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Office of Human Resources: Illinois State University

VIP Guidelines

The process of obtaining an employee's commitment to the University’s mission begins long before he/she enters the formal disciplinary process. At Illinois State University, managers are encouraged to give employees continuous feedback about their job performance.

Informal Steps

  • VIP Contact: VIP Contacts are informal acknowledgements and recognitions that are made to employees to demonstrate management’s appreciation for a job well done.
  • Encouragement Session: An Encouragement Session is a face-to-face meeting between the employee and his/her supervisor to discuss a performance issue before it becomes a serious problem in the workplace.

Formal Steps

  1. Verbal Support: Verbal Support is the first step in the formal stage of the VIP program. As a rule, the Verbal Support should be conducted in an informal atmosphere. Early in the process the employee should be informed of the following:
    • The unacceptable behavior:
    • The problem that it caused:
    • Any expected improvement in future behavior.
    • Assistance, if appropriate, that the supervisor plans to give the employee to correct the problem
    • Any follow-up action that will be taken.
  2. Performance Improvement Discussion: The Performance Improvement Discussion is the second formal step of the VIP program. A meeting similar to the one for Verbal Support is conducted. At the end of the meeting the employee is told he/she will be issued a Performance Improvement letter.
  3. Commitment Discussion: The intent of the Commitment Discussion is to inform the employee that his/her performance or behavior still has not improved after receiving a letter of Verbal Support and a Performance Improvement letter, and now it has reached a very serious state.
  4. Written Reinforcement: This step is a signal to the employee that his/her performance or behavior is inconsistent with the standards set by the department and/or the University. The employee’s performance or behavior has reached a critical stage and his/her position at the University is in jeopardy.
  5. Ultimate Decision Leave: The Ultimate Decision Leave is the final step of the VIP program. At this step of the process the employee is given a 1 day paid leave of absence to consider whether or not he/she is willing and committed to working toward the goals of the University. Upon his/her return the employee will be expected to inform Human Resources and their supervisor of his/her decision.

Discharge: The move to discharge an employee should only be invoked when all other problem-solving and corrective efforts have failed and in those situations where the action is so egregious that discharge is appropriate.