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what are your average weekly hours?
What’s the word on Foley Hoag LLP?
I am currently interviewing at TikTok for the Content Partnerships Lead role. Can anyone share some insight into the salary bands in the Sub-Saharan African market? Should I benchmark with the global rates?
Any tips and experiences interviewing in this region are also welcome - and highly appreciated! :)
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Have specific areas of improvement that need to be addressed. Specify time management skills, efficiency, attendance or whatever the issues are.
Also list the performance that you want to see in each area
When you present the document, make sure that it is a two way conversation. Ask the person what they need from you to meet performance expectations.
Determine a timetable for the PIP. I usually use 3 months
Make sure that you schedule biweekly meetings with the employee to review their performance with them. Keep documentation of meetings and any improvements or deficits in performance.
I disagree with asking what they need from you in the very same conversation where you are presenting the PIP. It invites deflection, and the purpose of the meeting will get lost.
Instead, set a meeting a week after the presentation conversation. Let them know at that meeting we can discuss support needs. That way they have the opportunity to actually interrogate their support needs specific to the PIP.
Well, the purpose is improvement, as an HR professional I focus on the what and the why’s and the when by’s because if people don’t know why it’s important, they typically aren’t driven to fix it.
So, say Bob has been failing to get his transactions done in time. You need to tell him why this is important and when you need him to improve this by and circle back on that date to see marked and sustained improvement.
Ex: Bob’s transaction rate is at 80%. The company minimum is 90%. The minimum is set at 90% for this position so that all earnings are accounted for and the group can be eligible for increases. This minimum standard needs to be achieved on a regular and sustained basis within 90 days.
Make sure you’re doing it in the spirit of truly wanting the person to pull through and improve. If you strongly believe they’re not right for the role, it’s not worth it to do a PIP. In that case, see if HR has other options for letting them go.
We don’t have another option. PIP is the only way, sadly. Pips for someone that should be let go are horrible for everyone and a shame how much time it takes away from the actual performers in your team.
Stick to facts, not emotions. Have reasonable and actionable things they can do to resolve the issues. Make it time-sensitive so they understand the timeframe you’re expecting to see improvements. And be open to hearing their ideas for improving as well; they may have already thought about it and could have solutions you haven’t thought of.
I like to put the proof on the PIP. Meaning if they are being put on this due to excessive tarries or absences I list the dates, times and reasons given, if any.
If this is due to not adhering to SOP’s, I would list a few examples where they failed to follow protocol and list the proper way to handle.
As an empathetic leader, I like to ask what we (me and that person) can do to work towards improvement. Whether it’s a slight shift change or more training. This makes them feel less judged.
Don’t do it. Coach them according to what needs improvement or just let them go. PIPs are not useful.
Not able to “just let them go”. You are required to go through ER/LR and unless they have done something egregious, you have to PIP. Even if it’s something egregious, you may not be able to just let them go.
All answers given before is great advice! Also, place on the PIP the date of the follow-up meeting and make a copy for them to keep as well. A week before the date of the follow-up, I have the employee complete a questionnaire which serves as a self reflection and is also helpful as a conversation started to discuss if they feel there was improvement. It also helps with not getting vague answers and helps them feel involved in their growth. Good luck!
Prepare for them to leave. I hope they are. PIPs are basically an excuse to fire or lay off.
Not always. I have employees that actually do better. It's all about the conversation of improvement.
Read through the PIP multiple times, practice what you are going to say, have a witness if possible. Pause the meeting or reschedule if things get heated.
If you stick to the facts and come to the meeting as a mentor to someone who needs the attention there should be no hard feelings. You both want the same thing, for the employee to improve.
I put someone on one 2 weeks ago. We provided concrete examples where they didn’t meet expectations. I set it for 30 days with flexibility to extend or cut it short as needed. We have weekly check ins and everything assigned/status is documented. HR gets a copy of everything too. The initial conversation was stressful for me but I think overall it is leading to the improvement we were hoping for.
Coach
Once the pip starts, then document the interactions, the activity, what was wrong, what you shared with the person, next steps, etc.
If this leads to letting the person go, you will have to prove you did the training, check points, address the actions that were wrong, etc.
One of the documents I used was a checklist of the trainings. And some sort of pre/post training assessment and then did he post test one month later to see if it stuck.
My location had a 30-60-90 version of the pip.
Mine was a union location, so we went through great lengths to provide training and recurring training to support the individual I’m thinking of.
What’s a PIP?
Perform improvement plan
Agreed to keep things as factual as possible! Make it a two way conversation by actively asking them what they think about the things you’re presenting. It’s possible that there are things you don’t see going on and you could also unknowingly be a factor in their performance and you don’t want that to be a factor.
Set very specific expectations and timelines, and get feedback on whether they think they’re reasonable. Set regular check-ins on progress and provide support.
PIPs can destroy people. They suck and it’s hard to stay motivated when you’re on one. If you haven’t had a pre-PIP intervention yet, I encourage you to have one. No one should ever be blindsided by a PIP and I feel like some people will turn to PIPs as their first real engagement around performance improvement instead of having difficult conversations and setting clear expectations beforehand.
If expectations are documented and clear for every role, you can clearly point back to them and it helps everyone to know what’s required of them to just meet expectations. I’ve been in so many positions without written R&Rs and it helped immensely to create one for every level of the hierarchy when I people managed. It makes it super clear from day one what everyone’s job is, what they need to demonstrate to qualify for a promotion, and when they’re failing to meet the requirements of their role.
Mentor
Make sure the expectations in the PIP are easily measurable. - Set periodic meetings to document PIP to date progress. - Offer to meet more frequently if the employee would like to. - If you see poor performance that is included in the PIP talk to the employee immediately. Don’t wait for a pre-scheduled session. - Ask for their input and then press your lips together until they respond. - Ask what they need to be successful.
Be prepared for them to more than likely leave. Most people don’t stick around once put on a PIP
You are destroying their morale - either fire them
Or mentor them
I totally agree with the coaching over the PIP, btw. That’s why I said what I said…focus on what the issue is and try to get there in a timeframe
Document everything!!! Make sure that it is understood that doing Only the PIP actions does not mean improvement if they have neglected everything else. If you feel like it’s going sideways, get a witness for any interactions. And good luck with ER support.
Exactly, document everything!
I am new to the firm. What is PIP?
Performance improvement plan, common in most corporate settings. Basically a probationary period when someone isn’t performing as expected. They’re given specific goals and a timeline, and if they don’t improve, they’re often let go.
This group is gold!!! Thanks so much for all of these thoughtful responses.
Bad move