We recently shared a story about an HR professional who went viral for giving people advice about navigating a PIP — aka a performance improvement plan — at work.
TikTok: @johanas_world / Via tiktok.com
Johana Saimbeau, known as @Johanas_world on TikTok, told people they should request a copy of their PIP, and document everything that happens at work moving forward, but that it doesn’t have to mean the end of a job.
Her advice encouraged people to share stories in the comments about a time when they were put on a PIP, or when they had to put someone on a PIP. Here’s what they said:
1.“I have put two employees on PIPs.”
“One of them was fired, and the other ended up excelling. It totally depends on if the manager is actually trying to help you or if they want you out. Look for all of the signals that tell you the manager’s motivations. It’s not always about firing, but it can be!”
NBC / Via giphy.com
2.“I inherited an employee who had been on a PIP for six months.”
“I told him it would be extended for another six weeks due to me being new in the position. He failed to show up to the first meeting. I gave him another chance, and he declined that meeting, too. He was legitimately surprised when I terminated him, and he followed up with a disability claim, saying he tore his achilles on the way to his termination. The organization settled for $20k and a job-training grant.”
3.“I told an employer I was having a family medical emergency and probably needed to take time off.”
“I had the time accrued, but I got a PIP out of the blue later that week for a period of 10 business days. It was also a day before my direct manager left for a week of vacation. Two of the three points they alleged were in need of improvement were a STRETCH. It seemed like they just wanted to do it and push it through before my manager’s vacation ended. When I asked what the multiple outcomes could be, they were intentionally vague, especially the HR representative.
I later asked for a meeting with the person covering for my manager to discuss a client’s need. *Bloop* HR representative’s mug pops up. I was being terminated on day three of the PIP. I was fired for ‘something I said.’ When I asked what it was verbatim, HR refused to tell me what I said or to whom it was, TWICE.
So I refused to sign the 25-page separation agreement, and filed with the Department of Human Rights after I called a lawyer. I refused to take their hush pennies. It was the universe telling me to change directions. I had an ulcer and chest pain every day I worked there. I found a better job, better position, better flex hours, and way more money. I am still pursuing the case against them. They did it so they didn’t have to pay me for the time off for Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), and possible bereavement time as well. Dirty, dirty ethics and a dirty company, I hope they have the 2025 they deserve.”
4.“I was put on a PIP because a coworker who was pretending to be my friend made stuff up about me to my manager.”
“They said that my staff complained about me. In fact, HER staff complained to me about her, and I told them she was misunderstood and a good person. My manager never bothered to substantiate any of the alleged reports from my staff. I figured that out when I asked my staff to tell me how they really felt about me, and they were all so confused. I learned that my manager never bothered to ask them and took the other girl’s word at face value, so I quit.”
First We Feast / Via giphy.com
5.“I wasn’t put on a PIP per se, but I did get a written warning that was a complete shock.”
“Some of their examples to justify the warning included: During a daily meeting I had my arms crossed and muttered under my breath (which I do all the time, and not in a mean way). They claimed I showed frustration through body language or some nonsense. Apparently I packed up my desk indicating to them that I would be leaving soon (um, I cleaned off my desk because it was SUPER MESSY, and if they’d bothered to look through my desk, they would’ve seen everything was there, just put away).
I was able to get the warning rescinded, but I had to meet with my supervisor weekly. In the first meeting he claimed, ‘You were doodling in your notebook during the team meeting.’ So I read him the NOTES I had taken to prove him wrong. It was way downhill after that, and some shit went down: Mental health, leave of absence, and I ended up quitting instead of going back, but my unemployment was approved.”
6.“I was constantly hounded and given new requirements beyond what others had by both my manager and the department director.”
“Every weekly meeting was with both of them when it was only supposed to have been with my manager. I went through hell with them for three months and still ended up getting fired. At the end of the 60-day PIP, they extended it another 60 days, saying they didn’t have enough data. Seriously?? How can upcoming due dates qualify as ‘not meeting expectations’ when everything to date has been on time?! I now have a complaint in the investigation process with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) because I am disabled. I requested a reasonable accommodation which they denied three times.”
7.“I was placed on a PIP and given 30 days to reach a sales figure no one was getting…”
“…all because a few big sales I had been chasing were taking their time.This was six months into the job. I was still very new to their process.I learned it was because I ‘kept making the same request.’ But it was because the dumbass manager kept asking the same question, so I had the same hanging issue for three months, which was fixed after I left.”
Disney / Via giphy.com
8.“I was doing reasonably well at a job until the longest-employed person retired.”
“After that, my manager stopped working with me. I would ask for work and was told ‘there’s nothing for you to do.’ While extra work was being given to the other employee who was hired the same day I was. When my manager wanted to have a one-on-one, she invariably used the compliment sandwich technique on me. That’s when you say something positive, then get to the meat of the matter (always negative), and finally, say something else positive. I recognized it for the manipulation it was.
Finally, I was put on a PIP, and that’s when I knew I had to get out of there. When I told my husband I had to leave, he replied, ‘Good! It isn’t normal to cry after every shift, which is what you’ve been doing.’
It was the only time I’ve quit without being eligible for unemployment. My mental health was suffering so much that I was willing to go without a paycheck while looking for another job. Luckily for me, my next job turned out to be a MUCH better fit.”
9.“I’ve had to put people on PIPs. But it’s not something I’ve ever wanted to do for a whole host of reasons…”
“…including that I may like you as a person. I want all of my reports to succeed and continue to grow in their roles, plus, it’s a ton of work for me.
I HATE the advice that if you get a PIP it means you’re going to be fired. I don’t want to fire you, but I do need you to do your job at the level you were hired (and I’m paying you) at.
If you’re not able to do your job, then I probably don’t want to fire you, but I need someone who can do the job at the expected level. While there may be crappy companies that do use PIPs to avoid having to cite other reasons to let you go, it’s hard for me to think this is the norm. Hiring takes sooooo much time and energy, and putting someone on a PIP and firing them does as well.”
MTV / Via giphy.com
10.“As an HR director I always make sure that PIPs are given out so that the employee has the opportunity to improve.”
“They should be given to someone you want to keep who has potential but is struggling. If a manager wants to get rid of someone and needs a paper trail, I will go the verbal warning, written warning, and termination route.”
11.“I was put on a PIP recently. I work in a medical lab, and I have made zero errors.”
“I’m just slow at my job. They seem to value quantity over quality of work, and I get reprimanded for others’ mistakes.”
Paramount Plus / Via giphy.com
12.“I was put on a PIP the second week into a job…”
“…when my mistakes weren’t egregious and were expected for a new hire. The manager expected me to accomplish their goals in two days. I voluntarily resigned the day after I was put on the PIP.”
13.“I started job hunting as soon as my old manager mentioned the possibility of me getting put on a PIP.”
“It was such a morale hit that I knew my work would suffer if it got that far.”
14.“PLEASE RETAIN ALL COPIES OF THIS DOCUMENTATION!”
“If your copy is unreadable, ask for a clean copy at that moment. As an HR director, I have turned down many termed employees who want a copy after the fact because that is not a requirement in my state. That’s a hard ‘no.’ If you wanted this paperwork so bad, subpoena me for it. Then I will worry about if I have a case or not.”
CBC / Via giphy.com
15.And finally, “I’ve managed people for over a decade and put employees on PIPs before, and this is what I will say…”
“1) Yes, companies put people on PIPs because they want to fire them, mostly because, from a legal standpoint, putting someone on a PIP and documenting incompetence while showing the employer’s effort protects the company from having to pay unemployment or wrongful termination.
2) Your manager does not want to do a PIP any more than you want to. It’s a lot of extra time and effort for them to conduct a PIP. Nine times out of ten, by the time we are at a PIP, it is less work to train a new person than it is to try to re-train you. Especially when the odds are I have to train a new person at the end of it anyway.
3) With all this said, there were absolutely employees who were put on a PIP that just needed the extra time and attention and were totally worth it.
4) The truth: They could have fired you immediately, but instead you have a few months where you are still getting paid, and you can start looking for a new job and quit before getting fired.
5) I have never done a PIP where the person got fired and didn’t go on to a better position they liked more. Never. A PIP doesn’t mean you suck, it means it’s a bad fit.”
Reading these responses made me wish more people knew how common it is to find yourself in this situation. So, I have to know, have you ever been placed on a PIP, or placed someone on a PIP, and what was the outcome? Let us know in the comments.
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
