Performance Improvement Plan The Balance Careers
Use a Performance Improvement Plan The Balance Careers template to make your document workflow more streamlined.
What a performance improvement plan does
A Performance Improvement Plan from The Balance Careers is a written workplace plan that identifies an employee’s performance gaps, required improvements, support, and review dates. It gives the employee measurable expectations and gives the employer a documented process for follow-up. A manager usually records the specific concern, target behavior or result, available coaching, measurement method, deadline, and consequences of insufficient progress. The plan is an employment document, not a federally prescribed form, so employers should align it with company policy, employment agreements, and applicable state law.
Who uses this Performance Improvement Plan
Human resources
Human resources teams use the Performance Improvement Plan to record documented performance concerns, improvement targets, manager support, review dates, employee acknowledgment, and HR approval. The completed file belongs in a restricted employment-record workflow rather than a general team folder.
Managers and employees
Managers and employees use the plan to confirm the exact expectations for the review period. Managers provide examples and support commitments; employees review the requirements and acknowledge receipt or signature through the assigned signNow workflow.
Manage PIP users and permissions
HR administrators maintain the approved Performance Improvement Plan template, control access to employee records, and assign role-based permissions so managers can prepare documents without changing policy language. Department managers use shared templates and delegated sending to issue the Performance Improvement Plan, collect the employee’s signature, and preserve the completed record for HR review.
Features that support PIP administration
A structured digital workflow helps HR and managers prepare, route, sign, and retain the Performance Improvement Plan with fewer manual handoffs.
Reusable template
A reusable Performance Improvement Plan template keeps performance expectations, support commitments, review dates, and acknowledgment fields consistent across employee cases.
Fillable fields
Fillable text, date, initials, and signature fields help managers complete each employee’s plan without altering the approved structure or required language.
Controlled routing
Role-based routing sends the document to the manager, employee, and HR reviewer in the intended order, reducing missed approvals and unclear ownership.
Audit trail
A completion record preserves signing events, timestamps, and document history so HR can reconstruct how the Performance Improvement Plan was executed.
Mobile signing
Mobile signing lets an employee review and acknowledge the plan from an iOS or Android device when an office meeting is unavailable.
Secure storage
Secure storage keeps the completed plan available to authorized HR personnel while limiting access to sensitive employment information.
Recommended PIP document setup
Use role-based access, clear signer authentication, and an auditable record for each Performance Improvement Plan.
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Authentication method | Email link with SMS verification |
| Signature type | Click-to-sign with explicit intent |
| Audit trail | Capture timestamps, IP address, and actions |
| Retention and encryption | Retain under company policy with AES-256 |
| User provisioning | Assign HR and manager roles |
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How to complete the PIP online
Prepare the Performance Improvement Plan in signNow, route it to the required participants, and preserve the completed employment record.
Upload document:
Upload the Performance Improvement Plan document to signNow. Check fields:
Review detected fields and add missing text, date, and signature fields. Assign recipients:
Assign the manager, employee, and HR recipients. Send for signing:
Send the completed plan for review and signing. Store records:
Download the signed plan and completion record.
Choose a PIP signing method
- Use the web app when HR or a manager prepares the Performance Improvement Plan on a desktop, checks fields, and routes it through the organization’s normal approval sequence.
- Use the mobile app when an employee or manager must review and sign the Performance Improvement Plan away from a workstation while preserving the same document record.
- Use kiosk mode when HR supervises signing on an organization-managed device during a documented meeting and needs the employee to complete the acknowledgment immediately.
- Use a shareable signing link when authorized HR staff need to provide controlled access without manually addressing each invitation, subject to the organization’s identity and access policy.
What the PIP audit trail records
The audit trail documents how the Performance Improvement Plan moved from preparation to completed acknowledgment, separately from the plan’s substantive expectations.
Authenticate signer:
Capture timestamp:
Record document hash:
Seal document:
Log actions:
Export record:
Mobile options for PIP signing
Managers and employees can review the Performance Improvement Plan through signNow mobile apps for iOS and Android. The workflow supports mobile document handling and electronic signing, while the sender remains responsible for confirming that every field and expectation is complete before routing the plan.
iOS iOS app Android Android app Document capture Camera capture
For sensitive employee records, use managed devices, role-based access, and an approved storage policy. Organizations that connect signNow through API access or SSO should confirm provisioning rules, signer identity requirements, and retention controls before deploying the Performance Improvement Plan across departments.
Protect PIP records and signatures
Data at rest:
Data in transit:
SOC 2 Type II:
ISO 27001:
Privacy compliance:
Signature compliance:
Challenges when completing a PIP
Managers may describe performance concerns vaguely, leaving employees unsure which measurable results, behaviors, or deadlines determine successful completion. A copied Performance Improvement Plan can include inconsistent review dates, unsupported expectations, or consequences that conflict with company policy. Unrestricted access can expose sensitive performance information to coworkers who do not manage the employee or administer the employment record. Missing employee acknowledgment or incomplete follow-up notes can weaken the employer’s documentation during a later workplace dispute.
Best practices for PIP records
Accurate expectations and disciplined record handling make the Performance Improvement Plan easier to administer and review.
Describe measurable performance gaps
Document support and review meetings
Export the audit trail
Apply the employer retention policy
Risks from incomplete PIP records
Unclear standards
Missing signature
Access failure
Policy mismatch
PIP signing and troubleshooting questions
These answers address field setup, electronic-signature validity, access controls, and signNow workflow issues specific to a Performance Improvement Plan.
Upload the Performance Improvement Plan as a PDF or supported document, then inspect signNow’s detected fields before sending. Add any missing performance targets, review dates, initials, or signature fields manually so the employee receives a complete plan.
The Business plan includes templates and audit trails, while Business Premium adds bulk send and kiosk mode. A single employee PIP normally needs a standard routed workflow; choose a higher plan only when the organization needs those additional capabilities.
A signed PIP can generally be used as an electronic business record when the parties intended to sign, consented to electronic records where required, and the record remains attributable and reproducible. ESIGN and applicable state UETA or New York ESRA govern the legal framework.
Use signNow’s audit trail to preserve signer actions, timestamps, IP information, and document history alongside the completed Performance Improvement Plan. Access controls still matter because an audit trail does not authorize every employee to view confidential performance information.
If an employee cannot sign, verify the recipient address, resend the invitation, or provide an approved signing link. Confirm that the document has not been completed by another recipient and that required fields remain assigned to the employee.
Do not use an electronic PIP workflow for a will, codicil, testamentary trust, or court filing. Those documents fall within ESIGN exceptions; a workplace Performance Improvement Plan is different, but state employment law and company policy still require review.
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