How to Respond to a Performance Improvement Plan in Australia

To respond to a performance improvement plan (PIP) in Australia, put your reply in writing, stay calm, and deal with each concern the plan lists. Acknowledge that you have received the plan without admitting every point, give your side with dates and context, and ask for clear targets, a fair timeframe and the support you need. That gives you a dated record of your position before the first review meeting.

Claim Done drafts a PIP response letter from your answers for a flat A$49. You download the PDF straight away and send it to your manager or HR yourself.

What a PIP is, and what a fair one looks like

The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes a performance improvement plan template for employers. It describes a PIP as a document that sets out the problem with an employee’s performance and what they need to do to improve it. The same template says:

• the required outcomes should be specific, measurable and realistic
• the employer should explain how the employee can improve and what support it will give, such as training
• the employee should get a reasonable time to improve, with set review dates (the template suggests a plan period of typically 6 to 8 weeks)
• the employer should explain what will happen if performance does not improve
• there is space for the employee’s own self-assessment and comments before each review.

Hold your plan against that list. If a target is vague, a date is missing or no support is offered, ask for it in writing.

Is a PIP unfair, or is it bullying?

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s page on bullying in the workplace says reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable way is not bullying, and that a manager can make decisions about poor performance. It also says management action that is not carried out in a reasonable way may be considered bullying.

So the useful question is usually not “is this a PIP?” but “is it being run fairly?” The Fair Work Ombudsman’s guidance on managing performance and warnings says employers should:

• check any rules in the award, registered agreement, employment contract or workplace policy before they start
• tell the employee what a meeting is about and ask if they want to bring a support person
• be clear about the issues and agree clear and reasonable steps for improvement
• document the meeting and outcomes
• give warnings in writing, with clear expectations, and make sure they are fair and reasonable.

If you believe what is happening goes beyond reasonable management, the same bullying page says a worker who is still employed can take the Fair Work Commission’s eligibility quiz and, if eligible, lodge a stop bullying application. If the national laws do not cover you, your State or Territory work health and safety regulator can give advice. That is a separate step from answering the plan, and this letter does not make that claim.

What your PIP response letter should say

Keep it factual, polite and short. Cover these points:

1. Acknowledge the plan. Say you have received it and the date, and that you want to work through it constructively. Keep this to the fact that you received it, and do not write that you accept points you dispute.
2. Respond to each concern. Take the targets or concerns one at a time. Where you disagree, say so and give your reason: dates, workload changes, things outside your control, or concerns that were never raised with you before.
3. Ask for clarity. Ask for measurable targets in writing and a clear review date if the plan does not already have them.
4. Ask for support. Name the training, tools or regular feedback you need to meet the targets.
5. Ask for a support person. Say you would like a support person at review meetings.
6. Ask for it to go on file. Request that your response be kept with the plan.

How a PIP response letter is structured

This is the shape of the letter Claim Done drafts.

Heading and addressee

Your name, the date, and the name and title of the manager or HR contact. The subject line names the plan or review you are responding to.

Opening

Confirms you have received the plan, your role and your employer, and that you are responding in good faith.

Response to each concern

One short paragraph per target or concern, in your own words, with the facts and context you gave.

Requests for a fair process

Clear written targets, a realistic timeframe, training and tools, regular documented feedback, and a support person at meetings.

Closing

A request that the response be placed on your file, an offer to meet and agree the targets, and your signature and date.

How to send it and what to keep

Send it by email so the date is recorded, or hand it over and follow up with an email saying you have done so. Keep copies of:

• the PIP itself and any earlier warnings or feedback
• your response and the email you sent it with
• your own notes of each meeting, written the same day
• evidence for each point you dispute, such as emails, rosters, sales reports or messages showing a target changed.

Support people and review meetings

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s formal steps checklist for employers says a support person can be a co-worker, family member, friend or union representative. Their role is to support you, not to speak or advocate for you. The checklist also tells employers to invite the employee to respond and explain their performance, to confirm the outcome of the meeting in writing and invite the employee to respond, and to give a reasonable period to improve, typically 6 to 8 weeks, with regular check-ins.

Use each review to update your record. If the written summary leaves out something you raised, reply in writing with the correction.

What happens next, and if it ends badly

A PIP is not a dismissal. The Fair Work Ombudsman says there is no general rule that an employer must give 3 warnings, or even 1, before ending employment, but an employer should usually give the employee a chance to fix performance issues. It also says termination of employment should only be considered as a final resort.

If your employment does end, time limits are short. These come from the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pages on unfair dismissal and protections at work, as at November 2026:

When deciding an unfair dismissal claim, the Commission must consider factors including whether there was a valid reason, whether the employee was given a reason and a chance to respond, and, for underperformance, whether the employee had been warned first. Making a complaint or enquiry about your employment is a workplace right, and adverse action against someone for having or using a workplace right is unlawful. The Fair Work Ombudsman does not investigate unfair dismissal complaints, so these applications go to the Commission.

If you are on probation, the Fair Work Ombudsman’s probation page says you keep the same entitlements as other employees. If you do not pass, you are still entitled to notice and to payment of unused annual leave, and the dismissal page confirms notice applies even when employment ends during probation.

Mistakes to avoid

• Saying nothing, then disputing everything at the final review.
• Writing while angry, or accusing anyone of lying or bad faith.
• Agreeing in writing to concerns you do not accept.
• Responding only in a meeting that nobody minutes.
• Missing the 21-day limit if your employment ends.

A calm written reply will not decide the outcome of the plan, but it makes sure your side is on file. If you want it drafted from your own answers, start your PIP response now for A$49.