Hey there! It's Sloan, your friendly neighborhood DEV Moderator 🦥
Time for another installment of Sloan's Inbox, a fresh online advice column and discussion hosted by yours truly. Every week (or so), I dive into the questions, comments, and thoughts of my fellow sloths.
That's what Sloan's Inbox is all about: sharing advice and observations with those who are seeking insight on topics including career development, navigating office politics, staying up-to-date with industry trends, improving technical skills, and more.
Today I received a query from a fellow DEV member seeking guidance on how to improve Jon performance and maintain a positive attitude while working through a challenging situation.
Here's today's question:
Can anyone share their experience with being put on a performance improvement plan? I'm feeling pretty down after being placed on one and worry that it's inevitable that I will be fired. Is there any hope for improvement and overcoming this situation?
So, don't be shy! Share your thoughts in the comments below and let's chat.
Want to submit a question for discussion or ask for advice? Visit Sloan's Inbox! You can choose to remain anonymous.
Top comments (6)
Yes, there is always hope.
It is like a romantic relationship possibly getting to an end.
It may hurt, in fact it usually does, but it never means that you are an inherently bad person
Or that the other person was a bad a person.
The worst case scenario simply means that you were not meant to be/work together.
I have been fired two times in 15 years.
Both time, this had a very positive impact on me after the initial shock.
Not a general rule obviously, but a possible outcome.
PIP is unpleasant as f*** for manager and HR. Trust me, if they wanted to fire you, they won't lose time putting you on PIP.
All companies have a different process but I suppose they are all more or less the same, and they are really time-consuming. Manager has to do regular report to HR, give SMART short term objective, justify the objectives has been succeed (or failed), do a lot of (unpleasant) 1 to 1 meeting with subordinate, etc... So the more time your manager will spend with you, the more he wants to keep you.
Up to you to see if they put you on PIP just because their process impose a PIP before firing someone or if they put you on PIP really to give you a chance.
The good news is that you get a buffer. That extra time means you can interview while you still have a job. People put people on PIP to get rid of them "most of the time". If you're an employee its harder to get rid of you compared to a contractor. I know it sounds harsh but I've seen it happen dozens of times. Amazon is notorious for this because they have to keep a certain "quota".
Also the best news is that even though the market is in the toilet its always still better in tech. You're a bright individual who was put in a bad situation. You will be ok.
I was put on a PIP last year at a previous employer and it was used to fire me even though I showed improvement metrics. I like what someone said, it means it wasn't meant to be.
Whoever is running the pip likely wants to see you succeed. Unless it's amazon where it's required for their own promotions...