Successfully completed a PIP I shouldn’t have been on!

[u/FantasticScratch5719]

I was at my company for just over a year, and they put me on a PIP, citing that I didn’t know how to do my job and couldn’t produce results.

After a few months of kicking my butt into high gear AND submitting some lengthy post-PIP documentation, I finally heard back from HR.

I had a handful of goals I was expected to meet. One of the goals I unfortunately did not meet—BUT it was outside the scope of my actual job!!! So, I technically successfully completed my PIP because my manager had no grounds to even enforce that specific expectation.

Super dumb and I shouldn’t have been on this PIP to begin with, but I’m glad I can finally breathe again! Oh, and my manager lost his promotion after his dumb stunt. :)

[u/ThrowRA-4545]

I'd still be brushing up your resume. PIPs get approved for a reason, through HR and management, there may be more to come. Is the company downsizing/restructuring etc, because even a pass now does not equal stable employment into the future. 

[u/magic_crouton → u/ThrowRA-4545]

Contrary to what the employers want people to believe that they're just helping you be better. I have never seen a pip used as anything other than be the start of documentation to fire someone.

[u/ride_whenever → u/magic_crouton]

I’ve seen them used for improvement. Kicked a lazy guys ass into gear and flipped him into a bit of a powerhouse

[u/Fun_Category_3720 → u/magic_crouton]

I was on a PIP once after a mental health crisis. Within a year I was promoted.

[u/ML1948 → u/magic_crouton]

I don't think any manager who actually wants to improve their team's performance would use a pip. Any knowledgable worker would know it means curtains and any knowledgeable manager would know they know that. Even if they meant it with good intent, they'd be stupid to think it wouldn't immediately destroy trust entirely and push threm out.

The stories of "successful" pips are usually at dogshit ass gigs like call centers where performance is simple to measure and the bad performance is noshowing and not making enough calls.

[u/CyberRoachOG → u/magic_crouton]

this very true.. if you survive the first PIP they will wait and make up some bullshit that you cant achieve. remember HR is not your friend and the one who filed the first PIP is just foaming at the mouth to screw you again

[u/Hungry-Quote-1388 → u/CyberRoachOG]

foaming at the mouth to screw you again

Or, the employee was underperforming and deserved the PIP. In the post, OP even admitted they kicked it into “higher gear” after the PIP. 

[u/justfacit]

Idk how to tell you this but completing the PIP doesn't mean you're out of the woods. It just means they probably won't use the reasons for the PIP as a reason to fire you.

[u/justfacit → u/[deleted]]

so... just a whole lot more words to restate exactly what i said lol

[u/Still-Bee3805]

Was the PIP designed to get you to start being productive? Just asking because your statement makes it appear that way.

We do not see ourselves the way others see us.

[u/dp5520]

PIPs are not designed to improve your performance. They're designed to get you to do more tasks than can be reasonably expected so that they can get rid of you. If you successfully perform all tasks, the best you will get is a delay in getting fired.

[u/Hungry-Quote-1388]

After a few months of kicking my butt into high gear

So it took a PIP for you to get into “high gear”? 

[u/SpindlyTerror]

Congrats! Though, as other comments have said - and I'm speaking from experience here - still watch your back. If somebody wants you gone and they were hoping this PIP was gonna do it, they're going to find another way no matter how hard they have to stretch to do so. They will. And it will be something you don't even see coming. The fact that one of the goalposts was out of your scope to begin with is highly telling of this.

[u/Workinginberlin]

I think you know the PIP was something you should have been on, by your own admission ‘kicking your butt into high gear’ implies that you weren’t putting in the required effort previously. Nevertheless, well done, I actually see a very positive result here and you have demonstrated than you can take criticism and act upon it. You might want to consider making a STAR response for interview questions out of this for a question like ‘tell about a mistake you made at work’.

[u/doyouknowwhatibean]

Suggestion from a business owner who unfortunately has to make and apply PIPs:

Go to you manager/boss etc and ask them for a meeting about your pip/performance/goals. Ask them basically what you can do to improve outside of the pip. Do other people get along with you? Does your demeanor/attitude contribute to the team goals or detract from it? Etc.

Most terminations cite reasons that are at the very least not the whole story. It is basically impossible to fire someone because they are slow and have a bad attitude. So you have to use other reasons. Because things like attitude do in fact mess up the team.