering a PIP
  • Take a constructive approach. Identify how making the changes being asked for could help your personal development.
  • Consider whether the changes are things that you feel are in line with your goals. It is possible that a different role would suit you better and you are struggling because you are in the wrong role. If so, be open about this.
  • If you are on board with making the changes, then be positive and work determinedly to do so.
  • Be open about anything holding you back from making the changes, and ask for help and guidance.
  • Although it can be uncomfortable, seeking support from those you are close with can be a big help.

Further reading#

  1. Thanks to Sean Riches and Andrew Stanley from Erskine Nash Associates for introducing me to this format. ↩