What Is a Performance Improvement Plan?
A Performance Improvement Plan — commonly called a PIP — is a formal HR document that sets out specific targets an employee must meet within a defined period, usually 30 to 90 days. On paper, it is a management tool designed to help struggling employees get back on track.
In practice, for a growing number of UK workers, it is something else entirely.
Employment lawyers and HR professionals increasingly recognise PIPs as one of the most commonly misused tools in the workplace. When deployed in bad faith, a PIP is not a support mechanism — it is a legal paper trail carefully constructed to justify a dismissal that has already been decided.
The Difference Between a Genuine PIP and a Weaponised One
A genuine PIP includes realistic, measurable targets. It comes with regular support, coaching, and check-ins. It gives the employee a genuine opportunity to succeed — and those who do succeed are acknowledged and retained.
A weaponised PIP looks very different:
Targets are vague, subjective, or set so high they cannot realistically be met The workload increases significantly at the same time targets are introduced The employee is isolated from their team or excluded from meetings they previously attended Every minor error is documented and escalated, while achievements go unacknowledged The manager has already begun treating the employee as if they have left HR is involved from the very beginning — before any coaching or informal support was attempted "I had never had a bad review in four years," said Marcus, a project manager at a logistics firm. "Then there was a restructure, a new director came in, and within three months I was on a PIP. The targets were impossible. I was being monitored every hour. I know now it was designed to make me resign."
Why Employers Use PIPs to Force Resignations
The financial incentive is significant. If an employee resigns, the employer avoids paying statutory redundancy pay. If the dismissal follows a documented PIP process — even a bad-faith one — the employer can argue the dismissal was for capability rather than redundancy, potentially defeating an unfair dismissal claim.
According to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), employees who are placed on a PIP are significantly more likely to leave the organisation within six months — whether through resignation, dismissal, or settlement agreement. Many leave without knowing they had grounds for a legal claim.
This is sometimes called quiet firing — a systematic process of making an employee's working life intolerable until they choose to leave, removing the employer's legal obligations in the process.
Red Flags That Your PIP May Be Bad Faith
If any of the following apply to your situation, your PIP may not be genuine:
No prior informal support — you were placed on a PIP without any previous coaching, feedback meetings, or written warnings Sudden metric changes — performance targets were introduced or significantly raised at the same time as the PIP Isolation tactics — you have been removed from projects, excluded from team communications, or marginalised from your usual responsibilities Disproportionate monitoring — your work is being scrutinised in a way that other employees' work is not No genuine support offered — the PIP document lists targets but provides no training, mentoring, or resources to help you meet them The outcome feels predetermined — reviews are negative regardless of your efforts, and feedback is contradictory or impossible to address Your Legal Rights During a PIP
A PIP does not remove your employment rights. If you have been employed continuously for two or more years, you retain the right to claim unfair dismissal if the process was not genuine. Under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, employers are required to follow a fair process before dismissal.
You also have the right to:
Be accompanied at any formal PIP review meeting by a colleague or trade union representative Respond in writing to any targets or concerns raised Raise a formal grievance if you believe the PIP process is being conducted in bad faith Request all documentation relating to your performance assessments Do not resign. Resigning during a PIP process is almost always what the employer wants — and it removes your right to claim statutory redundancy pay and makes an unfair dismissal claim significantly harder to pursue.
If you are dismissed following a PIP and believe the process was not genuine, you must contact ACAS to begin Early Conciliation within three months minus one day of your dismissal date.
Your Action Plan
Do not sign the PIP without reading every target carefully and noting anything that is vague, subjective, or unachievable Request in writing what support, training, and resources will be provided to help you meet the targets Keep a written record of every review meeting, every piece of feedback, and every interaction with your manager Raise a formal grievance in writing if you believe the process is being conducted in bad faith Do not resign — even if the pressure feels unbearable
Seek independent advice immediately — download your free action plan at 👉
👉 https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/action-plan 👉 https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/legality-checker 👉 https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/my-rights 👉 https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/resources 👉 https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/faq
A PIP is not the end. But how you respond to it determines everything that follows.