Performance improvement plan?

[waverly]

I know there are other managers on here, I have never done a performance improvement plan.  Any tips?  I only know one co-worker that did one, and she ended up doing it 3 times and then that person left.  Do you typically do it once and then fire or give more chances? Do you have a form you use?  I can get one from my boss, but she tends to be critical like it is my fault I hired this person even though she did the exact same thing.  There was no way from the resume/ interview to know that they couldn't do the work. 

This person is unlikely to improve, but it's not really her fault and we all like her otherwise, but she just can't do the job.  Another option is switching jobs, but it would be for less hours.  I'm not sure if that is needed- I will check this week, and she wanted to keep the PTO.  

Also, another employee might need surgery, so I don't want to rush to fire or having her quit because I would need her when the other employee is out.  I am also wondering if I could maybe hire another person in the meantime, but management doesn't seem to think we at capacity enough yet for that.  We are at about 60% capacity both through the state and by looking at our statistics. I'm just afraid a switch will flip and we are back to 100% capacity without the staffing. But yet planning throughout a pandemic has been difficult to predict the future obviously.  

[mustardseed2007]

I haven’t put someone on one but I know we use them at our company and I have directed people to use them as a way to make sure it’s clear that someone isn’t meeting expectations.

Generally they have a rep of being designed as a stepping stone for termination.

She can’t do the job to lack of knowledge or experience? Can you train her into it?

Good Pips will normally have goals that are measurable and steps to get to that goal that are also measurable and clear. Could a goal be, obtain proficiency in x task which means being able to complete x task from start to finish within x time frame without assistance and a step to get there be, take this training?

[waverly]

mustardseed2007, I don't know if this gets into ADA, but honestly I think it is a memory issue. We've trained for 9 months. She can't remember it. Typically training takes about 2 months. I haven't been given a letter from the doctor saying there is a dementia issue and asking for accommodations, so I don't know if ADA applies if there isn't a documented medical issue.

[k3am]

waverly , PIP's are typically how you document someone isn't living up to expectations so that you can terminate. In an ideal world, you use them to outline deficiencies that they can correct, they correct them, and then you go back to fine and dandy, but it rarely ever works out that way. If a person is smart, the minute they get put on a PIP, they are looking for a new job.

Do not bring up your speculations on why she is or isn't meeting expectations as you're likely opening your company up to lawsuits. She is not meeting the requirements, she has not given you any formal notice that she needs accomodations - you have no obligation to diagnose a reason or give her accomodations unless she has requested them.

Also ETA: your company should have a form. 

[twinmomma]

Exactly what k3am said. Don't give reasons why - lay out the facts only. ADA accommodations only come into play if she has formally requested them and the accommodations are reasonable and allow her to still do the job. It's not a free ride to be incapable of doing the work.

[mommyatty]

My old company used PIPs a lot to try to improve performance. It wasn’t generally a stepping stone to termination. People successfully maneuvered them and came off them. I also worked for the government, and they were used to improve performance.

But I would also say if you have an employee you don’t think can do the job, a PIP is the right way to go. You need to show they aren’t performing, specifically what they aren’t doing, and what you’re doing to help them do better. It’s a LOT of work for the supervisor.

[mustardseed2007]

If you put her on a PIP and she raises that she has a medical issue, then cross that bridge at that time. If she does raise a conern, she would then have to engage in the interactive process with you at that point to figure out how she could do the job with reasonable accommodation. If that happens, engage HR because it's not straight forward. But as everyone else has said, don't psychoanalyze this yourself.

If she has already been given training, then I would probably acknowledge that she has been trained in writing, and set a deadline: must be able to accomplish X task independently by X date.

Then if by X date she still needs help to successfully complete the task, she hasn't met the clear standards set forth by the PIP. You'll have to keep notes. Ideally, you will do this hand in hand with an HR person who will help you make sure your pip is written clearly and who will also give you talking points to help you administer the pip clearly and fairly.

I agree I don't like to look at PIPs as a clear one way path to termination, but then again, even people within my own organization would sneer at that. No matter what, though, it's a good tool to help you know that you are being clear and fair with her.

[waverly]

Thank you. We don't have a trained HR person. The HR person is the director. Our former director was terrible at HR, and our current interim director is slightly better.

The current director was going down the path of telling me it was my fault and lecturing me on managing the person because it wasn't certain what was going on early on. 2 of my managers said she isn't learning it. The other manager said they were being mean.

Finally the other manager says we trained on this last night, and she can't do it this morning. Other manager has started to come around to the conclusion that she just can't do it because I asked her to get more involved in her training as part of her informal job counseling.

[idahome]

The best piece of advice you’ve been given is: stick to factual statements and avoid judgments throughout the document. Also, any improvement should be specifically measurable.

It’s really unfortunate that you do not have access to a qualified HR person at work because they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to guiding managers through the PIP process.

Good luck to you!

[waverly]

May 10, 2021 16:16:06 GMT -5 idahome said:

The best piece of advice you’ve been given is: stick to factual statements and avoid judgments throughout the document. Also, any improvement should be specifically measurable.

It’s really unfortunate that you do not have access to a qualified HR person at work because they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to guiding managers through the PIP process.

Good luck to you!

I have access to an HR hotline. Maybe I’ll make them stay on the line when I fill it out (just the outline not like stay on the line for an hour or anything).

[shakinros]

I haven’t done a PIP before but I do have an employee who struggles to retain training info. I could make a bunch of guesses why but the only thing that matters for manager-employee relationship is what I need her to successfully execute.

We had a tough conversation at annual review time. I didn’t put her on a PIP then but had it in the back of my mind that we would do it at mid year if necessary. Steps I needed her to take were documented. She actually got better!

Key phrases of the discussion included:
- “I need you to be more self-sufficient. You are relying too much on others to find answers for you. Let’s review where you can find answers for yourself so you go to those sources first.”
- “I understand you’re concerned about accuracy. When you don’t feel confident about your answers to requests, write out your answer and send it to me first. I’ll be happy to check what you’ve found.”

She has really tried and it’s working. No guarantee that your employee would do the same but does she know that it’s a problem for her to not retain the training? Have you been explicit about what she’s supposed to be able to do without asking for help? Probably you have but it’s worth underscoring.

[idahome]

waverly: I think utilizing the HR hotline is a great idea. They should be able to give you suggestions on phrasing and goals for the employee to work toward.