Can I refuse to go on a PIP if I don’t agree with it?

This post is over a year old. I imagine it’s been sorted now

Yeah saying you shouldn't be on it won't go well. PROVE you shouldn't be on it!

Speak to HR that you're concerned there's a level of discrimiation here and while you are not against going on a PIP, you are struggling to understand why it's being invoked given the lack of work since your returm which you feel has been discrimiatory.

Generally speaking, when working through a PIP with someone, it's not necessarily that I want them to leave at all. In fact, 2 people have had them and retained their positions, it was simply a tool to ensure they understood their role and were compentent in doing what was being asked of from them - behaviour change which despite trying was not happening without the 'threat' of PIP.

When it has ended with someone being let go, it was because I was able to provide clear documentation of failings. Not a pointy finger, not an 'I think', clearly documented examples of ignoring standard processes, not doing as asked, not meeting easily achievable targets.

If you dont feel you should be on it, you should pass it no problem 🤷🏻‍♀️

That poster was corrected and apologised a year ago on the very first page of the thread

OP wrote 'to go on a PIP'

a PIP (not go on PIP)

@Gamecha what happened in the end

Did you decide what to do OP?

Where I work a grievance stops the pip temporarily. Which is a tactic one of my (now resigned) team members used and I am sure many others use. Frustrates the process.

It would make them think twice for long enough to investigate the grievance and then, if it wasn't upheld, it would be back to the PIP. It is very very common for employees to raise a grievance when put on a PIP and I can't think of one time where the grievance was upheld. Not saying the OP's wouldn't - or that she shouldn't do this. But without a watertight case it is so easy for it to be seen as employee resistance and working for a manager who thinks you are underperforming and who you've just raised a grievance on isn't a situation many people would like to be in.

So if you take this step OP - beware

I would get some legal advice quickly. If things are as you have described, if sounds like there is something amiss in the way you are being treated. Do you work in the public sector? Is there an option to move to another dept? If your manager is determined to get rid of you, your days may be numbered but raising a grievance or a claim for sex discrimination may make your HR dept think twice.

Why not read the thread or at least the first page/OPs posts? I have given my thoughts very early on, thanks though, I didnt need to explain what a PIP was as it was cleared up on the first page, I scanned through responses before giving my response to the OPs issue.

If there is a clear timeliness between mat leave, return and the reduction in tasks being given to you, then I would document all of this, and take it to HR as a first step.

Out of curiosity, are there any other women at your level who have taken maternity leave and returned? What was their experience like?

You must be experiencing difficulties at work to be put on a performance improvement plan. So no, you can't refuse, or you may be warned about your performance.

I think your option is to raise a grievance before the PIP is formalised. It does sound that there is post ML discrimination here, but I think you would need to be much more specific than you have been in these lists so far. Must be worth some legal advice to either save your job or save your good reference.

If you feel this is linked to your mat leave then it might be worth getting in touch with Pregnant Then Screwed https://pregnantthenscrewed.com. Good luck OP.

Good job you're here with all your sage advice and sarcasm! At least youve made sure my contribution isn't the least useful on here 👍

If you've got email evidence of all of this, I'd raise a sex discrimination case with HR. Advising it's not a grievance yet, but you want this sorting.

I would factually lay out the timeline for it.
eg returned to work on x
asked for work y
state prior to maternity leave you were covering projects of x level, now being ignored on being given projects and asked to do z tasks.
Attach the emails in order.
Give evidence you have asked for feedback on each task you've been given and completed. Attach evidence from others where they have given positive feedback.

At this point you've got not a lot to lose, so I'd fight fire with fire (so long as I had evidence).

I've been at one company for over 25 years. Had a pants manager, we are supposed to have clear objectives set at specific points in the year, he was useless and didn't, nor did he do regular reviews and document them. I asked several times on email, but to be fair didn't really push. but did (luckily) have an email trail that showed I'd tried. That Nov redundancies were announced and if it goes to formal, they review your performance based on objectives. He sat me down in Dec and told me I'd failed my objectives that year, and I was being marked down (his mates though all got marked up!). I emailed HR and him, stating it wasn't a grievance as yet, but I'd had no formal objectives throughout the year despite me asking, nor formal reviews and I had evidence that I had tried at least half a dozen times, as such I was not accepting the lower grade at year end, as I'd not been told once there was an issue. HR agreed with me and I received a "good" PDR and rating in line with what I expected that year.
Sometimes managers are just crap and if you have evidence to support your cause I would raise it.

Good job you came along to say this as in the 7 pages of the thread no one else had figured that out.

OP I had a similar situation when I returned from maternity in the sense I got given no work then the manager tried to put me on a PIP. I raised a complaint over sex discrimination with HR and they agreed it was and dealt with it. I was literally begging for work, bored out of my brain and the little work I did get given was mind numbing.

#blueshoes You would have thought it would have been more of the same. However, she told me she didn't understand what a process person did and started sending me admin work eg she sent me a document that had track changes on it and asked me to remove them as she didn't know how. I found I was increasingly sidelined and she stopped including me in meetings and, basically, sidelined the process part of the project. When it came to review time my line manager had been told by her to mark me at the lowest score possible. Fortunately I had the review from my previous role where I managed the QHSE team and successfully gained QHSE certification. There was an HR person on the team who suggested I should think about going on sick leave because of my mental health. That's when I started collecting evidence and looking for another job. I moved to a different part of the organisation within a matter of months

It does sound like it could be professional services to the extent that someone who is experienced but not partner level does not generate their own work and has to be fed to justify their existence (targets).

Is this professional services by any chance? It sounds very familiar. I’ve seen many people (women) be pushed out this way.

ime there is no coming back from it so get some applications out.

When I manage this process I'll work with the line manager to identify the performance gaps and then facilitate a conversation between the manager and employee to explore and look at how the performance gaps can be addressed and improvements identified.
Manager can identify what needs to improve, employee and manager should identify how. If extra training or support is needed this us also identified in the plan meeting.

I'd advise both parties to gather evidence on what's been done/ outcomes/ feedback etc throughout the Pip. Manager has final say on whether objectives have been met buy employee should have an input into that decision.