The Workplace Coach

I normally write to managers. To the leaders who are out there dealing with the people challenges that keep them awake at night. To the supervisors who have a few people who are acting out, not pulling their weight or disrupting the team.

Today I’m writing to the employee. To the one who has found themselves in an uncomfortable place at work, the employee who has ended up on the wrong end of a formal underperformance or conduct process.

I want you to know that I see you. I know the adrenaline that is pumping through you, the cortisol levels through the roof, that fight or flight impulse that you are feeling, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, the worry about losing your job, the unfairness of it all, the victim mode that you slip into, and the occasional dark thoughts that might creep in late at night.

I’m sorry I don’t have the magic formula or miracle solution for your situation. The fact is, if your manager or HR have started a formal process against you (and make no mistake, it is against you) then you have a few options. They will say that the process is designed to help you “attain and maintain the necessary performance standards”, that it’s developmental rather than punitive, and that they want to work with you to help you get to where you need to be.

Here’s the truth. If they have started a formal process, then your days are numbered. There are really only four possible outcomes here:

1. FAIL: You fail the PIP (or whatever they call it in your workplace) and you’ll be sacked.
2. PASS: You pass the PIP and remain in the team but will always be ‘that underperformer’. You’ll be passed over for opportunities, you’ll get all the dull, boring, uninteresting work, and you will eventually choose to leave under your own steam. Don’t expect a good reference from your boss.
3. QUIT: You give up and quit your job part way through the process because it’s all too stressful and you can see the writing on the wall.
4. FIGHT: You push back, you engage your union rep or your lawyer. You lodge a bullying complaint against the boss, you take long stretches of sick leave, you might even submit an injury claim for psychological injury. You are just prolonging the inevitable, you cannot win this fight and will ultimately end up at 1 or 3 above.

Please understand that I’m not saying any of this to upset you. This is the truth, plain and simple. If you are in a formal process then it’s too late to save things. The relationship with your boss is either broken or it never developed in the first place. They have no faith in you, your ability to do the job, or your capacity for improvement.

So what do you do? Start working on your exit strategy.

You want to play nice but don’t let yourself get pushed around. Bring your union rep in on meetings, hold the boss (and HR) accountable to their own processes, do what you have to in order to buy yourself some time. Work on your resume, reach out to your networks, contact recruitment agencies and start actively looking for your next role.

If you need someone to sit next to you through the formal process, to guide you through and help you stand up for yourself, you might want to give us a call at The Workplace Coach.