GTFO now or ride it out?
UPDATE - opened my laptop to start the workday and was logged out of everything. Checked personal email and I was laid off. At least I’m no longer in limbo and the severance package is solid. I feel like I’m in a decent position compared to most, but a lot of other really good ICs got cut without warning and will end up a tough situation. You’ll likely see Stripe folks posting about getting laid off and looking for referrals so if your team/company are hiring, please help them out if possible. https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/ceo-patrick-collisons-email-to-stripe-employees I’m in a very uncomfortable situation. I joined Stripe in a new role that I’d never done before. Got some training but not much. Very unclear expectations but I was told that if I’m underperforming, my manager will let me know. No performance concerns over the last year, even got a small bonus mid year for going above and beyond on a few things. But it appears that someone “flipped the bit” and I’m on the fast track to being put on a PIP out of the blue. Don’t want to get into all details here but I haven’t really enjoyed this role and have been looking to make an internal transfer for months and it hasn’t worked out due to HC freezes. I get nauseous every morning before work, absolutely dread it, and anxiety is at peak levels throughout the day. I feel like I can do nothing right at this point and they’re using anything they can to document subpar performance. It sounds so dumb to say all of this because I’m remote and the worst case scenario (being fired) doesn’t really have any major impact on my life as I’m a citizen, have savings, will eventually be able to find a job outside of Stripe, etc. I just really care about my role and doing a good job. I’m interview prepping now for eng roles but didn’t start until recently due to short notice of my awful performance, and I’m not totally ready to throw myself out there yet (but maybe I should). Would you stick it out until PIP/severance (if it doesn’t happen soon) or put in 2 weeks and GTFO before having something lined up? Am I being weak by wanting to just end the pain right now? Severance I think would be ~2 months of pay, but I’m sure they want to avoid that so I can see them ratcheting up the pain to make me want to leave before that point. EDIT - Wow, I didn’t expect this post to get so much visibility. It might be easy for my manager or coworkers to identify me but whatever. Lots of people asked what the role was. It’s a presales engineer role Stripe calls Solutions Architect. And I recently spoke with my manager and it sounds like this is all coming from higher up, not my manager’s decision. And long story short, I believe them. Which is different from how I think these situations usually work. EDIT EDIT - Also, some people sound like they’re in a similar or worse position. If you are, I’m sorry to hear that and I hope you get clarity and can make decisions that are right for you and that you’re happy with! TC: 220k YOE: 9 #burnout #mentalhealth #stressed #pip #severance
stripe.com
Interview for jobs while you're at stripe and then make a decision based on the offers you actually have.
Prepping for interviews now and plan to start applying in the next week or 2. It’s going slower than I’d like because my role still requires a good amount of work even when trying to do the bare minimum.
Interview prep takes time. But good that you started prep & getting a couple of offers will give you confidence in your current situation too.
Been there, wait for severance. Don't do any work and spend all your time talking to recruiters and interview prepping.
If you don’t do any work can’t they fire you without severance?
If I was an engineer I’d feel more comfortable doing this, but I’m more of a sales role so me slacking off affects people on the deal team and the customer. I’m doing the bare minimum but it’s still ~30-35 hours solid of work.
Imo just do the bare minimum while hunting for a new job. I’m going through something similar & I think it’s better to at least profit as much as you can from the current role.
You’re right, that’s the right thing to do. Sorry to hear you’re going through something similar :/ how are you managing to deal with the stress of being in this situation?
Tbh I’m still under lots of stress from this situation 😂 but the prospect of unemployment for me is greater 😞 However if you still have leaves / don’t mind being unemployed for a while, then I would recommend taking a short break to clear your mind & set your priorities first, that’ll help better in the long term.
Create a poll.
Done!
100% wait for severance
I can do it, you’re absolutely correct that it’s the right choice. Have you ever known what is the right thing to do but it sucks, so you ask people their opinion to see if someone tells you what you want to hear (take the easy way out)? That’s kinda what this post was lol
just job hunt while on pip.
On it! Gonna send my resume everywhere. I know winter is coming but I’m hoping it isn’t too bleak 🥶
Go on FMLA for couple of months. Take care of your mental health and come back strong. Get to your doctor for anxiety and they well eventually need to approve the FMLA. You have a valid cause.
I’ve heard of FMLA, but it always sounded like a last resort type of thing. Maybe for people in a worse mental state than I am or who are being verbally/emotionally abused or who want to avoid being fired due to visa issues. I don’t think I’m at that point yet, but I appreciate the thought. I’ll look into it more.
I've done it a few jobs ago for anxiety, but I unknowingly also had an undiagnosed disease that it finally gave time to make medical appointments for. I had a friend who recently did it at a FAANG company as well. Let me know if you have any questions about my experience. I would recommend it. Sometimes companies will offer short-term disability during FMLA, which can help you catch your breath or explore other options without worrying as much about money.
I would usually say coast until getting fired, but since you have savings and worsening mental health I think you should just leave asap. As long as you can still feed your family then mental health is more important than income. Stripe is a super toxic place btw.
I’m really hoping I’m given the PIP/severance option in the next couple of weeks. If so I can definitely hang in there. I just hate being in this limbo knowing it’s probably coming but not really sure when. Stripe has unfortunately gone downhill, but I think it’s mostly due to crap management. The ICs I’ve met and worked with have been amazing for the most part. And I genuinely love being at a fintech company that can help companies solve business/payment issues. There are a lot of interesting learning opportunities. I would recommend not writing it off permanently, I’m not going to. You just need to know what you’re signing up for and how to play the game.
Does coasting till getting fired burn bridges with the manager after they realise you are coasting?
Dude I am going through the same thing it is so damn dreadful. Manager wants me to find a job in 2 months but there are openings that can get converted to full-time
Dang I’m sorry to hear that :/ it really is dreadful! Did your manager actually tell you to find a job outside of the company?? Was it in a protective way like they were trying to give you helpful advice?
They want me to resign however I am not going to resign no matter what. Besides they started pointing out stupid stuff. Also they are not assigning me any task so they can kick me out whenever they want
sounds like you’re fine
You’re absolutely right. I’ve just never been in a position where I’m on a chopping block though and it’s an absolutely terrible feeling, as illogical as it might be given that the worst case scenario is just being let go.
It’s not illogical at all, it’s a very stressful position to be in. Work takes up a huge percentage of your life and when it’s not going well it’s totally normal to struggle with it psychologically. You’ll probably be fine but you’re not crazy if it doesn’t feel like that atm.