Managing the workforce is an overwhelming task. Effective performance management requires face to face manager and employee interaction. If the manager does not know his or her employees, then he or she has far fewer opportunities to direct them onto a pathway of greater productivity and optimized output. It has been known that long-term successful business owners view performance management as a process of getting to know the people who work for them. Unfortunately, the vast majority of companies today are ignoring the potential assets gained from using performance appraisal to promote a higher quality of human capital. A performance improvement plan is a procedure used by managers to help employees improve performance or modify their behavior. An effective performance improvement plan will specifically identify the performance to be improved or the behavior to be corrected. The plan will provide clear expectations and metrics about the work to be performed or behavior that must change. It will identify the support and resources available to help the employee make the required improvements. It will establish a plan for reviewing the employee's growth and providing feedback to the employee for the duration of the performance improvement plan. It will specify potential penalties if performance standards as identified in the performance improvement plan are not met. When an employee is not performing or meeting expectations, managers have at their disposal several options to correct the behavior. They can rely on corrective actions such as oral and written warnings. In a more serious case, managers can move to suspension without pay, demotion or dismissal. The performance improvement plan, in many cases, can be used in place of these disciplinary processes. A performance improvement plan can be given at almost any point in performance discussions with the