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April 17, 2025 25 mins

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Performance improvement plans are supposed to help employees get back on track, but as Harvard Business Review reports, a shocking 90% of employees placed on PIPs don't survive them. This episode pulls back the curtain on what a PIP really means for your career and future with your company.

When a friend called me about being put on a performance improvement plan, I examined the document and couldn't even determine what specifically needed improvement. That's when I realized the truth many managers won't admit: most PIPs aren't designed to help you succeed—they're the first step toward termination.

During this season of mass layoffs across industries, companies frequently use performance improvement plans as documentation to justify terminations and protect themselves legally. These plans create the paper trail needed to demonstrate "cause" and avoid severance payments. If you find yourself facing a PIP, you need to make a strategic decision: will you fight to prove them wrong, or focus your energy on finding your next opportunity?

The episode reveals ten crucial things companies won't tell you about PIPs, including their true purpose as legal documentation, the reality of "quiet firing," and why HR isn't a neutral party in the process. You'll learn concrete strategies for navigating a performance improvement plan, from ensuring goals are specific and measurable to documenting everything and knowing when to negotiate an exit.

Whether you're currently on a PIP or want to understand how these processes work, this episode provides honest guidance from someone who's seen both sides of the performance management equation. Share your own PIP survival story by reaching out at info@thenatalieparker.com or messaging @thoyourbosssucks on social media.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever felt like you know things have hit
you, blindsided you?
Have you ever been put on aperformance improvement plan
Like you just got feedback thatyou're about to go on a
performance improvement planbecause your performance needs
to be improved?
It's an alien experience, right?

(00:21):
You feel like, well, what did Ido?
How did I get here?
In most cases, and I want totalk about that.
I want to talk about the truthsabout those plans.
I want to talk about the mythsand, if you want how to survive,
welcome to.

(00:53):
So your Boss Sucks.
Now what?
I'm Natalie Parker and we'redoing things a little different.
This episode, no guests, justme.
And because I want to talk toyou, I want to talk to you just
about something that I feel likewe don't talk about enough.
Have you ever felt like you arebeing set up to fail at work?
Have you ever felt like youknow, things have hit you,

(01:13):
blindsided you?
Have you ever been put on aperformance improvement plan
Like you just got feedback thatyou're about to go on a
performance improvement planbecause your performance needs
to be improved?
It's an alien experience, right?
You feel like, well, what did Ido?
How did I get here?
In most cases, and I want totalk about that.

(01:35):
I want to talk about the truthsabout those plans, I want to
talk about the myths and, if youwant, how to survive.
And the impetus for this is Ihad a friend who um reached out
to me and told me that hercompany had put her on a PIP.
From what I can tell, from whatI know of the individual,
they're very hardworking,they're good at what they do,
they're very skilled, seasonedand certified.

(01:56):
And when she called me, I saidwell, listen, send me the
document.
I want to see what's writtenhere and see if I can, you know,
ascertain it, see if I canreally get into the nitty gritty
of what they're asking.
Then I read it and I couldn'ttell her what specifically she
needed to improve.
And so I said okay, here's whatI think you should do.

(02:18):
And she said what do you thinkI should do?
I said, listen, the way that Iread this, they're not
interested in you succeeding.
As a matter of fact, I thinkthey're trying to fire you.
And if that's the case, you'vegot to decide if you're going to
prove them wrong or if you'regoing to go search for your next
opportunity because you need todo one or the other, but you

(02:40):
probably won't have energyenough to do both.
It's a great, you know, kiss mygrit If you can do both, like
I'm a beat, this pip and I'm aleave.
But if you only have energy forone, do the one that serves you
best, and that's what I want totalk to you about today.

(03:03):
I think it's interesting too,because in the season of mass
layoffs in both marketplace andgovernment, the main line is
like we're getting rid of allthe low performers.
That's the conversation and yousee it.
I mean reading the.
You know the statistics right?
Meta is trying to lay off 5% ofits workforce.
Hellofresh is doing layoffs,wayfair is doing layoffs.
Tiktok is doing layoffs.
Uh, who else is doing layoffs?
It's just a ton of people.

(03:24):
I think I saw Kohl's, forever21,.
Jp Morgan, morgan Stanley,chevron, blue Origin, estee
Lauder, like Workday.
All of these companies aredoing layoffs.
And the typical first place thatyou know HR goes to and the
companies go to is like who'sperforming the worst?

(03:45):
And the PIP process is usuallythe first wave before we do a
reduction in force.
Usually, or if we're doing areduction in force, we're
looking for the people with thePIPs.
So that's the thing you need toknow right In this, in this
season of like, let's find outwho's not working and who's not
working.
Well, that's the.
That's the first wave, and Iwant to talk to you about like,

(04:08):
why this happens.
What's interesting, reallyenough.
Performance improvement plansare intended, generally speaking
, textbook wise, are intended tohelp course correct an
individual when theirperformance isn't meeting
standard.
That's literally just theintention.
It's supposed to be like arecalibration.
So if your steering wheel wasnot, you know, going the right

(04:33):
way, if you were to put yourhands off and it steers to the
left, you go get your car inalignment.
A performance management plan,a performance improvement plan,
is intended to createrealignment.
That's the intention.
And if that's the intention, Ifind it interesting that Harvard
business reviews said that 90%of employees placed on a PIP
don't survive it.
It's interesting for me, I feellike performance improvement

(04:57):
plans are like the hospice ofyour job, the place where jobs
go to die right, where yourcareer, at least at that company
, is.
You know with, you know on lifesupport, and I find it
interesting that we're not morehonest about that.
I find it interesting, but youknow why.
Let me talk to you why, moreoften than not, performance

(05:21):
improvement plans are intendedto document corrective issues
that need to be addressed right.
Why this is important isbecause most managers don't
document along the way.
So we're putting in a formalperformance improvement plan.
In the world of progressivediscipline, what typically

(05:43):
happens is we're going to have aconversation, then we're going
to give you a verbal warning,then we're going to document it
and then you're out.
Right, that's that.
That's supposed to beprogression in some way, shape
or form.
You know companies havedifferent colors of that, and
this corrective issue, thiscorrective kind of documentation
with the performanceimprovement plan, is usually

(06:05):
written for justification forthe company.
It's usually not written foryou to be successful.
That's why I tell you todocument everything so that you
have your documentation ahead oftheirs.
That's really important for youto know.
If you're on a PIP, it's not adeath sentence, but you know,
more often than not you'regetting quietly fired, right?

(06:26):
And and if you get put on a pip, I would ask the question like
so is it your intention to fireme?
Are we really going to mutuallywork together so to make sure
that I can be successful?
I don't think there's anythingwrong with that, because if
they're trying to fire you, youhave nothing to lose, and if
they're not, it's good to hearit out loud Be froggy, I'm not

(06:48):
mad at it If.
If you're giving me this plan,is it really your intent to help
me be successful as my leader,or are you expecting that I'm
going to fail Cause it's?
Why pretend?
Why pretend?
And they're going to tell you,like you're, like you've got 30
days to correct this ship.
Why pretend?
Now listen, in my lifetime I'veput together some pips that

(07:13):
were necessary, like the folksweren't doing their job, they
weren't reporting to work.
I'm not talking about that, butit's interesting that Harvard
Business Review says that 90% ofemployees who are based on the
pipIP don't survive it.
So if we're really trying toget your performance to improve,
why is that the statistic?
So here's some things.

(07:35):
If you get on a PIP, the firstthing you want to do is make
sure that the goals areextremely clear.
I mean, go and put them in thesmart formula so specific,
measurable, attainable,realistic and timely.
Make sure every goal you havehas one of those pillars and
that you can achieve it.
Or use the, you know, objectivekey result.

(07:55):
I don't care what you use, butuse some measurement stick that
you can clearly say this is whatsuccess looks like when I'm
done.
That's the first thing is whatsuccess looks like when I'm done
.
That's the first thing.
The second thing I would tellyou to do is check in regularly
and be accountable to yourleader.
So I have no issue.
I'd even tell you toover-communicate, because if not

(08:16):
, what will happen is you'll doall the great work and they're
like oh, I didn't know you didthat, see ya, bye.
So I would be I don't want tosay in their face, but I would
be very proactive and likehere's my status, here's what
I'm doing, I'm not waiting foryou, I'm telling you what's
happening with me.
I also think it's important tofind the alliances that you have

(08:38):
in the organization to help yoube successful.
Right.
Document every conversationwith written follow-up.
I told you this multiple timesin most every show.
Document the conversation sothat nobody gets amnesia or
gives you alternative facts.
Um, and typically a PIP, anaggressive PIP, is 30 days, a

(09:02):
reasonable PIP is probably 90days and if you're getting the
pip before the end of the yearor close to merit, consider that
as well.
That's typically a sign and,for me, some of the best
practices of pips is reallycollaboration, like who's
working with you to make sureyou're successful.

(09:22):
If you don't know how to dowhat they're asking you to do,
ask them who you can partnerwith, see if they're really
willing to give you yourresources to be successful.
And I'd also recommend yougoing over the employee handbook
in your organization to seewhat, if any, of the things that
you've been asked to docorrectively are lining up with

(09:43):
the expectations there.
Now I want to get into the top10 things.
They won't tell you about a PIPright.
More often than not it's forlegal documentation.
We're thinking about you know,if we have to go to court and
you're trying to sue us, ifyou're in a protected class for
age, gender, race, whatever,we're making sure that all of

(10:04):
our I's are dotted and all ourT's are crossed.
That's why it's important foryou to have similar content for
you to be able to articulateyour position.
That's really the point.
Most performance improvementplans are for documentation for
you, for the company to guarditself from any litigation.

(10:26):
More often than not, whenyou're put on a PIP, they've.
We talk about quiet quitting,but there's also this thing
called quiet firing, where theleader or the organization kind
of just stops giving you work,stops paying attention to you,
stops like cause they're alreadyplanning for your exit.
Have you ever felt like personanon grata in a role where your

(10:47):
leader's just not talking to youanymore?
More often than not, he or shehas probably already decided in
his or her head, or they intheir head, that you are out and
the performance improvementplan is just the pronunciation
of something that they'vealready decided.
So, again, I think asking thequestion is really important.

(11:10):
Um, sometimes a performanceimprovement plan is a part of
your leader's discomfort, right,it's a way for them to shield
themselves from some otherprotection or other lack of
performance that they have.
All, right.
Um, if you, you know, we had awhole episode about scapegoating
, right, sometimes thescapegoating can barrel into the

(11:34):
fact that, like, let me giveyou this so that I can tell
people that it was your faultwhen you're gone.
Right, I can count on my hands,my toes and all of my members
of how many people have beenblamed for something after
they'd left a company as a wayto bury issues.
Has that ever happened to youwhen somebody you know that

(11:59):
somebody's blamed you forsomething after you left.
It's interesting, um, as muchas you like to think the next,
you know the top 10 things.
So the first thing is thecompany's trying to protect
itself.
The second thing is you'reprobably already getting quietly
fired.
The third thing is HR is not aneutral party.
The human resources function isa function of the employer and

(12:24):
I know plenty of HR people whoare good and fair and honest and
we try to do the right thing.
And the HR professional in yourorganization is still an agent
of the company and so, whilethey can give you perspective,
while they can give you support,they are still an agent of the
company and you have to rememberthat they're there to protect

(12:47):
the company, not necessarily you.
It's great if you have great HRpeople.
I've been really blessed towork with some great people in
my profession and I also haveseen people fall victim to
thinking that HR was there forthem and they're not right.
We are the builders of culture,but we have a very interesting
both and role and when it comesdown to brass tacks and role,

(13:15):
and when it comes down to brasstacks, the HR professionals are
there to support the company.
We talked about this, the goalsin a number number five your
documentation matters.
It's important.
Keep it, keep it, keep it.
Keep it in perpetuity, filedaway until you don't need it
anymore.
But you should keep a runningtab of receipts of the things

(13:36):
that you've accomplished, whoyou've told that to, what your
metrics were.
All of those things matter.
Remember in the documentationprocess that it's not just about
the emotions of what you did,like I'd actually cast that away
, like what were the outcomesthat you contributed and how did
you do it?
Number six the goals areintentionally vague.
I just talked to you about, youknow, my friend who got this,

(13:58):
this, this pip.
That was actually quite um, Ican find it.
I'll share it with you Like itwas.
It was like so-and-so needs toimprove by um, not using um, by
being more present in meetingsor something.
But what does that mean?
What do you want her tocontribute?
Has she shut down because youhaven't been listening to her in
meetings, right?

(14:19):
Or is there an issue with thetimeliness of the things that
you do?
How do you make it solid thatyou need to do this by when?
Who does what by when right?
Sometimes, you know, I likethis one.
Number seven Sometimes yourco-workers already know that you
are on thin ice and you may notknow.
It's important to have bothpeer and leader feedback so you

(14:41):
can navigate appropriately, sothat you can also know who's
advocating for you andpotentially who's stabbing you
in the back.
Number eight sometimes the PIPis a strategy for your exit or
financial reasons.
The the PIP is a strategy foryour exit or financial reason.

(15:01):
You know, if you get terminatedfor cause, you don't get
severance.
You don't get, you don't getany of the things.
So it's advantageous at timesfor the organization to go this
route.
Rather than paying you out, youcan negotiate.
So number nine I like this oneis you can negotiate during a
PIP, right, like, if you'rereally trying to get rid of me,

(15:22):
let's do this, let's not evenbother, let's give me my
severance of whatever time andwhatever, and we'll leave
amicably right.
So doing um resignation in lieuof performance management issues
like it's not a bad look.
That way you get something outof it and not have to do the
painful walk of shame of beingon a pit.
It's like like the scarletletter.

(15:43):
Performance improvement plansare like the scarlet letter of
organizations.
We we really do brand people insuch a way that that makes them
feel, you know, alone,alienated, persecuted, even
disassociated, if you will, andI think we need to really
address that.
In most cases, we're really nottrying to help folks.

(16:05):
I said it.
And, lastly, the last tip I'llgive you at least the things you
don't, the company won't tellyou is most people don't survive
.
I would ask around if I wereyou like, if you're just curious
, ask around like how many, howmany people you know actually
survived a PIP as a matter offact, I want to hear from you,

(16:26):
either send us a note or, youknow, go on our Facebook page
and chat us up.
I want to know um.
Go to info at thenatalieparkercom.
I want to hear from those whohave survived a performance
improvement plan, like what didyou do, how did you do it and
where is your career now?
How long ago was it?
I want to know.
So, info at thenatalieparkercom, or DM me at thoyourbosssocks

(16:50):
on Instagram or one of thesocials.
I think we'll show it somewherehere.
I think it's important, though,to know that rarely do people
survive right.
It's an interesting thing, andit just makes me sad that we
perpetrate a fraud of like we'regoing to help you and then
we're going to watch you try andthen you're going to be fired.

(17:12):
What motivates you to be on aPIP?
And, like, I'm going to, I'mgoing to show you it's an
interesting thing.
So I would say to you, like,how do you survive a PIP and be
like I'm going to, I'm going toshow you it's an interesting
thing.
So I would say to you, like,how do you survive a PIP?
Like, what would you do?
What would I tell you to do?
First, I would tell you to havewhatever emotion that you need
to have.
Grieve it.
Grieve the fact that you don'thave the relationship that you
have.
Grieve the fact that you don'thave the support that you

(17:36):
probably need.
Grieve the fact that youmight've made a bad choice of
employer.
Grieve the fact that you don'thave the organization's trust.
Take a minute and grieve that.
Purge it, write it down, bake acake, whatever you do to grieve
, do that and then come up withyour game plan, because it's
really the game plan that'sgonna help you move to purpose.

(17:59):
I would say that if you have notdocumented, go ahead and think
back as far as you can anddocument everything.
If not, if you have documented,gather your stuff and make your
case, appeal it if you need to.
Many times, companies will havean appeal process for things
like this and it's important foryou to at least go on record to

(18:19):
give your perspective.
I'd also say get externaladvice, whether it's from
someone external to your team orthe department or even your
company.
If you need to, don't be afraidto negotiate.
Don't be afraid to negotiate.
Don't be afraid to leverage theideas of quid pro quo when it
comes like I'm going to do this.

(18:40):
But here's what I need for youUm, if you have a good position,
right.
If you don't have anything tooffer but more often than not,
there are people who have, youknow, really good skills where
the company's willing to, shallI say, suffer you while they're
recruiting for your replacement,right.
If you can roll out, leaveearly.

(19:04):
If you have either the means orthe incentive or whatever you
need to to be like you know whatyou can.
Take this job.
I'm taking my ball and goinghome.
Do it.
Roll out, leave early if youcan and try to exit.
Um, exit gracefully.
I would not.
I would really challenge younot to go around telling
everyone like oh my God, I goton a pit, but that's not.

(19:26):
That's not a good look for you.
Figure out who you can trust,who can help you build your plan
and share it with them, andthem only, because the more that
you share it around the office,the more that you share it
around you know the remoteoffice, if you will.
You are not giving yourself anycredit, you're not giving
yourself a good brand.
It's not good for your brand.
So I would say, keep that underthe vest and keep that need to

(19:50):
know for the people who aresupporting you.
Right, and I said it before, Ireally do want to hear from
those of you who, like been on aPIP, you've ever been on a PIP
and you've had these challenges.
I want to hear from you.
I want to hear about whathappened.
What was the scenario, who didyou trust?

(20:11):
How'd you get out of it?
Because I think we need to havea more open conversation about
some of these intentions,because not all of them are
accurate, clear or authentic.
I think that you know pips willfeel personal.
A lot of times you'll feel like, oh my God, they did this to me
and while that may be true,it's not the most useful emotion

(20:35):
to help you get to a place ofpivoting, to what your action is
going to be.
Um, it's important for you tostay clear headed and remember
what your end goal is.
Your end goal isn't just tokeep a job.
What is your end goal in makingsure that you achieve the
purpose, the function, thethings you need to in your life

(20:56):
for you and your family.
Purpose, the function, thethings you need to in your life
for you and your family Um,that's that's really important,
and so I wanted to share thatwith you.
There's a lot going on invarious different markets and
this, this idea of being placedon improvement, improved
performance improvement plansfor me, is really near and dear
to my heart, because I've seenthem abused.

(21:16):
Um, I was talking on wastalking on a podcast recently
where we were talking aboutneurodivergent employees and I
shared the story of how I, whenI was a leader from an HR
perspective I had I sawfirsthand how someone who was
neurodivergent was put on aperformance improvement plan,
how someone who wasneurodivergent was put on a

(21:37):
performance improvement plan.
The plan was really bad.
The leader was already ready tofire them.
Because they came to me like Ineed to fire him today.
Okay, what did he do?
I don't know.
I just can't take it.
But what did he do?
But he's just I, just I, just,you know, I talked to myself.
I reiterate myself, I'm like,well, show me your documentation
.
The manager didn't have anyeither.
I reiterate myself, I'm like,well, show me your documentation

(21:59):
.
The manager didn't have anyeither.
Right.
And so we crafted this plan withthe intention of trying to do
course correction.
But I can honestly tell youwithin my heart of hearts I can.
I did not see this manageractively support the employee
and when we got ready to leave,I don't know that they did the
check-ins, because performanceimprovement plans are supposed
to have check-ins, right.
I don't know that they did thecheck-ins, because performance
improvement plans are supposedto have check-ins right.

(22:19):
I don't know if the leader didany of that.
But when we went to goterminate this employee seeing
some of the signs that presentitself when it comes to folks
who are neurodivergent, theywere very evident Everything
from, you know, lack of eyecontact to being agitated Not
that you wouldn't be agitatedregularly, but having you know

(22:40):
my son's neurodivergent, I feellike I do have a better sense
and see it sometimes in people,and it was just heartbreaking to
see this.
You know these two grown mennot being able to appropriately
articulate what they needed tobe able to reconcile the
relationship, and so it'simportant to me that everyone
has at least the information tobe able to be successful.

(23:05):
I don't mind that companies useperformance improvement plans
when they're done in anauthentic way.
It shouldn't be weaponized.
It should be to help people and, with the workforce being what
it is, with us having a talentshortage, with us not upskilling
, we have a lot of room to growwhen it comes to making sure
people can do the job we'veasked them to do.

(23:25):
That's it for this episode.
I wanted to share myperspective, especially because
it's a pressing thing that'shappening right now.
We have a lot of room to growand a lot of room to help people
succeed in the space.
I want companies to really beauthentic about their intention.
Most states are at-will states,meaning, frankly, if they were

(23:46):
just really gangster, they couldcome into your office like this
is the end of the road, likeBoyz II Men, although we've come
right.
They could come in and say thisis the end of the road, not
give you a reason, not give youa rhyme, because the employment
situation is at will.
We've come into a norm wherecompanies have, you know,
developed the processes for exitand I don't think there's

(24:08):
anything wrong with the companyhaving a process to exit bad
performers.
I actually don't think there'sa problem with that.
Where I think the biggestbreakdown is is managers not
managing well, managers notarticulating their expectations
and then wanting to, you know,bippity, boppity, boop, put
somebody on a pip and get themout.
That's my problem, especiallyconsidering they're not genuine

(24:30):
in their intention.
That's it for this episode.
It's really been great talkingto you.
I want to hear from you.
If you've got a bad boss story,if you've had a pip and
survived it, I want to hear fromyou.
Check us out at info atthenataliparkercom and until
next time, don't let your bosssuck the life out of you.
Take care.
Today's episode is brought toyou by Natalie Parker

(24:52):
Enterprises, where we shape thefuture and unlock potential by
helping organizations and peoplework together to do good work.
Find out more atthenatalieparkercom or, if you'd
like to be a sponsor, email usat info at thenatalieparkercom.
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