Recognizing high quality work performances and providing constructive feedback to our employees is important to us. The Performance Evaluation Plan (PEP) is the diocese's formal evaluation process for all employees. The PEP process is designed to support the development of employees within the organization in the support of our mission.

How to Conduct an Employee Evaluation

An employee evaluation is a challenging but essential practice that can help employers and their employees align on shared goals, review past challenges, celebrate accomplishments and set forth a game plan for future improvements.

A well-conducted employee evaluation can help motivate an employee to thrive in their career, and help employers get better quality work from their team members. An employee evaluation is also an opportunity to course-correct problems, lay the groundwork for a team member’s advancement within the company and create helpful documentation for HR concerns.

However, poorly conducted employee evaluations can leave workers feeling confused, dejected and unengaged.

Ensure your performance evaluations benefit you and your employees by trying these six pieces of advice:

1. Prepare all feedback ahead of time

Don’t walk into an evaluation empty-handed, and don’t plan to fill out the employee evaluation form during your meeting with the employee. Instead, take time to compile your thoughts and feedback in advance and use your evaluation document as a framework for the meeting. By having all comments formulated beforehand, you can ensure the meeting stays on track and you don’t miss any critical points.

2. Keep your remarks clear and concise

If you’re not direct and transparent when delivering an employee evaluation, you risk employees leaving the meeting with confusion around goals or misconceptions about your expectations. The best way to guarantee clarity is to use specifics whenever possible. For instance, if you’ve given an employee a low score for time management, share examples of missed deadlines, or times when other teammates had to pick up their slack.
The same holds true for goal-setting, too. Make sure each goal includes a timeframe and method of measurement, so employees know exactly how you’ll determine whether they’ve succeeded or failed.

3. Provide employees with a copy of the completed evaluation form

While employees often enter performance reviews hoping to hear news about a potential raise or promotion, having the opportunity to receive honest feedback about their professional performance is something most workers value, too. By issuing employees a copy of their completed evaluation form — or at least a portion of the form — you’ll give your team members something to reference and help them stay on track to make the improvements you’ve outlined.

4. Keep employee review meetings a two-way conversation

Rather than lecturing an employee on the many things they need to improve and then sending them on their way, make sure the meeting is an open conversation. Give employees a chance to share their self-assessment, such as their greatest strengths, their biggest challenges and where they believe they should improve in the month, quarter or year ahead.
If an employee is quiet and doesn’t seem comfortable speaking up, engage them by asking questions like:
• What’s the one accomplishment from the review period that makes you most proud?
• Where do you think you’ve made the most progress since your last review?
• In what areas would you say you need the most improvement?
• How can I support you in meeting your goals?

5. End with a focus on the future

Discussing negatives, like recent failures or areas where employees have scored poorly, are uncomfortable for both managers and employees — but they must be addressed. After you’ve discussed these things, it’s time to shift towards the future, outline new goals and share your plans for improvement. Be sure employees understand that you’re on their side, you want them to succeed and you’re always available to talk through their challenges and concerns.

By ending on a forward-focused and positive note, the employee is more likely to leave the meeting feeling motivated and hopeful rather than criticized and discouraged.

6. Hold multiple evaluations throughout the year

While many employers conduct employee performance evaluations on an annual basis — often to assess whether or not an employee’s achievements merit a promotion or raise — holding weekly, monthly or quarterly informal review sessions are beneficial for employees and employers. More frequent reviews help alleviate some of the pressure from the annual employee evaluation, get employees accustomed to discussing their achievements and challenges and make receiving feedback less intimidating.

Plus, bringing up areas of improvement as soon as you witness a mistake provides employees the opportunity to change their behavior immediately, rather than continuing the same misstep again and again until the next scheduled formal review.

Employee evaluation examples

Here are a few examples of employee evaluations you can use for a range of employee performance levels: high performers, mid-level performers and lower performers.

High performers
[Employee name] is consistently a top performer in the sales department, regularly exceeding her quotas each week. This quarter, she adapted to major changes in team processes with a positive attitude that helped keep team spirits high. [Employee name] is also always willing to lend a helping hand. For example, she often serves as a mentor to more junior team members, going above and beyond her job description to ensure the team is operating at high efficiency. Above all, [Employee name] is an important contributor to the success of the organization and continuously produces more than is expected of her. In the future [Employee name] may want to consider taking on even more leadership responsibilities as she’s an excellent candidate for a management position.

Mid-level performers
[Employee name] meets the expectations for his role as a [job title]. He is a strong communicator and is excellent at building solid relationships with those around him — including both customers and coworkers. He handles conflict well and remains calm under pressure. [Employee name] is also making a strong effort to improve his customer service skills through online training and courses.

Although [employee name] has a positive, collaborative attitude, he tends to struggle with time management, meeting deadlines and producing consistent work. For example, when [employee name] is passionate about a project, he produces excellent work quickly and accurately. Other times, he produces work that needs to be re-done or completed by another team member. As a result, [employee name] may benefit from improving his organization and time management skills. One suggestion would be to set notifications on his calendar app or use a to-do list to stay on track. Overall, [employee name] has made a lot of progress since last quarter, and I’m looking forward to seeing his future growth.

Lower performers
While [Employee name] sets appropriate goals for herself, she often doesn’t take the initiative required to reach them. She has trouble dealing with difficult customers and consistently receives low marks on customer feedback surveys. When these issues are brought to her attention, she often responds with defensiveness and doesn’t take the necessary steps to improve.

[Employee name] has the potential to be successful at [company name], but would benefit from improving her attitude and showing more initiative at work. I encourage her to work on taking constructive criticism in a positive way to improve her performance. She may also benefit from taking our upcoming customer service training session to learn strategies that can help her deal with difficult customers. While there are a few things that need improvement, I’m looking forward to working with [employee name] in the coming quarter to help her reach her fullest potential.

Conducting a successful employee evaluation requires balancing direct criticism with praise and recognition, and setting challenging yet attainable goals to help employees grow. While maintaining this equilibrium can be tricky, giving straightforward and honest feedback — both positive and negative — will stimulate action and inspire team members to improve. By following these tips, you can open the lines of communication with employees, help employees excel in their careers and boost performance across your team or business.

The area of performance management provides support to both employees and supervisors in addressing workplace issues. We can provide assistance and guidance on addressing job performance, discipline situations, violations of policies and procedures, co-worker conflicts, and any workplace issue that are impacting the department or individual employees. Additionally, we are available to provide guidance or consult on the various employee programs that are available to assist both employees and supervisors in addressing situations.

How to Create a Performance Improvement Plan (with Template)

If an employee has recurring performance issues, you may want to work with them on a performance improvement plan (PIP). Sometimes referred to as a performance action plan, employers often use this strategy to help underperforming employees understand the actions they need to take to meet goals and remain in good standing with the company.

Using a PIP instead of terminating or demoting an employee can lead to a better company culture and employee morale, minimize employee turnover to save you time and money and give employees a chance to learn, grow and improve.

Below, you’ll find tips on when and how to implement a PIP, including what you should consider including in the plan and how to monitor its impact. Plus, a performance improvement plan template and sample you can use to create your own.

Content Index
• What is a Performance Improvement Plan?
• When is it time to administer a Performance Improvement Plan?
• What to include in a Performance Improvement Plan
• Performance Improvement Plan template
• Performance Improvement Plan sample
• Reviewing the Performance Improvement Plan
• Implementing the Performance Improvement Plan
• Monitoring the Performance Improvement Plan’s impact

What is a Performance Improvement Plan?

While some employees may see a performance improvement plan as the first step in the termination process, these plans give employees a blueprint to help turn things around and perform at the level you expect.

A PIP typically states the employee’s performance issue(s) (e.g., work quality, behavior-related concerns, low productivity, issues meeting quotas or deadlines) and details a list of goals for them to reach by certain deadlines — usually 30, 60 or 90 days. If an employee doesn’t meet the requirements according to the specific timeline outlined in the plan, you may need to take further disciplinary action.

When is it time to administer a Performance Improvement Plan?

When an employee receives a PIP, it should not come as a surprise. Often by this point, their direct supervisor will have had at least one documented conversation about performance issues, perhaps during a recent performance review. If you’re not sure whether you should prepare a PIP, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the employee have habitual performance problems? In most cases, a PIP shouldn’t be used for a one-time issue. If an employee makes a mistake, their direct supervisor should have a documented conversation to discuss their concern and give the employee an opportunity to make corrections. However, if the issue continues to occur, it may be time for a PIP.

• Can the issues be corrected with an action plan? Issues with work quality, meeting goals and completing work on time are all examples of behaviors you can work to correct through a PIP.

• Have you made all reasonable accommodations to help get the employee on track? Is the employee’s poor performance due to a lack of training or a known personal issue? If so, be sure you’ve taken the necessary steps to provide the resources they need. If you’ve made these accommodations and the issue persists, a PIP may be the course-correcting action they need to improve.

Return to index

What to include in a Performance Improvement Plan

Here are a few elements you should consider when writing a PIP:

1. Describe why the PIP is needed: Write a statement describing the organization’s performance expectations and how underperforming can impact the business.

2. Identify the problem(s): List the performance issue(s) with examples and evidence to back up your statements.

3. Create measurable objectives: Include an explanation of how the employee should correct their performance, including any resources the employer will provide (e.g., training, mentoring, regular meetings with their supervisor).

4. Come up with a schedule: Add a timeline and end-date by which these issues must be corrected.

5. State the consequences: Outline potential consequences and disciplinary action for failing to meet the outlined expectations.

Return to index

Performance Improvement Plan template

Here is a performance improvement plan template you can adapt to create your own:

[Employee name]
[Employee role/title]
[Employee department]
[Date]

Reason for Improvement Plan

The purpose of this performance improvement plan (PIP) is to define issues in your work performance, clarify expectations of the role and give you an opportunity to address these concerns and remain in good standing at [Company name].

Performance Improvement Plan
As discussed with your supervisor, this document serves to provide you with a plan to correct your performance in the following areas:

• Issue #1: You are expected to [company expectation].
[Explanation of how the employee failed to meet this expectation]

• Issue #2: You are expected to [company expectation].
[Explanation of how the employee failed to meet this expectation]

• Issue #3: You are expected to [company expectation].
[Explanation of how the employee failed to meet this expectation]

Action Items to Correct Performance
To correct performance, you must complete the following activities within [timeline (e.g., 30, 60, 90 days)]:
• [Specific improvement goal]
• [Specific improvement goal]
• [Specific improvement goal]
• [Specific improvement goal]

By following this action plan, we are confident you will be able to improve performance and meet the expectations of [Company name].

If you are unable to meet [expectation] by [deadline], you will be subject to disciplinary action up to, and including termination.

[SIGNATURES]

Return to index

Performance Improvement Plan sample

Here is an example of a PIP that uses the performance improvement plan template above.
John Smith
Account Executive
Sales
July 5, 2020

Reason for Improvement Plan

The purpose of this performance improvement plan (PIP) is to define issues in your work performance, clarify expectations of the role and give you an opportunity to address these concerns and remain in good standing at ABC Company.

Performance Improvement Plan

This document serves to provide you with a plan to correct performance in the following areas:

• Issue #1: You are expected to meet a minimum of 80% of the quarterly quota.
You failed to meet your minimum sales quota for Q2 2020.

• Issue #2: You are expected to maintain a quarterly customer retention rate of 50%.
You failed to meet the minimum customer retention goal for Q2 2020.

Action Items to Correct Performance
To correct performance, you must complete the following activities within 60 days:

• Commit to a minimum of three hours of phone time, in office, per day
• Secure no fewer than five lead appointments per week
• Share your weekly lead list with your immediate supervisor every Monday by 9 a.m.
• Secure a minimum of two in-person visits with existing clients per quarter
• Meet with your immediate supervisor every Friday at 9 a.m. to discuss lead list, completed appointments and pending deals
• Complete the ABC Tier 2 sales modules to become certified by July 30, 2020
• Ask your immediate supervisor for mentorship and assistance as needed

By following this action plan, we are confident you will be able to improve performance and meet the expectations of ABC Company.

If you are unable to meet 80% of your Q3 quota and meet a customer retention rate of 50% by September 1, 2020, you will be subject to disciplinary action up to, and including termination.

[SIGNATURES]

Return to index

Reviewing the Performance Improvement Plan

After drafting the performance plan, it’s important to review it before discussing it with the employee. If you have an HR representative, work with them to create a PIP; if not, ask your manager for feedback. Keep in mind that for a performance plan to be successful, it needs to be fair and designed to help the employee, rather than serve as a tool of punishment.

When reviewing the performance plan, check for several important things:

• Ensure that the plan does not have any non-performance related bias against the employee.
• Ensure that the objectives are fair and that the timeframe is reasonable.
• Ensure that the employee has been given the proper tools and training to improve.

Return to index

Implementing the Performance Improvement Plan

After drafting the performance improvement plan, consider following these steps to implement it:

• Meet with the employee to discuss the PIP. Since performance improvement plans can be a sensitive subject, hold a one-on-one meeting with the employee to discuss it.

• Communicate the goals and timeline to the employee. During the meeting, lay out the goals and timeline to the employee. This will give them targets to work toward.

• Give the employee an opportunity to ask questions and receive clarification. The performance improvement plan should be a joint effort. Clarify any questions the employee may have so they understand what your expectations are and how they can meet them.

Return to index

Monitoring the Performance Improvement Plan’s impact

Track your employee’s progress toward meeting the goals outlined in the PIP. Schedule follow-up meetings to monitor their efforts and check in regularly to address any new questions or concerns. This can help employees feel motivated and supported.

At the end of the PIP’s timeframe, schedule a final meeting to discuss the outcome. If the employee has met the goals, the performance plan was successful for the company and the employee. However, if they failed to meet your expectations, consider implementing a second PIP if they made an exceptional effort, or carrying out disciplinary action according to your company policies.

Return to index

For employees, getting a performance improvement plan can be difficult — especially if they’re highly engaged and dedicated to their role. Remember to assure employees that you want to help them improve and are willing to offer the help and guidance they need to meet expectations and motivate them to succeed in their role.

While a PIP isn’t a guarantee an employee will improve, providing a step-by-step action plan will ensure you’ve made every effort to get them on the right track — helping you build a strong company culture, boost morale and save time and money in the long run.