I’m a new grad who started at one of the Big Tech companies this past year. Been recently notified that I’m in danger of being placed under PIP due to underperformance, which I thought was fair due to extenuating familial circumstances. I’m personally feeling despair in being capable or being able to stay in the tech industry considering my lack of ability or general aptitude.
All the advice I’ve ever heard is to start looking for a new job if you’re out on a pip. I don’t know how well that advice tracks if severance is on the table though.
I will say this though, there is no harm in looking. Ever.
At the point where I had ~5 years of experience I was put on a variation of PIP for being overly negative about a (new) project’s direction and feeling that our efforts were very misguided. My manager provided some training items on soft skills, then I left the company a few months later of my own volition. While I still feel that the project was fundamentally flawed, and last I had heard it was scrapped shortly after I left, I do get the sentiment and have used it to at least better gauge when/where to critique and try to provide insights going forward.
…PIP?
Personal Improvement Plan. It’s a nominally a management tool for getting underperformers to get up to where they’re expected to be.
Many will tell you that it is just a step in the firing process. That’s how I’ve heard it described.
I’ve seen a few people put on PIPs at a FAANG and none of them survived. The main reason for the PIP was to make sure enough data was gathered to be able to fire them without worrying about being sued.
An app?
Not usually. It’s a business process, so it’s often done on paper or something. “Write down how you plan to stop sucking so badly, we’ll come back in 6 weeks and review your progress”
