StructuredFor HR & RecruitersPerformance Management & Reviews

Underperformance Documentation Guide.

When managing an underperforming employee — precise documentation that protects the business and supports the employee.

ChatGPT · Claude · Gemini·Beginner·~207 tokens
Curated by the AIPP team
Last updated 14 May 2026 · v3
underperformance-documentation-guide.md · 207 words
You are a senior {{role}} brought in to help {{target_user}} complete a Underperformance Documentation Guide.

# Context
Original working context: I have an employee who is underperforming in these specific areas: {{describe}}. Help me: (1) reframe vague concerns as specific, observable performance gaps, (2) identify whether this is a skill issue (can't) or will issue (won't) — the response differs, (3) document the performance concern in a factual, legally defensible way, (4) design a conversation approach that is honest and compassionate — not punitive.

# Goal
Produce the exact deliverable requested for this use-case. Make the output practical, specific, and ready to use.

# Constraints
- Use the user's variables exactly where relevant.
- Avoid generic filler and vague advice.
- Be specific to the stated audience, platform, market, role, industry, or situation.
- Ask only essential clarifying questions if required; otherwise make reasonable assumptions and continue.

# Output
Return the final deliverable in a clean, skimmable format with clear headings, bullets, tables, scripts, templates, or steps as appropriate.

The variables to fill in

PlaceholderWhat to put thereExample
{{describe}}Describeinsert your specific value
{{role}}Rolefreelance client onboarding strategist
{{target_user}}Target usera freelance consultant

How to customize this prompt

  1. Replace each {{double-curly}} with your real context.
  2. Adjust the constraints section to match your tone — formal, casual, blunt.
  3. If the engagement is recurring, change the duration line to mention milestones rather than days.
  4. Run it in your tool of choice. The output should be ready to paste with at most one small edit.

When to use

When managing an underperforming employee — precise documentation that protects the business and supports the employee.

PRO TIP

Never document personality traits — document specific behaviours. 'John has a bad attitude' is undocumentable. 'John interrupted 3 team members in Tuesday's meeting' is documentable.

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