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.

How can he shine on projects that are very basic and he's not motivated to do as they don't challenge/stimulate him?
Be honest, if you were responsible for allocating tasks, would you not want to see someone do a great job at basic tasks before giving them the trickier ones? Why would you give a challenging task to someone who is only just managing the easy one? It's not sensible to risk it (and could actually be seen as unfair to put him in that situation with no evidence that he could cope).

@AnotherDayAnotherName745 - thank you for your post. It's fair and makes a lot of sense. Will be definitely passing that onto DH.

@NorthEndGal

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

It's definitely a motivation issue here. He can do his work and then some. It's his experience of being overlooked so many times that has made him coast/do the bare minimum and nothing more :/

Be honest, if you were responsible for allocating tasks, would you not want to see someone do a great job at basic tasks before giving them the trickier ones? Why would you give a challenging task to someone who is only just managing the easy one? It's not sensible to risk it (and could actually be seen as unfair to put him in that situation with no evidence that he could cope).

Fair point

Sounds like he's got a bit of arrogance about him I.e the job is beneath him and he deserves better

OP, I hope my second post doesn't sound mean - on reading it back it sounds harsher than i meant! I think he needs to see this as a turning point though, try really hard to stop thinking negative thoughts and work to show how great he can be. Smile, see the positives in what he is asked to do, leap at any more challenging work he gets, and to not get drawn into negative moaning, even if someone else starts it.
I wish you both lots of luck OP.

Sounds like he's got a bit of arrogance about him I.e the job is beneath him and he deserves better

No. It's because he knows he can do better but isn't getting the opportunities others are to showcase that he is better than he currently is being made out to be!

@AnotherDayAnotherName745- it does come across as being blunt but I'm okay with that. You made a fair comment and I respect that :)

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

To be frank; in your current situation, he doesn't have that luxury.

He also doesn't have the luxury of underperforming because he is better than the projects he's got. He needs to ace those and then query why he's not getting more challenging things. That's harder than downing tools; but he's got a baby due and he needs to be the breadwinner for a while, so it's his only option.

He needs to engage with the PIP now; and evidence this as well as possible.

How would one go about evidencing what they're doing for PIP purposes? Would he be doing this with manager? Keeping his own personal work diary? Sending his manager daily updates?

Sorry for the questions. DH has gone into a depressed state and I'm in a highly anxious one. I want to summarise what everyone has said to him so he's not too overwhelmed.

The pip itself should usually explain how the performance will be monitored. But it would be a good idea for him to keep a separate log anyway of anything he's done to contribute to meeting his goals (just something simple like a running list in word or excel).

If it isn't crystal clear under the terms of the pip, he needs to clarify with his manager how performance will be monitored and I'd follow that clarification up in writing (by email perhaps).

I do think it's possible to turn things around, it's so hard but he needs to look enthusiastic and be seen as making an effort. I can't emphasise enough if there is anything he doesn't understand that he gets clarification, so a bit of wishy washy 'mingle with seniors' needs breaking down. Do they expect him to attend x formal networking sessions, invite x people to coffee, write some 'thought leadership', get a mentor and so on.

I hope it works out for you.

In terms of evidencing, if he attends meetings/events/activities to "mingle more" then he should record them in his diary and keep a record of any output.

E.g. Attended weekly team briefing, identified an area i could support and add value, suggested my support to ......... and did this follow up activity to support.

If he's able to pick up projects and they want him to make then his own and add value then he should make a note of the brief he was given and then any ways he identified efficiencies or ways to blend the project with another to utilise better resource, or develop company processes etc

Ok so a few things in no particular order

Pips at this level aren’t easy to manage for anyone, manager or employee. With the boxes example it is very straight forward. So he must review the proposed pip language carefully - the targets should be SMART

specific
Measureable
Achievable
Realistic
Time bound

So the way I would look at it - could an independent person who understands the area take the pip and what he does and assess whether it has been met or not. He must therefore be meticulous about record keeping to back his performance.

So next he needs to have a complete turn around in attitude. He may feel pissed off, angry, upset, shat on, but he needs to exude to all that he is newly invigorated for his work.

If he needs to hunt out work (which is the inpression I’m getting) then it isn’t about mingling, it is about having strong reputations with key decision makers who trust him to deliver and want him on board. Does his work place use any kind of management psychology scheme about how people think differently? Some do and it can really help to know how your stakeholder thinks. If he does have a reasonable relationship with at least one gatekeeper then maybe time to try and have a chat with them, understand what is coming down the pipeline, show enthusiasm and that he has been reading around the topic, and be up front that he wants a chance to prove himself and that he would dearly love to lead on Project Red.
Also ask if there are relationship management or whatever course he can go on. Many people struggle with moving from technical expert as an individual contributor to managing and leading work.

I have seen people come back from pips, I’ve also seen people exited. He might want to consider taking independent legal advice. If he is in a union start there. They can also advise on the strength of any possible race claim.

He can raise a grievance about being put on the PIP if he believes it if unfair however he seems to have agreed he has been underperforming.

There'll be one of two outcomes to the PIP, either he meets the standards and objectives set and therefore it's signed off and he's considered to be performing again, or he doesn't. It's understandable that you'll be worried it's the latter however it's his manager's responsibility to ensure there are clear objectives on his PIP and the actions are there to help him meet them so you don't need to believe he won't succeed.

In the business I work for, generally if a member if staff isn't meeting the performance objectives set by the PIP, it will be extended however 90 days is already a long time, ours tend to be 4 or 6 weeks.

After this point, if objectives still aren't being met disciplinary action is taken generally with a first written warning, this is the beginning of the process to manage out.

I'd recommend he seeks union advice, minutes all meetings and sends them to those present (if they don't dispute then they will be accepted as the truth), ensures his PIP is spot on in terms if actions and records and instances where his line manager doesn't provide him with the right level of support including if PIP catch up meetings don't happen or don't happen on time. Just record everything and watch his back.

The discrimination element is difficult to prove however he should record any instances of this too in case things do go further.

Where I work, you can also request from HR a record of what information your manager has passed to them, it might be useful for him to do this.

Whilst all this is being done to protect himself, it's obviously not very pleasant and I'd probably look in to applying for other jobs if I were him.

I've had to put a number of staff on PIPs. I've had one occasion where it was extended, the rest have met objectives within the initial time period.

If he feels the job is too simple and it's causing deprivation sounds like it might be time to move on anyway. He does have time with the PIP being for 3 months.

*demotivation not deprivation. Blummin autocorrect (And my crap proof reading!)

OP your DH is in a weakened position by being on a PIP. He is being branded an underperformer who they may see as someone not worth investing in because they will judge his low motivation as being a capability issue. A "good" manager wouldn't allow a fallow time in projects demotivate them.

If I were him I'd be looking for new opportunities where he has no past history to drag him down. Otherwise this will drag him down, it's a negative spiral that will affect his self esteem and earning potential.

Start looking for another job, for the reasons the PP said.

Obvs you have limited things YOU can do here, but I think to get him fighting, you could acknowledge that this is not the right company for him any more, but pending finding another role he needs to squeeze every opportunity from them, and so he needs to play act liking them/being a yes man, let them see what they will be missing out on. And you also need to look into plan B what your safety net is in terms of benefits or a role he can walk in to.

Of course if he thinks this is a case of racial discrimination I would encourage him to raise a formal or legal complaint. I don’t know the ins and outs of this in practice. Sorry that he and you are going through this.

Of course if he thinks this is a case of racial discrimination I would encourage him to raise a formal or legal complaint

With his employers's current mindset they will see him tying his underperformance to racism as a further reason why he's an underperformer trying to make excuses. They'll say "see you in Tribunal" and watch him struggle to make a case and burn up lots on legal fees. It's a timesink, honestly.

It sounds like a bad working environment. I used to be a manager and saw all sorts go on. When I started I was told one of my team was being audited more than the others because he wasn't trusted. I went on to sit next to him and there was never anything wrong with his work, he didn't play the game well but was hard working and diligent. I don't doubt that he wasn't trusted because of the colour of his skin, even if the previous manager didn't acknowlege her bias.

So there could be a factor of racism. Your husband can't change that so if he wants to get on he needs to find a better employer, and fast before they destroy his confidence. It's scary with a young family but my husband changed jobs when the boys were 1 and 4, it's made a massive difference.

In terms of the performance plan try not to worry too much. It should be perfectly achievable, so he just has to achieve it. If the plan looks unreasonable he can contact HR for advice. I had someone on my team who seemed physically incapable of doing her job, I tried to help her but honestly think she couldn't do it. She failed capability action plan after action plan and HR did nothing, just kept telling me to do another plan. I left in the end, but think she's still there doing half a job!

My company treated many people badly (large-ish insurer) and it's nice to see people move onto better places. At the very least make sure he's on LinkedIn and making an exit plan, not because I think they'll sack him but because he can probably do better.

It sounds like the company want him to be more proactive - he does sound rather like he is just cruising at the moment, doing the bare minimum to get by. Even with the 'easier' projects it may be possible to finish it early, add something to it - show initiative.

In the meantime - don't assume catastrophe is round the corner! If he is capable in his role, then 90 days is enough to prove it. I think he is right to look around though, as if he's lost motivation then that's not going to be easy to get back.

I know your dh isnt the target audience but it might help him to read nice girls dont get the corner office.

He wants a challenge at work with the projects that aren't coming his way through no fault of his own.

He isn't even doing his current work properly. How do you think it works? Oh we have a big project coming up? Who shall we give it to, Dick or Tom? Dick has been making a succes of his work and is a delight to have as a colleague. Tom can't handle his current project of building a jenga tower, is unmotivated and pulls the rascist card. Hm.... so we should give it to Tom according to the OP. The real world doesnt work that way.

You don't have to believe what he gives as a reason. My brother feels very entitled to promotions and gets difficult and moody when he doesn't get them. He feels that he deserves them because he has had more training and has worked longer for the company. Because of a family issue we had to see a sollicitor. DB has a degree in this field. He was totally unprepared, bad at explaining and I was appalled at his arrogancy during the meeting. I now understand why he won't get promoted. He just can't see his own shortcomings, which also means that he won't improve.

To be fair Gottokondo I once worked in a sales role that I was underperforming at, I wasn't selling enough PPI and it wasn't where my talents were. I was unhappy in the branch I worked at, got a rubbish appraisal based on the sales figures and my managers were crap. I was 'promoted' to a city centre branch because the manager knew I had potential and asked for me. Instead of doing sales I was given more of a chance in management roles and ended on a high there, although moved elsewhere to get further up the ladder.

I've never met the OPs husband but I've seen plenty of bad performers in my time, and a lot of the time they've been poorly managed, it's not an excuse but the fact that he can't have a reasonable conversation about these things and it's ended up on mumsnet is a sign that it's not been handled very well.