Dealing with Performance Improvement Plan

Photo Taken by: Zarex Bongsalo

At some point in our working time, we'd somehow have to deal with negativity and poor performance. That is one of the reason why employees would most likely and at some point have to deal with what we call Performance Improvement Plan or PIP.

I myself experienced from being a performer to being enrolled in a PIP and it is actually a good thing. It puts me back and made me realize why I signed for the job in the first place.

If by any chance you are told by your manager that they are enrolling you in a PIP it only means that you are doing unnecessary efforts in a non essential task that is not even relevant to your job that is why you are neglecting or faltering in your main role in the company. It means there are too much balls that has fallen into the crack.

On a contrary, PIP sometimes act as a medium in collecting more evidence as the management design a PIP plan to ditch a certain employee. This is true in reality because in theory an employee is placed in a plan where there are sets of objective design for them to achieve if an employee hits each mark then they can move along with their job just like that. If not you'd be given another chance a hierarchy of 30-60-90 days should be given to the employee. If the employee still did not meet the goals intended for them then management will definitely demote or terminate the employees contract. However, in reality this is not always true. So far I've been in this spot twice in my 11 years of working in 2 different companies.

I am not playing a blame game for me slacking and faltering in some points of my job. Here are some points I have observed before I am placed in a PIP.

• Motivation - I always believe that one of the key function of a manager is to motivate their employee no matter what happen and properly coach them. At some point I got belittled and bad mouth by a manager and after that my attention to details is devaluing.
• Proper Coaching - My managers just ask me what happen most of the time I always provide them with my own action plan but I never heard feedback from them so my tendency is to follow my action plan that sometimes lead to a different minor dropping of balls. Some just ask me what happened and it ends there. They just talk to me by asking what happened and I just answered and explained to them most of the time it ends there. They normally don't provide me with steps or advise on how or what I should do to perform better or in accordance to their expectation.

Before an employee is placed in a PIP the manager will give you list of object or what it is normally called KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR normally this is what an employee normally lacks on.

What you should do to avoid PIP

If there is one thing I missed is documenting my phone conversation and this is where I usually get in trouble. When you document your work it will normally save you when a complaint or a problem will arise.

These are the things you should remember when enrolled in PIP.

• As I have said, cover all action you have taken. Proper documentation is always necessary. If you have emailed someone and they haven't provided you with reply give them a call and document it by sending an email. Make a record in any situation that you may encounter like a bad weather may decrease your sales if you are working as a sales agent but in a call center bad weather may increase the call volume.
• If you run into some issues make sure you have your manager involve or at least copy your manager with all the customer/client communication. Before the day ends, ask your manager for any feedback. Record his response or if they responded at all. Challenge feedback from your manager, feedback should be given to you in a timely manner
• Targets should be achievable. If they are not make sure you raise it as a concern to your HR personnel or to your UNION.

Being in a PIP should be a good thing. Don't be scared but make sure you are ready. You will definitely be placed on a spotlight and all eyes are on you. Do what is asked for you to do. If they give you A, B, C then do it as it is. Your main goal is to simply pass it the shorter time you stay in that situation the better. PIP should be a help extended by the employers and the managers to their employees and it should not be an avenue of ditching out an employee just for you to do away with fees.

Employees on PIP should not crumble take it on a positive. Just make sure you hit all the marks point per point. It is time for you to redeem yourself and be better.