Conquer Your Performance Improvement Plan: A Playbook for Thriving Amid Corporate Chaos
Today, I’m exploring Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs). What they are, when they get used, and how the heck to navigate one if it falls in your lap. Often painted as an opportunity for growth and development, these plans can sometimes feel like wolves in sheep's clothing. In an interview with Protocol, Mark Carey, an employment lawyer and managing partner at Carey & Associates estimated that only about 5% to 10% of PIPs result in an employee being retained. Being placed on a PIP doesn’t have to spell your end. Many folks have taken on PIPs successfully and have been retained. But increasingly, they’re being used as a mechanism to show employees the door without a full Reduction in Force (RIF). Receiving a PIP can feel like an overwhelming commentary on your abilities and performance (it’s in the name after all). How do you survive a PIP with your sanity and job intact?
It’s a good question. And the answer really depends on how intentional both you and your employer are about keeping you on.
What’s it like to get PIPed?
“Heads up, HR will be in our 1:1”
This is the message a client of mine (let’s call her June) received five minutes before her weekly meeting with her boss. At that moment, so much went through June’s mind. “Here comes unemployment,” “How am I going to cover my bills?” “What will my partner think?” “What the heck just happened?”
What happened is that her employer, like many others in 2022, glutted themselves on venture capital, hiring at rapid rates, and adding hundreds of team members in a relatively short period of time with one thought in mind: growth.
But now the bill has come due. Layoffs happened already. But this wasn’t a layoff. When June got into her 1:1 she found out this was personal. This was a PIP.
What’s a PIP? Short for Performance Improvement Plan, these individualized performance evaluations originated in engineering and technical teams, meant to support employees who had perhaps stepped into a role that they were not ready for, or who were missing the mark in some way. The common rhetoric is that PIPs are meant as a retention tool, an opportunity to evaluate performance, and ignite or empower change in the employee in a structured and measurable way.
Whatever the reasons, apparently June’s work was not up to snuff. Unfortunately for her, her employer did not have the time or money to support her in accomplishing the job they had hired her to do. And so, the meeting with HR.
“We think that you have never accomplished a goal. We are offering you two options: Go on a PIP for 6 weeks or take 6 weeks of severance now. You have 24 hours to decide.”
Woah. In five minutes, June went from happily gainfully employed to her livelihood being on the line. Faced with a tough decision, June did what most people would do in this situation:
Alternate between numb shock and crying on the couch
Called her mom
Started trolling Reddit and Quora for information on PIPs
All in all, she didn’t find much, which is when she reached out to me.
Inspired by June’s story, I’ve put together a comprehensive action plan that you can take if a PIP ever comes for you. The do’s, and don’ts, and being kind to yourself in the aftermath. Let’s get into it!
Your 6-Step PIP Action Plan
First: Breathe, then Scream
So many feelings are going to come up in you right now. Defensiveness. Questioning your abilities. Gut-wrenching doubt about yourself and probably even fear for your future. Do your best to stay level-headed in your initial response. The very first question to ask yourself: “Is this being brought as a genuine effort to retain me? Or is this an opportunity for them to offload an employee whose salary they want back?” It’s hard to know, as the answer might be both. Once you’re out of the conversation, take the opportunity to privately lose your shit. Scream into a pillow. Call your mom. Generally fuck off until you can paint on a smile without the rage seeping through.
Second: Document Everything
Once you’ve managed through the initial reaction, it’s time to get busy. Your new job is to document everything. Document what was said to you, what was promised, who was in attendance, and timelines discussed in any conversations about the PIP. Start pulling together your accomplishments and performance reviews. Pull anything off your work laptop that you would like to have if you suddenly lost access (this includes any info about the PIP).
Questions to ask yourself in the documentation phase:
What is being communicated to you?
How long do you have to decide to take the PIP?
What were you offered? Is there a Severance agreement included?
Has the PIP already been written? Whose responsibility is it to design the PIP?
How long are the terms?
What happens if you meet the terms and how do you know that you did?
Who decides that you met the terms?
What strategic meetings have been set to ensure you’re able to stay on track?
What is the mental cost of executing the PIP if your performance is already in question?
What do you WANT to happen?
What is your financial situation, do you need to keep this job?
If you exit at the end of the pip, will it be considered “no-fault” on either side?
Third: Seek Feedback
Are there employees or team members who have suddenly disappeared with little to no notice? There’s a good chance they’ve been through what you’re now going through. Reach out and ask if they’re willing to share their experiences with you.
Consider engaging legal representation if you think there’s another type of bias at play (i.e. gender, age), but be strategic about when you reveal you’ve hired counsel. Bringing up that you’ve involved a lawyer can put HR on the defensive and reduce their willingness to negotiate with you.
Share your story with a few close people who you trust. What’s their read on the situation? Getting this feedback from people not in the eye of the storm can help keep you levelheaded.
Want support navigating the situation? Braggin Right offers Career Emergency Response coaching designed to help you react quickly and with your best interest in mind. We’re not legal counsel, but we will be the professional sounding board and strategic organizer who will catch you when you’re breaking down and help you get back on the road. Kinda like AAA for your career.
Fourth: Read In Depth
It’s time to do some close reading of all the information that was shared with you. Know and understand the PIP as it’s written. Start writing down questions that you have about it, and make sure HR addresses them before signing.
Questions to ask HR:
Can you give examples of PIP success stories?
What is the rate of PIP success?
What will be my meeting schedule to keep on track?
How will my success (or failure) be measured, and what happens either way?
Fifth: Make A Decision (Don’t sign ANYTHING until this step.)
You’ve done your research, collected feedback, assessed your financial situation, and gotten your questions answered by HR. It’s time to decide what’s best for you.
Questions to help make a decision:
Did your investigation uncover other employees who were unsuccessful in their PIP?
Was HR cagey about who writes the PIP?
Do you feel confident that your efforts to work through the PIP will result in your continued employment?
What happens if you decide to take the severance package?
Sixth: Participate in the Outcome
Did you decide to walk? Welcome to funemployment! You’ll love it here when you don’t hate it. Take a day to fully veg in whatever way best feeds your soul and then immediately apply for unemployment. In Washington, you only need to apply to three jobs a week to qualify. Get in contact with the unemployment office in your state, swallow your pride, and close the door on this chapter of your life. Your (former) employer wanted you out, so now they’re going to pay for you to find your next gig.
Did you decide to stay? Roll up your sleeves because it’s time to get to work. Take a hard look at yourself, the company, and the management team. What does high performance look like? Work with HR to set the PIP’s goals, objectives, expectations, and action plans with tangible metrics that you feel you can accomplish. Your supervisor should set attainable goals for you to meet, agreed upon by both parties. The plan should help you improve, have specific milestones, and you should know exactly what is expected of you.
Keep in mind that you are part of the process. Make absolutely certain that the PIP goals are attainable and make sure the employer is staying on track with their side of the bargain. Work alongside the management team, attend all required meetings, and stay positive. This will go a long way towards showing you’re engaged. PIPs aren’t fun for your manager or HR either; keep in mind that they want you to succeed.
BONUS: Caring for Yourself in the Aftermath
Whatever path you’ve chosen, walk it with compassion in your heart for yourself and the knowledge that we make our own opportunities.
If you left, take some time to recover before you get back out there. When you’re ready, engage with your network and let people know you’re on the job hunt. This is the best way to find a new job in the current market. Need a new resume? We’ve got some great templates that will take the pain out of updating your resume, cover letter, and references. They’re even ATS-friendly, so your resume will actually get viewed by a recruiter rather than tossed by a tracking system.
If you stayed, work the PIP to the letter. Expect increased attention from your leadership during the PIP period. They want to support your improvement, so take it positively. Keep notes on your manager's involvement as you can be sure they will be doing the same for you. Go above and beyond, ask questions, and seek additional training or resources when necessary. Keep a record of your progress and accomplishments. Save emails, reports, or positive feedback from colleagues and clients. This will be your secret weapon when it's time to show your improvement.
Whatever you do, DO NOT:
Hulk out to HR in response, you’ll lose any goodwill you had.
Quit outright, you’ll lose your ability to receive unemployment.
Look for jobs on your work computer, or do ANYTHING on your work computer that is not strictly work-related. They will almost certainly be monitoring your computer and your search history.
Keep all your documentation on your work computer. Offload copies of everything so you can access it through personal channels.
To Sum it Up
You are in charge of your career destiny, not your employer. Empower yourself through this process with knowledge and feedback. Just because a spreadsheet and/or middle manager decided you needed improvement doesn’t mean that you as a person are broken, worthless, or unaccomplished. Likely the opposite is true.
Ask yourself, is this the right employer for you? Do you trust these people to have your best interest and growth in mind, not just the bottom line? Let that guide your decision. Still not sure? Braggin Right is here to help you succeed no matter what you decide. Book a free career consultation with us anytime and remember, you got this!
Were you impacted by a PIP? Share your story with us in the comments or by emailing us at bragginrightconsulting@gmail.com
