HR Brew: Performance improvement plans should never be a surprise
UC management professor says PIPs are more likely to succeed if the employee is involved
A performance improvement plan (PIP), per the Society for Human Resource Management, is a “structured plan with time-sensitive goals” used to rectify poor employee performance.
However, Scott Dust, an associate management professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business, told HR Brew that PIPs should:
Scott Dust, an associate management professor at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
- Be viewed as a last option to correct performance problems.
- Never be a surprise to the employee.
- Be presented to the employee by both the manager and HR, with the way the PIP is communicated being critical.
“There should be conversations that preceded that actual delivery of the performance improvement plan, where everybody was involved,” Dust said.
Dust explained that if an employee is involved in construction of the PIP, the PIP is more likely to have the intended positive effect.
“Goals have a higher likelihood of being obtained when they’re specific, difficult … and participatory,” Dust said. “If the employee and the manager cocreate these goals, you have a higher likelihood of being successful than when the manager just pushes down.”
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's medical, graduate and undergraduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Lindner graduate students shine in international simulation competition
November 10, 2025
Five master’s of information systems (MS IS) students took home fifth place out of 23 universities at the International ERPsim Competition hosted by HEC Montreal during the recent spring semester. The competition tests students’ knowledge of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and their ability to adapt to challenging business problems.
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.