Threatened with a PIP - help!

[Workhelpio]

Meeting called on Monday at work and given a few options:

Stay in current role and be put on a PIP
Move to another team to role I've done before
Demoted within current role with a pay cut
Gardening leave with some kind of settlement but no figure specified

Then told to take rest of week off while I decide.

I haven't been given formal feedback or a warning before this point. In fact just 7 weeks ago I received a gift as a 'thank you for your recent hard work' so thought things were going OK. There have been a couple of issues but I've looked back at notes from all my Meetings with manager and nothing raised as major issue to make me think a PIP was imminent.

Manager isn't good at giving feedback but has clearly been telling their boss they're not happy with me all along. Now this big boss has swooped in with these options.

I feel cornered, trying to find some HR advice online. Moving to another team to role I've done before feels like safest option for time being but obviously I'll also start looking elsewhere.

Anyone have advice? Feel physically sick at thought that job hangs by a thread and I have bills to pay etc

They've previously paid people off with 30k - 50k when this has happened before. I'd happily go with 30k in my pocket but not sure I'd get it and job market doesn't seem great right now

Sorry to hear this .
Not an expert but I did think that being demoted within your current tole and paid less was illegal ??

Depending on what you do, but can you sign up with some agencies for temp work? £ 30k tax free would give you some breathing space.

I assume you haven't decided what you want to do OP?

In your shoes, I'd start to create a paper trail - a carefully worded email to the manager who spoke to you, copying HR, and making the following points (assuming I've got the facts correct)

1. You were very surprised to be called into a meeting (without notice) to discuss putting you on a PIP, as you hadn't received any previous negative feed back, have had good appraisals, and only a few weeks ago received a thank you gift for your work. Your direct manager hasn't discussed any of this with your previously, so it has come as a shock.

1. summarise the options that were put to you.

1. Outline surprise, disappointment and extreme stress at being told not to attend work for the rest of the week. What have they mentioned to your colleagues about why you aren't at work? Who's covering your work in your absence?

1. Ask for confirmation that if you return to the previous role in the other team it will be at the same salary and will not be a demotion.

1. Ask for details of the settlement amount that is being offered.

1. Perhaps ask for a longer time to consider their proposals, if you think you'll need that.

Your not in a union??

First point is excellent advice, thinkfast. A threat of a PIP should not be coming out of the blue. That's a question HR should ask the manager, as well - why is a previously good performer suddenly underperforming when there's nothing on record about that being addressed?

I mean, it's clear (to me, anyway) that OP is being managed out. I depends on how much of a fight they want to put up to up the offer on the table.

As someone who has put a low performer on a PIP before (in tech) I consulted HR and my manager about my concerns and let them know I'd had a verbal conversation in a 1:1.

The process was to document the 1:1, what concerns were raised (I detailed 3), what the expectation was, the goals they needed to complete, with a deadline.

The next stage was going to be a verbal warning, then written warning being a PIP, they were then given 6 weeks to agree to the PIP and pass it.

They handed their notice in before then. This was someone who didn't work at all, lazy and entitled.

Question to all, how does someone know if they are part of a union?

You know you're a member of a union because you have to apply to become a member and pay membership fees.

I’m a union rep. We see more and more people being put on PIP, and 90% of the time it’s due to them having a shit line manager.

As a manager who has taken people through PIPs and they are still successfully employed (and performing better as per the actual aim of the plan) it's worrying to see so much doom & gloom on here around the process in general. But hey, there's some shockingly awful managers out there so I can see how those thoughts come about.

In terms of your situation, have you got it in writing the options they gave you? If not ask them to send it across to you so you can reference it when you take them to a tribunal and get a payout! That's horrendous behaviour of your manager to act like they have.

If you do decide to stay and go through the PIP then 100% engage HR to ensure your manager is following the correct process and not 'going rogue'. Lots of managers interpret guidelines in the wrong way and are piss poor at following the right route. ACAS can give you guidance about this if HR aren't forthcoming.

A PIP should never come out of the blue so ask your manager to clearly outline the concerns and the impact they are having along with examples of when this has happened.

They will also need to set you clear, measurable goals to achieve and a realistic timeline to demonstrate improvement. There should be regular (weekly) check ins which are fully documented around progress and next steps. You should know how you're doing throughout the process and the outcome shouldn't come as a surprise.

Also, unless there's gross misconduct involved (e.g you punched a client, defrauded your employer etc) they shouldn't be able to 'get rid' of you after that first PIP. Be aware though that there could be a disciplinary with a written warning etc... and they could start the PIP process all over again. Which could buy you some time to find another role if you can wait it out and your MH doesn't suffer!

Best of luck 🤞

I'd go back and say that in order to make a decision you'd like specific examples of poor performance and when these have been raised in 1:1s etc

Yes. If you have had good appraisals they'll be hard pushed to find the evidence.

I'd not leave with less than half a year's net salary. When this sort of stunt was pulled on me about a decade ago, I got six months money after tax,

Update

This was my exact circumstances a few years ago. We too had new management in and the company had form for PIPS being used to force someone out. In my case and it sounds very similar to yours the new manager essentially wanted a regime change and I believe they felt threatened. My performance reviews were always rated as exceeded.
Very long story short, I had some time off for a fertility test and I had been honest, the PIP conversation was very soon after that!
In the end I decided to take the settlement, although I did find out a couple of days later I was pregnant. I applied for a new jobs straightaway and was successful at my first interview. I’m still at that job and pleased to say they have treated me brilliantly since the first day there.

All in all I know it feels absolutely awful now, and I still remember the shock and hurt but genuinely it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

How did things go @Workhelpio ?

Update?