DH's Performance Improvement Plan

[knickknackknoo]

Really need some handholding at the moment as I’m heavily pregnant and coming to the end of my contract with my currently employer. Unfortunately I haven’t been here long enough for me to qualify for maternity pay but I thought that would be fine as my DH has a secure job and we could rely on that. Wrong.

He’s been with his employer (a large company) for 8 years in total- 1 year in his current role (internal move)- and today he had his mid-year review and been told by his manager that he’s being put on a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) lasting 90 days. I’m absolutely beside myself with worry as to what might happen next. DH has acknowledged he’s been underperforming due to a number of reasons (including being overlooked for many promotions/senior positions/because he doesn’t ‘fit’ in the company- referring to his race/ethnicity)- I've worked with DH for a while now helping him to overcome his insecurities, to put himself out there and dazzle- he’s very social and a people’s person so there’s no excuse why he can’t schmooze his colleagues/managers. However he tells me there’s more to it than that. Apparently he’s been sidelined for a while now in favour of other, younger (Caucasian) colleagues when it comes to projects being handed out. DH feels he’s tried approaching his managers and nothing gets done about this or other matters so he’s effectively ‘given up’.

I’m not with DH at work so can’t say what he’s like there so have to take his word for it but what happens now? I finish my job next month and if DH loses his job (is this what happens once you’re on PIP- you get managed out?), we’re in serious trouble and won’t be able to support ourselves/pay our mortgage/bills. This so close to baby arriving is a disaster.

What happens now? Can he refute the PIP and say his performance is effected due to low motivation for X,Y,Z reasons? His performance has never been questioned before. I genuinely think he’s in the wrong role in his company. He’s been applying for other jobs for a while now but he’s been told by agencies that his field is quiet atm and there’s not much out there to match his skill set.

Help. Need reassurance that everything will be okay.

Is it that he wasn't motivated to work, or wasn't able to handle to work load?

Has he been set objectives charge understands and that are realistic and achieveable in his PIP.

If so, his best option is to fulfil the terms of the PIP and evidence it clearly in documents from so that they cannot extend it or move him to the formal capability process.

In terms of refuting it, he would need to bring a grievance of discrimination which he will need to evidence.I

He has however admitted underperforming recently, if that is the case and his managers aren't aware of the issues he's told you about, then they are right to go the PIP route.

So he acknowledges he has been underperforming.
In what way?

He's been there 8 years. Why now has his race become such a serious problem?

It doesn't make sense that he's been underperforming "due" to missing out on promotions.

Surely he has missed out on promotions due to underperforming.

It doesn't make sense that he's been underperforming "due" to missing out on promotions.
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Surely he has missed out on promotions due to underperforming.

No, he's missed out on promotions which has had a massive impact on his motivation.

Have you checked if you are entitled to maternity allowance?

• So he acknowledges he has been underperforming. In what way?

He's been there 8 years. Why now has his race become such a serious problem?*

It hasn't just become a problem now. He's always raised this in meetings with managers but was made to feel like he should shut up and put up with it. He's in a job he's highly skilled in so he probably thought so long as he's doing what he has to, it didn't matter. It's only now that he's been issued a PIP that the penny's dropped for him so to speak that they probably want to manage him out.

How exactly has he been underperforming?
He needs to understand and have in writ by what needs to change and then document what he does to improve.

Had he been saying in appraisals that he's not getting promoted due to ethnicity?

@NorthEndGal

He's very technical minded and finds his current job too easy. It does however involve networking and mixing with others at a senior level which is what DH has had an issue with. He states he'll do it and they (the seniors) will be polite/civil to him but will then give the chunky/interesting projects to others and leave my DH scraping the barrel for the leftovers.

Has this happened the same amount all along, or has it got worse over time?

A PIP doesn’t necessarily mean he is being managed out, although in my experience it can sometimes be the case.
Has he addressed his concerns with his manager? Told them exactly why he feels like he’s under performing? To be honest being overlooked for promotion isn’t in itself reason to start under performing... essentially he is responsible for his motivation and his performance.

@WipsGlitter - he has a lot of lovely colleagues, who, when he's had a whinge and a moan about the lack of promotions/interesting jobs have patted him on the back and told him it's because he's not a 'golden boy' and doesn't fit the part the company is trying portray. I think he's heard that so many times that it's made him resentful.

Plus other people from DHs ethnic background have also said they feel the same but have finished with 'what can you?!' and carried on.

@NorthEndGal- it's got worse over time which is why his performance must be so low that it's triggered the PIP

@Lonecatwithkitten- I do qualify (THANK GOD) but that alone is nowhere near what we need to survive if he loses his job...

If he has actually been underperforming then he needs to bring his performance back up to where it should be. Provided that the pip is fair and achievable then he needs to meet its terms as a minimum. And he needs to collect as much evidence as possible to prove he's met the terms. Provided he has irrefutable evidence that he's met the terms of the pip, a reasonable company will transition him back to business as usual at the end of the 90 days. If the pip is not fair and reasonable, then he needs to look at raising a complaint through the grievance process, to get this sorted. For example if everyone is making 50 boxes a day and he's expected to be doing that by week 12 of the plan, that's fine. If all the plan says is, you need to make 50 boxes a day for the next 12 weeks, that's less reasonable. He needs to be given the chance to improve, and possibly additional support from management too, along with additional monitoring of his work

The racial discrimination is a separate issue, and he should be prepared for management to counter any claim by pointing out his recent performance issues as a reason for being justified in not promoting him. He needs again to gather evidence, and consider raising a formal grievance about this in line with company policy, in the first instance. I would strongly recommend he get advice from either a trained union rep or an employment solicitor, before he makes a decision as to what to do regards bringing a complaint. He needs someone to look objectively at the evidence for him.

I've had staff go onto pip, work their socks off, meet the requirements, and still be with the company five years later, the pip a long forgotten thing. I've also had staff go onto pip, fail miserably, or just fail to try, and end up leaving the company. And it's not a case of being managed out, it would be dismissal most likely, although a demotion could be negotiated in some cases.

Tell your husband to get advice, legal advice if possible. Check your house insurance, you may be covered for employment solicitor fees. Good luck.

@SoyDora- he has mentioned it to his current manager and the manager is on board to help DH as much as he can. My worry is the managers manager(s) might see being out on a PIP as a sign of failure and get DH out regardless of any improvements.

Thanks @katmarie- that is brilliant advice which I'll pass onto DH. Hoping the PIp isn't the final nail in the coffin and DH can fight it and shine (as he is capable of doing).

If he has been under performing due to low motivation and the job is really too easy for him then surely he can work hard and try to please his manager and turn his performance around. Maybe they have put him on a PIP because they are frustrated he isn’t doing his best and his attitude isn’t great. Whilst he may be justified in being pissed off at the moment it sounds like he needs the money more than they need him so he needs to do whatever it takes to keep them happy and save his job until he gets a better one.

Do the promotions or bigger projects involve some level of management/leadership responsibilty? If so, it might be that he just isn't cut out for it and the race thing is just a figment of his imagination. Being good at a technical level isn't enough to move up the ladder. You mention his insecurities, he whinges to colleagues about allegedly being sidelined and he's been underperforming, presumably for some time. Doesn't sound like a leader to me, sorry. Best thing he can do for now, if he wants to keep his job is stop playing the victim, keep his head down and work to the terms of his PIP.

@Caribbeanyesplease

He's been underperforming in the way that he'll get all the basics of his job done (meet technical deadlines, report on the area he's responsible for to senior managers, prepare information that is needed to be forwarded onto other offices/countries) but the PiP is saying they want him to do more- mingle with the seniors and take on projects and make them his own. As stated, he is trying but the projects he's left with are very, very junior level projects and not playing to his skillset. So although he's completing these, the managers think he can do better. But it feels like a chicken/egg situation. How can he get the interesting projects if they're not given to him (other people are the gatekeepers to the projects) but are handed to other colleagues instead? How can he shine on projects that are very basic and he's not motivated to do as they don't challenge/stimulate him?

It sounds like he's not been doing his best in the role and is underperforming so the pip is justified in that respect if it gets him back on track. From the organisations's point of view it's a means to helping him get back to where he should be. From a manager's point of view I would want my team member to perform well on a pip so I don't have to go down a more formal route which is stressful for everyone. It's pretty difficult to manage someone out of they've got a good track record and have been employed for a long time, there are a lot of boxes to tick.

Discrimination is a different issue and if he genuinely feels this is the case he should do something about it formally.

and say his performance is effected due to low motivation for X,Y,Z reasons?
He would be unwise to say anything like that! He paid to work, and even if he feels he isn't getting as many rewards, is the recognition he'd like, it's still his task to do his best, and prove his worth - the days of being owed reward and promotions are long gone.

If he has already agreed that his motivation has been lacking, he needs to apologise and express his eagerness to improve. If not, he should probably just make it clear how keen he is. If he can't do those things sincerely, he would be better to start applying for other jobs, where he can feel motivated.
The PIP may actually benefit him, because they will want to be able to show that they took steps to help him improve (because if he doesn't, they will want to be able to justify getting rid). So the chances are that they will make sure he is involved with specific tasks with clear output, and probably under the guidance of someone toale sure he knows what to do. He should seize that opportunity to show his worth, and learn.

In my organisation we're very careful to make a pip measurable - mingling with senior managers is a very odd thing to have on there to be fair.

@TooTrueToBeGood - he doesn't want to be a manager. He wants a challenge at work with the projects that aren't coming his way through no fault of his own. He'd like his efforts to be recognised in that he is trying to liaise with the other seniors for the better projects but so far this hasn't happened.

I think the 'victim' (god, I hate that word) mentality/impression has come about because this has gone on so long and he's become resentful and resigned to the fact that things might not improve. And he isn't the only one to whinge- his colleagues have their own complaints about the company.