More workers should be on PIPs, but they have to be used right first

• Performance-improvement plans are often a scary thing for employees.
• Yet when they're set up fairly, PIPs can offer a chance for redemption and growth.
• More managers should be using PIPs — but not as an ultimatum, career experts told BI.

You were just told you're being put on a performance-improvement plan at work.

It's the end, right? Time to update your LinkedIn profile and start applying for jobs ASAP.

In many cases, the answer is yes. Being put on a PIP is often a warning shot from HR that you might soon be fired. Yet if a PIP is structured fairly, it shouldn't automatically be a death blow, career experts told Business Insider.