Despite our best efforts when it comes to performance management, some employees choose not to perform their duties at an acceptable level. When this happens, and your feedback sessions and coaching still do not lead to the desired results, we recommend that you use a behavior contract (sometimes called a disciplinary plan, behavior improvement plan, corrective action, disciplinary letter, etc.) to define the change in behavior that is required, the consequences for a failure to improve, and who will provide the consequences (usually a supervisor).

Here are some tips for making behavior contracts work.

• Select only a small number of meaningful behaviors for the contract. These should be observable behaviors.
• While a failure to comply is normally negative consequences (up to and including demotion or dismissal), depending on the circumstances you can also include reinforcement contingencies that are important to the worker. Does the worker want recognition, feedback, or something that visibly reminds them of accomplishments (being careful not to negatively impact other workers’ morale, of course)?
• Include an action plan that outlines the desired behaviors the employee will adopt.
• The contract must be signed by both employee and supervisor. If you are in a unionized workplace, the union business partner representative normally receives a copy as well.
• Provide attention, and immediate reinforcement, when the targeted behaviors are demonstrated. That reinforcement may only be a “thank you” but provide it immediately.
• As the action plan gets underway, determine if parts of it need to be revised. Nothing is ever written in concrete. If part of the contract is working very well, but another part is not improving at all, perhaps you need to try a different approach. Remember that in unionized workplaces you may need to check the wording of the collective agreement to ensure you are approaching things to meet the terms of that agreement.
• Record and share progress made by the worker. Positive recognition is often fine to do in public, but constructive criticism should always be done in private. Most employees do not want their colleagues to know that they are on a “disciplinary” plan.