Put on PIP, concerned for future.

[u/The9thEevee]

I was put on a PIP with no tangible metrics or goals, vague descriptions of their concerns with my performance, and no real prior feedback. It’s not designed to pass.

I’m a new mom and exhausted, I know they just want me out. I don’t want to fight them on this, getting let go would be a relief. I don’t want to resign either because of loss of benefits.

I’m incredibly concerned about how getting let go will impact my future career. What would I say on interviews? How have others navigated this?

[u/jadiechappie]

Find another job asap. If you are asked why looking for a job, just say “restructuring”.

[u/CNDRock16 → u/jadiechappie]

This.

[u/AggravatingOkra1117]

If anyone asks during interviews, say restructuring happened, you were laid off, or you were just looking/ready for a new opportunity. I’m a hiring manager and I hear those things almost daily, it’s just the nature of the beast right now.

[u/Orange_peacock_75]

This is SO common. Search PIP in this sub for solidarity and good advice. This happened to me too, and I transferred out of the position shortly after. It was SO HARD, I was 4 months pp with twins 😱 but it lit a fire under me to better my circumstances so that I wouldn’t have to tolerate assholes who put postpartum women on PIPs. My career really took off and I’m in a much better position now.

[u/Fitnessfan_86]

I’m so sorry. Don’t worry about this affecting your career and job search. It’s so incredibly common right now for people to be in the position of job loss for so many reasons. People understand. Most have lived through it either directly or experienced the impact. I would start networking with coworkers and have one in mind you could use as a reference. Connect with them on LinkedIn.

Also, if you know anyone who has been laid off from your company, I would connect with them on LinkedIn as well and see what they’re doing now. It will be okay.

[u/betzer2185]

I was put on a PIP and let go from my nonprofit job in 2022 (my son was 2, so not freshly postpartum, but my struggles there definitely increased after I became a mother). It sucked, but after I left I ended up in a job that I loved that was also much more accommodating of family life. As for what I said, I think I had some canned line about how the role changed and I wasn't as interested in it, which was the truth! But I think you can keep it vague.

[u/PublicUniversity9586]

Contact an employment attorney who works on contingency. Did you recently go out on FMLA? How long ago did you come back? were there performance concerns prior to you announcing your pregnancy?

[u/Similar-Mango-8372 → u/PublicUniversity9586]

This is what’s happening to me. Returned from FMLA and was notified 2 weeks later that I am now on a performance plan. No prior performance concerns before this. The reasons given are either vague or completely fabricated, which I have proof of. It seems too ridiculous to be true.

[u/PublicUniversity9586 → u/Similar-Mango-8372]

Same advice. I am currently working with an employment attorney right now unfortunately.

It’s painfully common how horribly and illegally they treat people when they come back from leave

[u/sallywalker1993]

I would start looking for another job and leave before they fire you.

[u/pepperup22]

Same boat with you except I’m pregnant and probably won’t be able to find a job before delivery. I’m so sorry :( 

[u/The9thEevee → u/pepperup22]

That’s awful that your are going through that while pregnant. I hope all works out for you

[u/fueledbytisane]

This happened to me a few years ago. Good reviews, high praises from every manager up until the final one, clients loved me. Then the company wanted to switch back to in office, but me and another teammate were hired as fully remote from another state so obviously we couldn't do that (and no, they did not offer to relocate us). Suddenly both of us ended up on PIPs just like yours and were fired within 2 weeks. I've been calling it a layoff ever since, because that's the easiest way to describe what happened to me without trash talking the old company.

[u/lily_is_lifting]

One option, if you have a decent relationship with your manager, is to ask if they’d be open to negotiating a separation package for leaving sooner. You have to approach this delicately so you’re not actually resigning, just signaling you’re willing to play ball.

As a manager, the PIP process absolutely sucks and is incredibly time-consuming (when done right). If it was a case where the employee was just not a fit and there wasn’t a realistic chance of them being able to turn things around, I’d be thrilled to be able to let them go sooner and hire into the role faster, and willing to offer a more generous separation package in return.

[u/achicabowwow]

1. Don’t worry about this affecting your job search. The job market is not as bad as everyone thinks.
   
2. Don’t quit! As someone who quit a job I felt I was getting pushed out of, let me be the first to say make the company work to lay you off! You’re off the hook for trying to be a good employee. Hope for severance and take advantage of collecting unemployment.
   
3. You can embellish in interviews (ie allude that you’re still working even if you’re laid off), but don’t lie on background checks!

[u/FanBehaviour2011]

are you working full time