Advice needed on performance management procedure

[rc473]

I'm looking for any HR professionals or anyone who has been through this process for advice.

My partner went through two performance management processes last year, both relating to very minor issues - the second one was based on opinion feedback from two other staff members and contradicted with positive feedback from his superiors on the project.

He was informed a few weeks ago that he had received another piece of negative feedback, relating to a project in November where he had not provided a slide deck on a Friday afternoon but instead sent it on the Monday morning.

This time he has received a letter inviting him to a meeting with 2xHR and the MD of the business area, and the letter says the outcome of the meeting may be termination.

Is this fair, or typical? Is it likely that if he presents evidence, the case will be dropped?

Obviously I am biased, but it feels like unfair dismissal to me, the issues they have raised with his performance are so trivial.

Feeling very stressed on his behalf, and appreciate any advice on how to handle this.

I should add, there was no warning before the letter arrived yesterday, he was told briefly in a 121 that someone was not happy because he sent the slides a day late, then this letter threatening termination.

He also hasn't been provided with any evidence for the poor performance, other than a brief verbal mention over a fairly trivial matter.

The meeting is booked for tomorrow, and he has asked for the evidence to respond / appeal but hasn't received it. It's very short notice, should he refuse to attend until they have provided details?

No he shouldn't refuse to attend.

How long has he worked there? If it's less than 2 years he doesn't have the right to claim unfair dismissal, so the company can let him go for almost any reason (excluding discrimination of a protected characteristic).

I am slightly confused as to what evidence he is talking about - it seems that it was not provided on Friday, and he agrees it wasn't.

The previous poster is correct - if he has less than 2 years service then there would be little he could do. If he has more, it does seem that jumping straight to dismissal (unless the previous issues are still live warnings) may be OTT, but that would depend on a lot of things including how critical this failure was. It does, on the face of it, seem to be a lot of mistakes in a year, and obviously the employer doesn't consdier them minor.

A letter hinting at termination over a late slide pack seems over the top yes. But you (or him) seem to be minimising the two previous performance management processes, companies do not instigate performance management processes over minor issues and hearsay. So I think without the full background, it is difficult to comment much further.

I think he should go the meeting. If it is a disciplinary meeting (which sounds like it is) then he has the right to be accompanied by another member of staff or a union rep if he has one.

It doesn't look good. If they were truly minor mistakes then it doesn't sound like a healthy environment. Start looking elsewhere. I've worked these jobs before

How long has he been there?

This is the 3rd issue, that he considers to be minor, but clearly they don't

I think there is more to it than he is telling you or this is completely over the top

Did the person asking for the slide deck need it so they could prepare for a presentation on the Monday? I wouldn't find it very helpful to be sent the material at the same time as I was trying to deliver it!

I suspect they are looking at this as a third performance issue and there will be a policy somewhere out lining likely outcomes. It may seem minor not getting the slides over till the next working day but it could be a submission deadline was missed causing multiple issues for other people. 2 performance management issues in 12 months isn’t great

Are you sure you’ve rhe whole story? Habe you seen the documentation?

it would be odd that someone is fired for being late with a presentation, and yes I think unfair, but was there some repercussions to it coming through late?

he needs to attend, but I’m afraid I’d assume there is way more to this than he’s telling you.

My partner went through two performance management processes last year, both relating to very minor issues - the second one was based on opinion feedback from two other staff members and contradicted with positive feedback from his superiors on the project

this makes no sense, there is no way his superiors would put him through a pip even once, never mind twice, if they didn’t agree the complaint.

there is clearly much more on his performance and he’s not telling you.

there is people who do this, they are too embarassed to admit it, and don’t want to take responsibility or the conversation , so they play it as not their fault.

i ve xeen a couple of guys on pip at work, truely terrible performers, and at social events their wives think they are all but running the company, superstars and they are being unfairly treated. As that’s the shite they go home and say to them.

Thank you all for the advice so far, for the questions:

He has been there for 4 years now, so entitled to appeal

I have encouraged him to attend the meeting and he has a colleague lined up to go with him

As for the previous two processes, they were for similar reasons - critical feedback gathered from staff working on the same projects, the most prominent one was asking a junior colleague to present in a meeting, this was after he was encouraged to delegate more work by seniors

And regarding him being honest, I have asked for and read the letters and spreadsheets from his email.

I agree though I think he would have been better off agreeing with the feedback earlier and trying to take it on board - I think his attitude of disagreeing with everything has probably made it worse.

Men hey!

I have seen it happen where someone has passed a PIP, and then re-offended in a way that was similar to why they ended up on a PIP in this first place, that employers can move quickly towards dismissal. He's been down this road twice, depending on how serious this last instance is (ie what exaclty the impact of him not sending the thing on Friday was etc), they likely woulnd't invest any more time & effort in trying to have him improve

Ah. That's the more that may have broken the camels back. If he is belligerent with management and/or colleagues and always argues back, that will go to the heart of performance - you can't learn anything from situations if you are always arguing back. I suspect that this isn't about one incident - it is about an attitude that they no longer want around and probably the three "incidents" are the worst scenarios in what is percieved as a generally poor attitude.

It will probably fall on deaf ears, but an apology that is genuine, possibly a bit of grovelling, and learning to keep his mouth shut may be called for. If the other warnings are still live, then he could be on or near a final warning anyway. With any luck the reference to termination may be nothing more than a "shape up or you will be out" shot across his bows. But his approach and attiutude in the meeting could be critical to whether it is or not.

@Neriah I hope you are right, that it could be a warning.

He doesn't have any live warnings after the other PIPs, he passed them both satisfactorily and the follow up letters essentially say everything is fine now.. until it isn't again

Thank you all for responses it has really helped

I’m still struggling with it a pip is usually setting goals, objectives, and performance managing someone failing. It doesn’t make sense a pip would be put in place for a presentation being late, it is quite in depth and basically involves micro managing an employee,

what was in the pip? How was it done, how long did they last?

I am honestly not thinking this is a warning, I think that was the last two, at this point, I suspect they are moving to termination, and he will have a case of unfair dismissal if genuinely he’s been put on a pip for being late with a presentation.

I think his attitude of disagreeing with everything has probably made it worse.

This is likely the real reason he is facing being pulled up over minor issues. To be honest it sounds like they are trying to manage him out.

The slide deck being late sounds minor but it depends who he was due to send it to and why as well as what he did about it. Did he warn recipients of the delay for example. For important meetings papers have strict submission deadlines where I work. Not delivering would not go over well.

But for a late deck as a one off you’d give a warning if it caused issues, you don’t do a performance management plan for someone who is doing everything well but once sent a deck late.

@ImCamembertTheBigCheese the slide deck was for another member of the project team he says, and that they did not even look at it for a week after he sent it, so no last minute stress.

It seemed OTT to me, but he works in the consulting industry, so I don't know if they are more picky about these things?

I work in L&D, I've never even been questioned over a late deck (but then again it's always ready when someone needs it!)

Which is why I think he is being managed out.

I'd just make sure what he is telling you is the whole truth. I don't mean to be insulting but pulling him up for a late slide deck is extreme and I was in HR for many year.

My instincts tell me there is more going on here.

It sounds a little like he gets people's backs up for whatever reason, hence the complaints.

performance management processes last year, both relating to very minor issues

I manage(d) large teams and have had the misfortune of both overseeing PIPs and supporting PIPs with peers who have problem team members.

i want to be really clear….
no one does these for “minor issues”…no one.
there is a huge amount of admin for people supervising this process. It’s a pain in the arse and takes hours upon hours.

you have to do it on top of your actual job and also on top of the work the person you are performance managing is supposed to be doing… which you inevitably have to do/redo/correct.

its hard to successfully follow through on a pip past the 2 year mark so and generally you just let the bastards coast along with a lighter workload and get on with it.
you absolutely would not bother with PIP unless its really messing up output in the department.

common themes I see EVERY time which your boyfriend is displaying

• they are “surprised”
• they think it’s minor
• they can’t see it’s part of a bigger picture issue
• they want to argue the toss on everything
• generally belligerent and arrogant (although I’ve seen a few exceptions to this)

Every red flag is here - your boyfriend is NOT doing his job and will likely get fired.

he should be updating his CV now, today….

And if you share finances/live together I wouldn’t be booking a holiday in canaries/Caribbean anytime soon.

Good luck!

Oh I missed this bit…

the letter says the outcome of the meeting may be termination

When we did this we were ready to terminate.

if he turns up and is very contrite and compliant he just might get a last roll of the dice but they are very clearly saying he can / will be fired due to performance….

I’ve only managed one and it is beyond a ballache. I also know a few colleagues who have been on them and it’s a ballache for them and the supervisor, it’s very labour intensive.

which is why I can’t grasp what’s happening here. As she’s seen the documentation saying he’s being brought in for a deck effectively being a few hours late, or that the pips were for feedback that his seniors disagree with it but put him on it anyway,

for anyone who has had the misfortune to deal with a pip, it smells like the normal shite from a poor performer, not wanting to admit they do a crap job, and that they are so bad they are going to get fired, but the op has no reason to lie on an anonymous forum , not if she wishes advice, and she’s seen this is what it is for.

i also think they are terminating at the meeting, the decision is made, it’s done, and the two previous pips will be the evidence behind it. Sounds to me like they know their stuff legally, as they have done the process, and evidenced his poor performance, bur where it falls apart is they aren’t even making up poor performance and even putting in writing they are putting him in pips they don’t agree with,

it’s really odd.