How often should I do formal reviews?

Twice a year is enough for most small shops if you also do short monthly check ins. Annual only is too slow to catch drift.

Is a performance improvement plan worth the paper?

Yes, even in a small shop. Not for HR. For you. It forces the standard to be written down so the conversation stops being personal.

Performance conversations

The conversations you keep avoiding are the ones holding the team back.

Scripts for the talk you owe a good employee who has slipped, and the one you owe a great employee who is about to leave.

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Overview

Why operators bring this to us

Scripts for the talk you owe a good employee who has slipped, and the one you owe a great employee who is about to leave. Operators in the corpus consistently describe this as one of the moments where a generic AI answer is worse than no answer at all. The chat is built for the version of this question that lands on your desk, with specifics from people who have actually run the play.

Is this you?

The version of this problem we hear most

If this sounds like you

Standards are sliding and you keep hoping they fix themselves.
You give vague feedback and nothing changes.
Your best person is restless and you do not know what to offer.

What you walk away with

A script for the conversation on your desk this week.
A 30 day plan with measurable check ins, not vibes.
A retention offer you can actually afford.

What to ask

Bring one of these to the chat

Tap any question to open the chat with it pre-loaded. Edit it before you send, or send it as is.

Frequently asked

Common questions about this

How often should I do formal reviews?: Twice a year is enough for most small shops if you also do short monthly check ins. Annual only is too slow to catch drift.
Is a performance improvement plan worth the paper?: Yes, even in a small shop. Not for HR. For you. It forces the standard to be written down so the conversation stops being personal.

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