- Teresa Sue Mubenga, a former technical manager, shares her experience imposing performance improvement plans on employees.
- She believes that PIP can be beneficial if managed sympathetically, but points out that it often leads to dismissal.
- Mr Mbenga advises those on PIP to start looking for jobs as they will not be able to survive.
This told essay is based on a conversation with Teresa Sue Mubenga, a former technology manager and startup founder. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I have worked for companies in the technology industry for over 10 years. I became a manager in my fourth year, and that's when I first learned about PIP.
I've had to put four employees on a performance improvement plan (PIP), but they all ended up being made redundant.
Employee had to be placed on PIP
We had an employee who got off to a great start. During her interview process, she was a no-brainer for all of us. She passed the many layers of interviews with flying colors. Once she started working with us, she was very personable and very helpful.
But within a few months something happened. I don't know if she had a hard time maintaining this persona or was struggling with something else, but she completely switched.
She became unfriendly and rude. She no longer had the characteristics we were really looking for in her when we hired her. Although her main job was customer service, she constantly received complaints from her customers that her tone made her feel that she was rude and impatient. She never fully completed her work, came to work late, and regularly missed her job.
I had weekly meetings with her and asked her, “What's going on? Is there anything we can do better?” I felt like I was trying to be her therapist. But every time someone tried to talk to her about something, she felt personally attacked. She asked things like, “Why am I the only one getting attention?'' And she blames others. She was very sensitive and could not accept criticism.
My boss decided that a PIP was the best way to fire her. Because if we fire her, there is a risk that she will come back and say that her company fired her illegally.
During the 30 days of PIP, her behavior changed. She never took time off from her job or called. She started showing up on time and being more proactive in getting her work done.
She survived the PIP. No one could believe that someone had actually gone through her PIP. We thought it might be an act, but were optimistic. We thought, “Okay, great! This is good. Maybe she changed her ways.”
After PIP, her behavior returned to normal.
As soon as the PIP was over, she went back to her old ways. When I came to work the Monday after her PIP was over, she had returned to her cold, short-tempered personality. She distanced herself from the rest of the team, talked back, and acted sarcastic.
I don't think she considered that she could be put on another PIP or fired.
I met with the company's management to discuss what they thought about her behavior during and after the PIP. We all agreed that it wasn't helping her and she was getting in the way of the team because we all need to focus on her and her fight.
There was a good reason for her termination, so we started recording every time she was late, every time she called, and every time she received a complaint from a customer.
Within 30 days of surviving the PIP, she was fired.
Understand the protections that PIP provides businesses
I hate putting people on PIP. I'm a naturally empathetic person because I care a lot about people. I've always done that throughout my career.
However, now that I run my own company with 22 employees, I have a slightly different perspective and believe that PIP is very necessary because of the protection it provides.
They documented the employee's behavior and the fact that the company gave the employee a fair opportunity to change it. This protects the company from those who claim they were wrongfully fired.
In the two years since starting my own company, I've had to put one person on PIP. It was very difficult.
I haven't changed. I still believe that there is an underlying reason for everyone's actions and I want to see if there is something going on in their personal life. However, we know that having this kind of thinking can have a negative impact on business, so we are now more direct in our decision-making.
PIP can actually be beneficial
If used correctly, PIP can be beneficial to employees. But companies need to have more good managers who care about their employees.
There are far more bad managers than good managers. A good boss cares about his subordinates. They will approach everything in an empathetic, caring, and understanding manner.
On the other hand, there are bad managers who are just there for profit. A bad boss may simply decide to fire the employee and put the employee on her PIP so they don't have to deal with the employee's behavior.
For PIP to work in a way that should be fair to both employers and employees, it requires good middle management who can actively work with employees and be their voice of reason.
Once PIP has been applied, you must:
PIP is actually a no-return kind of thing. Once you have PIP, you often don't want to work for the company because you feel targeted, so PIP doesn't survive. It changes their whole mindset and they feel more negative about everything.
If you are an employee on PIP, now is your chance to start looking for another job. Someone says they don't want you there. They have seen enough and PIP is their way of protecting themselves.
If you love your company and are going through a tough time, this is your chance to prove to them that you can change your behavior.
However, if you have no interest in the company and it really isn't a good fit, don't wait until the last day of your PIP to start looking for a job. Start looking now.
If you have participated in a PIP at a major tech company and would like to share your story, please email Jane Zhang. janezhang@businessinsider.com.
