Please share your suggestion on how Mr.X should deal this situation. This case is shared, as received. The names and details of the firm cannot be shared, due to security reasons.

Misuse of PIP - Code of conduct

Mr X. is a fairly senior technical person, having experience of approximately 8 years. According to others, he is a very hard-working, dedicated and capable guy. He used to work for a startup but now moved to an MNC.

Somehow he was not happy with the current work/salary/culture/manager (apparently few other folks are also not happy). Later, manager started giving him all sorts of tough times, (like giving difficult escalations, micro-managing, asking him to call the client everyday, giving unreasonable deadline, in meeting constantly asking for status/difficult question and making trivial work very urgent for him). As per him, all his major work has been killed.

Everyone has a question, is manager really a bad guy or Mr. X is also at fault. As per Mr. X., being a more dedicated and hard-working person, he was frustrated with job and that unknowingly irritated the manager. Manager is also a strong leader and likes to give direct orders. Few other team-mate might have contributed to his plight.

Being in a relatively senior position he managed to survive for sometime but at some point he felt frustrated/helpless. In one occasion manager asked him to leave his current task and look into something more trivial (Can be done by his juniors.). He apparently got so frustrated he said "he is going to look for something else". Manager took this as a threat from him and gave him "PIP". He has also been told "now where is your confidence"? He is now completely sidelined. He is having low morale, family is suffering and he is looking for a job. At the same time he is asking for suggestion. One option is to approach to HR, but as per him nothing will happen as manager has a very good rapport in the company. He fears things will only be worse (This might be his fear only). He can escalate only if he has another job.

Given that he is in such an unenviable situation, what all he can do? How "code of business conduct" and any other employment/contract law can rescue him from such a scenario? Can this disciplinary action (PIP) is misuse of power?

What all we should learn from this (Apart from keep a good rapport with the manager, we can be reasonably sure he tried to keep a good rapport and tried to get along). How not to get into such a situation? How to rebuild the bridge (if at all that can be bridged unilaterally)?

On a similar line, in many cases, companies try to use PIP or other disciplinary action to deter people from living the company (basically to change the thought process completely) and making their morale low. Is there any HR/legal protection against that?

During recession/downsizing times, companies use performance rating a ground to force employee to leave to save face and not to pay any layoff compensation. Is there any protection against such a malpractice?

From India, Mumbai
boss2966
1168

Dear Ms. (Cite Contribution)
Since last 4 months, my condition also as like above example. I am also being targeted by the management, which is not at all having any concern with me. But if I leave the organisation, then they will have the feeling that they have thrown me from the organisation and they will take it as their success. That's the reason I am keeping on running. But of sure I will retaliate whenever I get chance and I will get the chance also.
Let us expect the reply from our learned members for the solution.

From India, Kumbakonam
Der Friends,

From the cited case it is clear that Mr. X is not happy with the current work/salary/culture/manager . It means that he has not adapted the work culture of the company.It also shows that Mr.X dose not make any effort to know about the company before joining the same.

However it is also said that he is competent to handle the jobs and very sincere.Also the Manger has good reputation as cleared from the case. Mr.X might be facing the problem due to the following reasons :

1. Overconfident, which might not be liking by his Manager and other colleagues.

2. Have not adapted the culture of the company.

3. Other team members mght be proving to raise the voice against the manager.

4. Manger might have the fear that Mr.X may superseed him (most often this happens in the organisations)

5. Job fitment problem ( he may not be coming to the expectations of the management.

OR

There may be other reasons.

Now if the manager is Genuine and Mr.X is realy a hard working/sincere employee then the HR department must interfere in this matter.

HR head is not supposed to be mute septator. He must come forward to bridg the gap between the two.HR is also have the important role to act very proactively before they wait something happen,They must sit with the both and listen their problems and come with the optimum solutions.

However in other cases ( employees not required in the situation) companies take such actions to harras the employees so that they leave the company on their own.But this is the act of unprofessional companies.

So to solve the above issue the HR Head must come forward with a concrete solutions.

Thanks

From India, New Delhi
Dear Ms. (Cite Contribution),

Anybody reading this case would definitely once relate to their real life affliction. In most cases, such employees no matter how much experience they have, will definitely not fit in and go through such gush caused by employers direcly or indirectly.

Predominantly, Mr. X should have been with a li'l patience until he gets a new job in hand andthen would have shown the uncomfortability (if he tends to be real uncomfortable to above mentioned salary or manager or culture). Am I exact?

Mr. X should know his rights as an employee. He is experienced and can put a way out in expressing his repugnance to the Manager. Trust this is not difficult as we think, confidene in us shall put us forward to speak freely.

He could look out for a better job as soon as possible. Remember, an employer who puts his employee in an harder & awkward situation will obviously not respect the rights of that induvidual. [Since, the Mnager has a good rapport, he is almost succeeded at this stage].

The Manager was literally conjuring the employee towards PIP, I'm sure he should have gone to HR (cause fear persisted and "FEAR" is the biggest adversary of all). He was stringent & assumed things inaptly.

Companies play all tacts to belittle employees all time. One cant escape easily; though HR can mitigate between Company-Employee issue and help find raison d'ętre for amicably solving the matter

From India, Visakhapatnam
Misuse of PIP !!

That is an appropriate title for the thread; for most often PIPs are misused.

It is just the starting step in documentation for a potential firing situation for an employee. In fact, in good companies where they have a robust hiring mechanism. and an equally fair and efficient performance management system, such situation should not arise. In faact, to avoid such situation, is the sole purpose of PMS and HRD.

More often, such situation arise due to the personality clashes of the manager, and his senior most reportees, and more often because the manager "views" them as threats to his position, which in fact may be true in certain situation where the subordinate is more qualified, more experienced or more adept at his job than the manager himself.

And to the question as how Mr. X should deal with the situation; the only appropriate option left for him, under such circumstances, is to immediately start looking for another job. It would be very easy for those who made him sign the PIP, to even put impossible targets or to prove that he did not fulfill his committed assignment and performance.

It is just another way of saying, "Look; we DID give him a chance to improve !!"

Warm regards.

From India, Delhi
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