Ever have that sinking feeling that you’re sinking? Sometimes you are.
As a career counselor, I frequently talk with clients whose jobs aren’t going well. Sometimes we discover the client has been applying a harsh self-judgment. The boss isn’t really unsatisfied with this person’s work — he or she is just a grumpy character who takes some getting used to.
OK, that rarely happens. In most cases, the boss isn’t only grumpy; he or she is grumpy and vindictive and really, really unhappy with my client’s work.
This is a sticky situation for the worker who has fallen out of favor. In a small company, the boss may simply wield that ax and send the hapless employee out the door on short notice. When you compare this treatment to the interminable and mind-numbing performance improvement plans some larger corporations use, the ax can seem like a mercy.
The problem with improvement plans, or PIPs, is how rarely they’re focused on improving the worker’s performance. More frequently, they’re used as a legally acceptable way of slow-dancing the worker to the exit.
As part of that slow exit, which can take months to execute, the employee might be asked to do any number of humiliating things, such as reporting to a peer, or having their conversations or emails monitored.
It’s not that workers never require more intensive attention. But is that what’s happening in the PIP? My measure on that is simple: If the process lacks constructive feedback designed for learning, it’s difficult to see these steps as anything other than a prolonged firing.
Whether or not you’re dealing with a performance improvement plan, if your job is tanking, your first step is to decide whether the position is worth fighting for. Generally, the longer you have held the spot, the more value it will have to you. Likewise, the more you like the job, the more you will want to stay. And of course, the more you need the job, the more you will feel that you must stay.
If someone feels trapped by a presumption that they won’t be employable elsewhere, we’ve got two problems to tackle. First, we need to disprove their assumption or they will always be held hostage to their boss’s whims.
But what if we can’t disprove it? If the worker’s performance really has slipped, then it’s time to make some harder decisions: Retrain? Retire? Resign to find more suitable work? At this point, it’s not logical to blame the employer for taking action.
If you are facing a PIP or the blunt edge of an ax right now, you need more than a careers column to advise you. I’ll get you started, though, with a few steps to consider.
1. Assume you could be escorted out momentarily, and secure the contact information for people you may want to network with later. Storing this information in the company cellphone or laptop won’t help if you’re fired without notice.
2. Seek a transfer. You might fit better in another part of the company, and your boss might be relieved to assist in the transfer.
3. Question the process. If you’re being hit with a PIP, ask for facts regarding unsatisfactory performance (not “you’re always late,” but “you arrived late on Nov. 6”).
4. Control the process. Ensure the conditions for reinstatement are measurable and realistic. If necessary, request that a neutral person evaluate your progress.
5. Negotiate. Consider asking your boss directly if your job is on the line, and if he or she would prefer that you left. Then start negotiating, either to keep your job or to leave it in a reasonable fashion, perhaps with letters of recommendation and a severance check.
6. Refuse to panic. This is awful, but it’s not the most awful thing ever. Gather your wits, seek advice if needed, and make your plans to move forward.
Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
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