Has anyone fought being on PIP? How’d you go about it?
I have a suspicion it won’t be long until I’m on PIP and I want to fight it but I don’t know how.
16 replies (most recent on top)
PIP is removal. The only goal. so take the 3 month if offered.
Find another job when available again - better company (not companionship - a job).
Future is bright for the skills you have.
The Hitch:
If you've been an ExxonMobil supervisor/manager for more than 3 years, then you've lost most of your mojo and interest/currency in your original field.
The consolation: jobs in private prison industry (guard, key-keeper, name-checker) are expanding. But that's next year.
What makes you think you will be grtting PIP'd?
Not worth it.
Dont do it.
Your destiny is sealed.
A hateful, petty boss who assigned a PIP based on a double shift per day of busy worn that has nothing to do with performance? Do we have the same supervisor? He’s openly excited, maybe because he finally has something to do, it’s hard to identify any contributions otherwise.
All this punishwork has to be done while still trying to do my real job, which I’ve always been considered top tier at. Wonder why our stock is at $40/share?
Yes you can pass a PIP. Come up with a good project plant with agreed upon measurable deliverables. Review that plan with your supervisor and HR. Meet with your supervisor weekly, and have him sign off on deliverables as acceptable, or have him document if they are not acceptable and the reason why. Force your supervisor to manage by objectives and spell out concisely what his expectations are. Do not let your supervisor spell out an ambiguous deliverable. Communicate with him/her and prove your worth. Do not let a worthless supervisor be the cause of your failure! Run it so that if you fail, it is because your supervisor has failed to communicate expectations. Document everything. But most importantly realize that the bottom 10% is nowhere to be and ask yourself if you wouldn’t be better off In another occupation Or at another company where you might excel and find a work environment that suits you better!
PRICELESS!
“ I asked HR if my supervisor is allowed to change it after I accepted and signed it. They responded with (wait for it....) He is allowed to change it as business needs require him to do so!”
@qsu+16KXQlYf - if I didn't know better, from you description I would ask if we had the same boss in Clinton!
I gave the PIP 4 weeks. It was an “evergreen” plan based on communication and collaboration... very subjective. I asked HR if my supervisor is allowed to change it after I accepted and signed it. They responded with (wait for it....) He is allowed to change it as business needs require him to do so! I would’ve bought into this had I been asked to accomplish tasks relevant to “business needs”, but creating documents with made-up names and bulls__t slide decks are definitely NOT what XOM needs right now. This dude has had it out for me since the day he took over our team, he‘s a completely incompetent, petty POS! He’s also been telling me for a while that I’m very difficult to get along with, and nobody likes me...
Needless to say, I switched my PIP to PIL and went on my way!
Some supervisors are genuinely trying to help their people pass the PIP. Then there are those that have tied their own performance metrics to delivering some heads on a platter. If you have one of these, there’s little you can do outside of lawyering up, and the company will spend more of attorney’s fees fighting those then if they had done the honorable thing and offered packages (see Australia).
With the company laying off? How long do you think they will even keep you when you e already been pip’d? This was not about performance. Read the boards.
If you truly have a righteous case and your PIP is the result of a personal clash of some sort, you can pack up your office and take home any personal items. Then go up the chain of command until you get support and your boss gets reprimanded or you get transferred, or you are asked to leave the building. You can also survive it (see Sco's advice), although maybe not in this price environment. Both of these things have happened to me in my career at EM (my supervisor was let go, later I worked my butt off and got out of the PIP). I suspect the first example is exceedingly rare (I truly had a righteous case against a terrible boss).
Hire a lawyer.
This last comment about making the plan reasonable and actionable is actually really good advice. Not sure why it's down voted. You can't avoid a PIP if you're going to get on one... so mind as well try to make it something that your supervisor (who gets to determine if you pass), feels some ownership.
Why would you fight for a job where your supervision is "unjustly" trying to put you on a PIP and get rid of you? Say you win some "fight" to stay then what, would you really want to continue to work in that environment? I can understand the desire to inflict some type of monetary pain via a lawsuit after the fact, but I doubt you would get the outcome you want and by the time anything happens you will likely have moved on to something else and be living a happy life with your family.
PIP stands for Performance Improvement Plan, which gives you the plan for improving your performance. The secret is to make the plan reasonable and actionable, and get your supervisor connected to the PIP. In other words, tie their success to getting you off the PIP. Performance is measured by Results and Behaviors. Are you tying your work activities to the vision and objectives of your Business Unit? Have you completed the Skills Gap Analysis to determine which behaviors could be improved?