Personal improvement plan...I want to leave

[Sadandstressed5]

I've had a personal improvement plan sprung on me . I'm not happy about it because all of the work I've been doing I've not been shown how to do , but I'm happy to up skill and learn. I've only been there for 6 months, passed probation no problem. I was already looking for other work as I don't like how the place is run, a lot of micro management

But my reaction to it is extreme. I've been out of the workplace for many years prior to this raising a family. I'm in my 40s. I suppose it's shocked me and my reaction is to immediately want to go on sick leave , find a new job and then leave as soon as possible. I feel like I now hate the place and my colleagues and can't see how I can stay. I'm annoyed that nothing was brought to my attention prior to this and then just spring the PIP from nowhere
Any advice on how I deal with this. I was told about it on Friday, Meeting is Monday morning. I will be gracious and agree to everything they say but inside I will be screaming and wanting to run out of the place.
I've been my own boss and in charge of my own life for so long I suppose I'm struggling with the adjustment of being told what to do and scrutinised. I believe I'm a hard worker and I come across as pleasant and eager .
Had a big argument with husband today over it as of course he's wanting me to continue working there whilst I look for other employment but I just don't feel like I can now .

I don’t understand why you wouldn’t continue working there while you look for something else? There’s nothing inherently wrong with being on an improvement plan, depending on the company all this may mean is that you will be given a bit of additional support. I would really not advise throwing a strop and going “off sick” due to this, your husband is right, start applying for other jobs if you want to but continue working in the meantime.

Why don’t you feel like you can? It does seem a bit like spitting your dummy out

My recommendation is to keep your powder dry. It is easier to get a job from a job, and a reference is always useful.

Assuming your probation period was three months, it would follow that you have been working merrily under the assumption that everything is fine during the next three months and now this?

Have you had regular reviews? If so were they documented? Was anything about performance mentioned?

Do you have documented objectives? Are you able to measure progress towards objectives? Were these discussed during any performance reviews?

It sounds like you haven't had a lot of training / support. Did you ask for any in your regular reviews?

What I would do next depends on knowing the answers to the above.

It is so so much easier to get another job from another job. Plus you'll still get paid! Try to detatch and just keep your head down until you get a new j0b

I just can't face the meetings! It's made me feel scrutinised and judged. I know it's all part and parcel of working, I'm just not used to it.
I was fine on the work I was doing, I have been put on new work and put on a plan after 1 week . I spoke up and said I needed some guidance and support on the new work as there were parts of it I didn't know how to do, and then 2 days later put on this plan!!
I thought a PIP was a last resort once help had already been given and you weren't up to parr, but this is at the beginning! I will raise this in the meeting but I just feel like I don't want to go back

Are you in the civil service by any chance?

Some companies are quick to put in improvement plans - but my word this is quick - I wonder if you work where I do?

What’s the staff turnover like? Ours is massive - it’s complicated and people struggle with the work and we have less and less knowledgeable staff!

I would chin up, detached, write a list and go from there.

How is performance graded?
How is training delivered?
What can you expect from the plan -

mine for example was 1-2-1 meetings weekly - this never happened.

I asked for training in some areas - this didn’t happen .

Its crap.

I won’t be here much longer.

No its not civil service. Just office work using a very complicated system and processes

Kindly OP, part of working IS that you’re going to be “scrutinised and judged” to some extent, you have to meet targets, deadlines, work to your managements expectations etc. PIP’s are used differently by different organisations but it’s not uncommon for them to be used to provide additional support to people who need that support.

Go to the meeting prepared with your thoughts & any factual evidence you have to dispute what they may say if you believe they are incorrect but other than that all you can do is go, take the advice on board, and keep applying for other jobs in the meantime.

I wouldn't stress it. You said you spoke up and said you needed some guidance and support on the new work and they're giving you that by setting up a training/ improvement plan. We use these in our team to ensure managers are giving adequate support and to ring fence training time, especiallyas after inductionis finished it can be reallyhard to get that training time.

It sounds like you are taking this as a personal criticism rather than seeing it as a perfectly reasonable way to bridge the gap between what you are able to do now and the new work they're giving you that you haven't yet been shown how to do.

Play the game, say you're looking forward to the opportunity to gain the new skills needed / training you haven't yet had and then, if you're still wanting to leave, it's a great interview scenario, when asked how you dealt with a challenge, you asked for help, worked with your line manager, set up a plan, solved the problem 👍 full marks!

@AltitudeCheck yes I am taking it as a personal attack, I know I need to calm down.
When I googled PIP it's all negative saying its a way to get rid of you and is done as a last resort
That's why I feel so mad because this isn't a last resort , this is a first resort

I know lots of people who have been PIPs, including people who are now very senior. Most people are fine after a PIP, meet the conditions and are successful

I agree, and if these things haven’t been done I’d make that perfectly clear in writing.

You can change your response to an imposed PIP by reframing it positively as a Continuous Development Plan that will make you a better employee.

Make sure each area flagged for improvement has a clear process structure - what needs to be done, how it is to be done, training needed is identified, timescale for completion, check point meeting to ensure you are meeting the targets in case additional help is required etc. These things are usually dealt with during annual assessments, so think of it as that.

My son has colleagues at work on pips and they definitely aren’t to get rid of them. The staff don’t agree with the reasons for them, ( rightly so in some cases but that’s another discussion entirely).
If they wanted to get rid of you, you wouldn’t have passed probation. Chin up.

I get it OP, some people, me included, really struggle to hear criticism/ negative feedback! I had a very critical parent and any kind of telling off, reprimand or perceived criticism at work sends me straight back to feeling attacked and anxious and knocks my self esteem. I have to remind myself that the new 'fluffy' way of working is all about (paying lip service to) reflection/ feedback/ development and this is just how many companies managers and HR teams work these days!

I can understand OP.
35 yrs in the workplace here and I was upset and furious to hear my manager slagging me off to another manager.
I felt like leaving.
However money is money and I've taken onboard what I heard.
I've had some interviews and will go if I want to.
To be honest at least try to follow what they want.
My ds was on a PIP for a bit and it worked out for him.

In my field, we use PIPs as a first resort - so when we see people are drifting slightly, our approach is to get them on a PIP before they drift too much. It means that there’s more visibility, and more responsibility on leaders around the person to help them; otherwise it’s too easy for a person to struggle with nobody focused on helping them and that benefits nobody.

I get why you feel like you do, but honestly at this stage in your job, I very much doubt anyone is judging; they’re probably reflecting they didn’t do a very good onboarding process and this is to make sure they now give you the support you need.

Am I missing something? The PIP is a direct response to you asking for help/wanting support. They're addressing your needs. Would you have felt better had it been called Peer Mentoring or some such?

PIPs are used very differently in different workplaces.

I worked at a school and when the school "failed" an internal audit the senior management put about half the school on an improvement plan.

A friend of mine was put on an improvement plan after a 5 min observation. Neither her nor the teacher assigned to mentor her were ever told what the problem was and her plan was never written down or shared with either either of them

She gritted her teeth and got through it. The teacher assigned to mentor her decided it was a shambles of a school (he wasn't wrong) and got a better job elsewhere.

Certainly in the education sector there is a belief which can be a reality that they are used to get rid of people and most teachers if put on a plan will be leaving.

I'm presuming you are not in the education sector, and pp say they are used more helpfully elsewhere so maybe it is intended to be useful?

If you've only been there 6 months, they don't really need to put you on a PIP if they want to get rid of you. They can just get rid of you. I'd definitely see the PIP as something positive in terms of wanting to support your development

PIP shouldn’t be the first resort so I agree with OP there - it’s training and development first then reflection on both sides and then PIP if someone refuses to engage and doing badly.

Thanks some of your replies have made me feel alot better
On reflection I think it's more to fill in the gaps that they haven't taught or shown me, but I can't understand why they couldn't have just done that without the need of a PIP . Just sit with me for an hour, show me and that should be enough. Its just missing parts of processes

A PIP can be used as a tool to demonstrate (lack of) capability but this is usually used after an employee has been there for 2 years, because you can't usuall just say "sorry, you're crap at this, goodbye".

A new employee like you can be let go very easily, so I would say the PIP is a genuine attempt at support in your case. There is no reason to bother with one for a new employee otherwise.

Maybe working for other people isn't for you op. You seem to be having an extreme reaction after you , yourself asked for help and now they have planned ( in the PIP) to give you it. I don't quite understand your logic?

Putting someone on a performance plan out of the blue is bad management.

You manager should have made you aware early on that there were issues and tell you how you should be addressing them.

If the problem is a lack of training on the systems you have to use then you need to make that clear to them. You have the right to comment on your PIP I there are things you don't agree with/you think are missing.

I would tell them that you have just been asked to do new work but have not had any training or time to adjust. It is completely bizarre of them to move someone to new responsibilities and then freak out a couple of days later because of course the person has not had the time to adapt.

Frankly they sound like a crap company and you are right to look for something else but in the meantime you also need to be treated fairly.