Performance Improvement Plan/PIP

Take the severance and go. Once people have an impression it's hard to get rid of especially in a month.

PIPs are made to have someone fail and cover the liability. Taking the package means you quit. if you want sanity, take the cash. If you want to make things hard, take the PIP and they have to document. If you can extend the PIP even better since the current market is a gamble

My manager noted down a lots of misrepresentation of how things happened and all pointing to my faults too when he put me in focus. I talked to HR a couple times but those don’t matter as it is your words vs your managers. HR won’t take your side as many of those would be considered as manager judgement calls. Unless your manager said or did something illegal and your have strong prove, lawyers won’t able to help too. Sorry op, hard truth that I learned. Btw when they give you the pip plan, is the start date counting immediately or after 5 days of consideration period?

The "PIP" is a lie. It is not a plan to improve your performance. It is a statement that the employer does not want you there anymore and that you should leave. The only possible benefit for the employee is that it might buy you time to find a new job, but in my opinion, that's not enough reason to go along with it. You need to think of this as being fired and you have to make a plan for financial survival into your next job. If you are not financially ready, you would be justified in riding it, but do get ready, because the end of your employment is coming. Remember this: no matter what is said or promised, the employer still has the right to release you at any time, whether or not the review period is complete. Even if you make it through to the end, you will have no say in your final evaluation. If they decide that you have not succeeded, you will simply be walked out. Whatever objection you offer will have no effect. That will leave you feeling even more humiliated and worthless than when the ordeal began. You don't want or need to have the humiliation of a PIP in your employment history or in your memory. During the review period, you will be required to do exactly what they say, as if you owe them something, but you do not. You have human flaws and you do not do everything right. Neither does your management. The only difference is that they hold the cards and you do not. If you think this is overstating, just consider how fair to you a PIP is to begin with. How did you even get here? If you had known you were not pleasing them and that the stakes were this high, you might have done differently. They did not tell you, though, and here you are. No matter what they say now, you were not capable of reading anybody's mind. You may have seen signs of trouble and heard some criticisms, but this does not mean this action is in any way fair. Always remember that this is where an employer has absolutely nothing to lose. They don't want you there, and they might as well squeeze you for all you're worth, knowing you will double your efforts to do a good job, which only serves their interests. At the end of it, they still get to reduce their payroll and let you go. The cost of your labor will be in the bargain basement for them, but for you, it will be a major expense. You are the only potential loser. But even if you somehow survive and go on, trust me: this will stay on your record. Your potential for promotion is gone. Hardly anyone in that company is going to take you seriously, and managers will be hard pressed to defend elevating you to anything different. Why take the risk of relying on an underperformer? They will be asked why they gave a promotion to you and not to somebody who's never had a PIP. Make sure that finding a new job is your number one priority now. You might hear the suggestion that you can beat the system with medical excuses or FMLA, and such possibilities might exist. Never lie to your employer, but don't be afraid to stretch the system to fit your needs as well. If family circumstances made you consider an FMLA leave recently but you decided not to so that you could work, now is the time to set other priorities. I wish there were better news to share. You at least still have your benefits coverage while you are there, and you will make a salary. But the price of your time is just too high to waste. Never forget that your employer is in 100% control of the entire situation. Even though financial hardship is not something I would wish on anyone, I recommend far less you suffering through the anxiety and damaged self-esteem that will inevitably result from this. You did not join that company so that you could go on a PIP. If all the above is TLDR, or you think I have missed considerations that support your employer, just keep this simple rule in mind at all times: never, no matter who it is with or on what level, consent to a relationship with someone who is willing to hurt you. This is just such a case. Your employer does not deserve your consent to being mistreated. They will tell you this is to help you, but it was they, not you, who put erroneous comments on your review, and you are not allowed to change them. That tells you with certainty that they are willing to hurt you. You will not regret standing up to them and voting with your feet. Do not allow this.

I had the same experience happened to me. Manager put me on a PIP. They were such chicken they didn't even call it PIP but a "support program" and listed a bunch of stuff that were org-level problems as my problem, and said it was a "holistic" judgement. It was very confusing and I should've known right there and then they wanted to get rid of me. And completely agreed with the record sentiment; I believe someone who had a lot of power at that company developed a very negative opinion of me, and nothing could change their mind. I was very naive and had my heart and soul poured into the job so I stuck through the process thinking I just had to show them what I got. They said everything was going very well until the last week of PIP when they found out my "code quality wasn't on par" and extended the PIP for another two weeks. I protested about them moving the goal post and asked how come it wasn't part of the evaluation to begin with. There was no communication after. Then I got fired. The only benefit was the severance. I don't think I would've gotten one if I quit. You could try to buy time and interview, but if I were to do it again I would've just quit for my own peace of mind and sanity. No need to go this far to get a few k. I'm still haunted by how dishonest the manager was and will remember for the rest of my career.

A PIP is always unfair! And I fought mine and got an attorney. Fake a smile - when you walk after becoming their most valuable employee through the fake dog and pony show - guess who will be crying. Not you. It’ll be your managers.

Chill for a month then go on medical leave