How should support measures be linked to performance targets?

Targets should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, with clear support measures explaining how the employee will be helped to reach them.

How long should support measures continue during a performance improvement plan?

A performance improvement plan commonly lasts between 30 and 90 days, but the length should be reasonable for the role, issues and support being provided.

Who should provide support during a performance improvement plan?

Support usually involves the employee’s line manager, but HR, mentors, trainers or occupational health may also be involved where appropriate.

Should support measures be recorded in writing?

Yes. Regular review meetings should be documented to record progress, feedback, support provided and any further action needed.

What happens if an employee does not improve despite support?

If there is insufficient improvement despite reasonable support, the employer may consider extending the plan, changing the support offered or moving to formal capability or disciplinary action.

Can I use an AI-generated document for performance improvement support measures?

Yes. UK employers can use an AI-generated performance improvement plan document as a starting point, provided it is reviewed and adapted to the employee’s circumstances.

Where can I generate a performance improvement plan for use in the United Kingdom?

You can create a performance improvement plan using the main performance improvement plan document generator linked from this page.

EN-GB>Governance>Performance Improvement Plan>Employee Support Plans in the United Kingdom

Employee Support Measures For Performance Plans In The United Kingdom

Created: 9 Jun 2026

This article explains practical employee support measures for performance plans and why they matter for fair, effective workplace improvement. It is useful for HR teams, managers, and employees seeking clear guidance alongside an AI Generated Performance Improvement Plan for use in the United Kingdom.

Support Measure	Purpose	Responsible Party	Support Frequency	Review Method
Manager support
Scheduled one-to-one progress meetings	Review progress, barriers and next actions	Line manager	Weekly	Meeting notes and agreed action log
Goal setting
Written clarification of performance standards	Ensure expectations are specific and understood	Line manager	One-off	Signed objectives and review comments
Convert expectations into SMART targets	Make improvement measurable and time-bound	Line manager	One-off	Target tracker against agreed metrics
Training
Role-specific skills training	Close identified capability gaps	Learning and development	As needed	Training record and post-training assessment
Refresher training on key processes	Reinforce correct procedures and standards	Line manager or trainer	As needed	Observation and error-rate review
Software or systems training	Improve use of required work tools	IT trainer or systems lead	As needed	Task completion checks and user feedback
Compliance or policy refresher training	Reduce breaches and improve policy adherence	Compliance or HR	As needed	Training completion and incident review
Coaching
Structured coaching sessions	Build skills through guided practice	Line manager or coach	Weekly	Coaching notes and progress examples
Mentoring
Peer mentor for practical guidance	Provide informal role-based support	Line manager	Weekly	Mentor feedback and employee reflection
Buddying
Buddy assigned for daily queries	Speed up learning and reduce avoidable errors	Line manager	As needed	Buddy log and issue themes
Job shadowing
Shadow a high-performing colleague	Observe expected methods and standards	Line manager	As needed	Learning summary and manager debrief
Observation
Manager observes employee performing tasks	Identify gaps and give real-time feedback	Line manager	Fortnightly	Observation checklist and feedback notes
Quality review
Review samples of completed work	Spot quality issues and improvement trends	Quality lead or manager	Weekly	Quality scorecard and defect log
Feedback
Timely constructive feedback after key tasks	Correct issues before they become repeated	Line manager	As needed	Feedback log and employee response
Guidance
Provide written procedures and checklists	Support consistent task completion	Line manager or process owner	One-off	Checklist use and error tracking
Task support
Create task checklist or template	Reduce omissions and improve consistency	Line manager	One-off	Checklist completion and quality review
Workload management
Review workload and competing priorities	Identify overload affecting performance	Line manager	Fortnightly	Workload tracker and priority list
Temporarily reduce or rebalance workload	Allow focus on priority improvement areas	Line manager	As needed	Output review and workload notes
Time management
Agree weekly priority list	Focus effort on the most important tasks	Line manager	Weekly	Priority list completion review
Time planning and diary coaching	Improve organisation and deadline control	Line manager or coach	Weekly	Diary review and missed-deadline log
Project support
Break tasks into milestones	Make complex work easier to complete	Line manager or project lead	As needed	Milestone tracker and status updates
Supervision
Closer supervision for critical tasks	Prevent serious errors while skills improve	Line manager or supervisor	As needed	Supervisor sign-off and incident log
Quality control
Second check before submission	Catch errors and reinforce standards	Senior colleague or manager	As needed	Correction log and approval record
Resources
Provide required tools or equipment	Remove practical barriers to performance	Line manager or IT	One-off	Equipment confirmation and user feedback
IT support
Resolve IT faults affecting work	Remove technology-related performance barriers	IT service desk	As needed	Ticket record and issue resolution notes
Information access
Give access to manuals and knowledge base	Enable independent problem solving	Line manager or system owner	One-off	Access confirmation and usage discussion
Policy guidance
Explain relevant workplace policies	Ensure employee understands required conduct	HR or line manager	One-off	Employee acknowledgement and Q&A notes
Health support
Occupational health referral	Assess health factors and adjustment needs	HR or line manager	As needed	OH report and adjustment action plan
Reasonable adjustments
Consider and implement reasonable adjustments	Reduce disability-related workplace disadvantage	Employer, HR and line manager	As needed	Adjustment plan and review notes
Create workplace adjustment record	Record agreed adjustments consistently	HR and line manager	One-off	Adjustment record review
Flexible working
Consider flexible working request	Address working pattern barriers	HR and line manager	As needed	Flexible working decision record
Working pattern
Temporary change to hours or start time	Support attendance, health or focus	Line manager and HR	As needed	Attendance and performance review notes
Work location
Temporary remote or hybrid working	Reduce barriers linked to location or commute	Line manager and HR	As needed	Output review and arrangement notes
Workstation support
Display screen equipment assessment	Reduce discomfort affecting work performance	Health and safety or facilities	As needed	DSE assessment and action record
Assistive technology
Provide assistive software or equipment	Reduce disability or access-related barriers	IT, HR and line manager	As needed	Adjustment review and user feedback
Wellbeing support
Work-related stress risk assessment	Identify stressors affecting performance	Line manager and health and safety	As needed	Risk assessment and action review
Signpost employee assistance programme	Offer confidential wellbeing support	HR or line manager	One-off	Signposting note, without confidential details
Signpost mental health first aider	Provide early wellbeing support route	HR or line manager	As needed	Support offered note only
Attendance support
Return-to-work discussion after absence	Understand absence impact and support needs	Line manager	As needed	Return-to-work notes and action points
Phased return after sickness absence	Rebuild capacity while managing health needs	Line manager and HR	As needed	Phased return plan and progress notes
Pregnancy-related support
Review pregnancy-related performance barriers	Avoid pregnancy or maternity discrimination	HR and line manager	As needed	Risk review and adjustment notes
Family-related support
Reinduction after family leave	Refresh knowledge after extended leave	Line manager and HR	One-off	Reinduction checklist and follow-up notes
Induction
Repeat or extend role induction	Fill gaps from incomplete onboarding	Line manager and HR	One-off	Induction checklist and confidence review
Probation support
Probation review with support actions	Address early performance concerns promptly	Line manager and HR	Monthly	Probation review form and action plan
Communication support
Agree preferred communication method	Prevent misunderstanding of instructions	Line manager	One-off	Communication plan and feedback review
Provide key instructions in writing	Improve recall and reduce ambiguity	Line manager	As needed	Instruction log and completion review
Language support
Plain English guidance and glossary	Improve understanding of role terminology	Line manager or trainer	One-off	Comprehension check and task review
Neurodiversity support
Use clear written task breakdowns	Reduce processing and planning barriers	Line manager	As needed	Adjustment feedback and output review
Work environment
Provide quieter workspace where possible	Improve concentration and reduce errors	Line manager or facilities	As needed	Employee feedback and performance comparison
Relationship support
Address workplace conflict affecting performance	Reduce relationship barriers to effective work	Line manager or HR	As needed	Action notes and follow-up discussion
Mediation
Offer workplace mediation	Resolve conflict affecting performance	HR or external mediator	As needed	Mediation outcome record, if agreed
Role clarity
Clarify role responsibilities and boundaries	Remove uncertainty about duties	Line manager	One-off	Updated role profile and review notes
Clarify decision-making authority	Prevent delays from uncertainty	Line manager	One-off	Delegation note and decision review
Relationship support
Introduce key stakeholders and contacts	Improve collaboration and escalation routes	Line manager	One-off	Contact list and collaboration feedback
Process support
Define escalation route for problems	Help employee seek timely help	Line manager	One-off	Escalation log and response times
Agree internal response times	Reduce delays outside employee control	Line manager and team leads	One-off	Delay log and dependency review
Information access
Provide access to required reports or data	Enable accurate and timely decisions	Line manager or data owner	One-off	Access confirmation and output checks
Performance tracking
Provide live performance dashboard	Let employee monitor progress independently	Line manager or data team	As needed	Dashboard trends and review comments
Explain KPI calculations and evidence	Ensure employee understands measurement basis	Line manager or analyst	One-off	KPI notes and employee questions log
Maintain shared PIP progress tracker	Keep evidence and actions transparent	Line manager and employee	Weekly	Updated tracker at each review
Self-review
Employee self-assessment before reviews	Encourage ownership and identify barriers	Employee	Weekly	Self-assessment form and manager comments
Keep learning and issue log	Track lessons, blockers and support requests	Employee	Weekly	Learning log reviewed in check-ins
Protected time
Allocate time for training and practice	Allow improvement without normal workload pressure	Line manager	Weekly	Diary entries and task progress review
Practice support
Provide supervised practice tasks	Build competence before critical work	Trainer or line manager	Weekly	Practice results and feedback notes
Training
Scenario-based practice sessions	Improve judgement in realistic situations	Trainer or team lead	Fortnightly	Scenario scores and debrief notes
Customer service coaching
Review calls, emails or customer interactions	Improve communication and service quality	Team leader or quality coach	Weekly	Quality scores and coaching notes
Sales coaching
Pipeline and conversion coaching	Improve sales activity quality and results	Sales manager	Weekly	Pipeline review and conversion metrics
Writing support
Review written work against examples	Improve clarity, accuracy and tone	Line manager or editor	Fortnightly	Marked-up examples and quality rubric
Technical support
Technical review by subject expert	Improve accuracy on specialist tasks	Subject matter expert	Fortnightly	Review comments and correction themes
Development support
Create targeted development plan	Link PIP actions to skill development	Line manager and employee	Monthly	Development plan progress review
External training
Fund relevant external course	Address specialist skill gap	Line manager and L&D	As needed	Completion certificate and skills review
Professional supervision
Case supervision with senior practitioner	Improve judgement in complex cases	Senior practitioner or supervisor	Fortnightly	Supervision notes and case outcomes
Safeguarding support
Safeguarding process refresher and supervision	Prevent risk while competence improves	Safeguarding lead	As needed	Supervision record and incident review
Health and safety training
Health and safety refresher training	Ensure safe performance of duties	Health and safety lead	As needed	Training record and safety observations
Risk control
Temporarily restrict high-risk duties	Protect safety while capability is addressed	Line manager and safety lead	As needed	Risk assessment and reinstatement criteria
Handover support
Improve handover notes and process	Reduce missed actions between shifts or teams	Line manager or shift lead	As needed	Handover audit and error review
Meeting support
Provide agendas and action summaries	Improve follow-through after meetings	Line manager or meeting chair	As needed	Action tracker and completion notes
Confidence support
Set staged tasks of increasing difficulty	Rebuild confidence through achievable progress	Line manager	Weekly	Staged task outcomes and feedback notes
Positive reinforcement
Acknowledge improvements during reviews	Reinforce effective behaviours and progress	Line manager	Weekly	Review notes with improvement examples
HR support
Explain capability process and rights	Ensure process is understood and transparent	HR	One-off	Process briefing note and employee questions
Procedural support
Allow companion at qualifying formal hearings	Support employee participation in formal process	HR and chairing manager	As needed	Meeting invite and attendance record
Explain appeal route for formal outcomes	Ensure employee understands challenge options	HR	As needed	Outcome letter and appeal information
Representation support
Signpost trade union or workplace representative	Help employee access representation or advice	HR	One-off	Signposting note in process record
Record keeping
Keep proportionate PIP support records	Evidence support while respecting privacy	HR and line manager	As needed	Secure HR file and retention review
Privacy support
Limit sharing of health information	Protect privacy during health-related support	HR and line manager	As needed	Access controls and file audit
Review management
Extend review period if support delayed	Give fair chance to benefit from support	Line manager and HR	As needed	Extension rationale and revised timeline
Formal mid-point PIP review	Check progress and adjust support early	Line manager and HR	One-off	Mid-point review letter or notes
Share evidence before final review	Allow employee to respond to evidence	Line manager or HR	One-off	Evidence pack and response notes
Redeployment support
Explore suitable alternative roles	Consider better role fit where appropriate	HR and line manager	As needed	Vacancy search and suitability notes
Provide retraining for alternative role	Support transition to suitable work	HR and learning and development	As needed	Training plan and trial review
Accessibility support
Review workplace accessibility barriers	Identify practical access improvements	Facilities, HR and line manager	As needed	Accessibility action list and follow-up
External support
Signpost Access to Work support	Explore help for disability-related work needs	HR or line manager	One-off	Signposting note and adjustment follow-up
Apprenticeship support
Coordinate with training provider	Align workplace support with learning plan	Line manager and provider	Monthly	Provider feedback and progress record
Certification support
Support required certification or licence	Meet competence requirements for role	Line manager and L&D	As needed	Certification status and competence check
Working time support
Review hours, rest breaks and fatigue risks	Reduce fatigue-related performance issues	Line manager and HR	As needed	Rota review and working time records
Shift support
Temporarily adjust shift allocation	Test whether shifts affect performance	Rostering manager	As needed	Rota notes and performance comparison
Fieldwork support
Review route, travel or site risks	Remove fieldwork barriers and safety concerns	Line manager and safety lead	As needed	Risk review and visit outcomes
Resource support
Provide updated scripts, templates or examples	Support consistent output quality	Process owner or line manager	One-off	Template use and output review
Root cause analysis
Analyse recurring errors with employee	Identify causes and targeted fixes	Line manager or quality lead	Fortnightly	Error themes and corrective action log
Process improvement
Identify process barriers outside employee control	Separate capability issues from system issues	Line manager and process owner	As needed	Barrier log and process change record
Team support
Review team capacity and dependencies	Check whether team constraints affect output	Department manager	Monthly	Capacity review and dependency notes
Management support
Set manager availability for questions	Ensure timely guidance during PIP	Line manager	Weekly	Question log and response review
Assign alternative reviewer if appropriate	Improve objectivity and trust in reviews	HR or department head	As needed	Reviewer appointment note and feedback
Inclusion support
Address inclusion barriers affecting performance	Ensure fair access to support and opportunities	HR and line manager	As needed	Inclusion action notes and follow-up
Equality support
Escalate alleged discrimination concerns	Ensure performance process is not discriminatory	HR or senior manager	As needed	Grievance or investigation record
Grievance support
Explain grievance route for workplace concerns	Address concerns affecting performance or fairness	HR	As needed	Grievance record and outcome actions
Confidentiality support
Limit PIP details to relevant managers	Protect dignity and reduce workplace stigma	HR and line manager	As needed	Access list and document controls
Meeting support
Schedule reviews at reasonable times	Enable proper preparation and participation	Line manager or HR	As needed	Meeting invites and preparation notes
Communication access
Provide interpreter or communication aid	Ensure effective participation in reviews	HR and line manager	As needed	Meeting record and support confirmation
Meeting support
Provide written summary after reviews	Ensure actions and decisions are clear	Line manager or HR	Weekly	Review summary and action confirmation
Knowledge update
Brief employee on recent role changes	Address performance gaps from changed requirements	Line manager or policy owner	As needed	Briefing note and knowledge check
Change support
Discuss impact of workplace change	Identify change-related performance barriers	Line manager	As needed	Change impact notes and action review
Target review
Check targets against peers and role level	Ensure targets are realistic and consistent	Line manager and HR	One-off	Benchmark notes and target rationale
Dependency support
Map dependencies affecting delivery	Identify blockers beyond employee control	Line manager and employee	One-off	Dependency map and blocker log
Evidence support
Record support offered and employee uptake	Evidence a fair opportunity to improve	Line manager and HR	Weekly	Support log and review meeting notes

What Support Should A UK Performance Improvement Plan Include?

A strong performance improvement plan should list practical support, not just targets. Useful measures include regular manager check-ins, coaching, training, adjusted workload, clearer written standards, and access to wellbeing or occupational health support where relevant.

Why Does Support Matter In A Fair UK Performance Process?

Support records help show that the employer gave the employee a reasonable opportunity to improve before taking formal action. ACAS guidance on capability highlights the importance of identifying causes of poor performance, agreeing improvements, and reviewing progress.

When Are Adjustments Especially Important?

If poor performance may be linked to disability, health, pregnancy, caring pressures, stress, neurodiversity, or workplace barriers, the plan should consider targeted support and possible reasonable adjustments. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers where the duty applies.

How Should Support Be Recorded?

Each support measure should identify who arranges it, how often it happens, and how its effectiveness is reviewed. Common evidence includes meeting notes, training records, updated objectives, coaching logs, agreed action points, occupational health recommendations, and progress metrics.

What Practical Mistakes Should Employers Avoid?

Setting targets without support: A PIP is weaker if it records failures but no help offered.
Ignoring health or disability issues: Adjustments should be considered before judging performance against unchanged standards.
Using vague support promises: Measures such as weekly coaching, specific training, and named manager check-ins are easier to evidence.
Failing to review support: Reviews should check whether the support is working, not only whether the employee has improved.

Employee Support Measures for Performance Plans

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FAQs

What are employee support measures in a performance improvement plan?

Employee support measures are practical steps an employer can offer to help an employee meet the standards set out in a performance improvement plan, such as training, mentoring, adjusted targets or regular feedback.

Why should UK employers include support measures in a performance improvement plan?

What support measures can be included in a UK performance plan?

Are employers legally required to provide support during a performance improvement plan?

Can support measures include reasonable adjustments for disability?

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