Is a performance improvement plan (PIP) beneficial to the employee or is it just to create documentation to fire someone?

<p>This might be the most honest and yet heart wrenching conversations I’ve done.</p> <p> </p> <p>A couple of weeks ago Stewart Wiggins and I were talking about PIPs and I shared that I have only ever seen three outcomes from someone being put on a PIP:</p> <p> </p> <ul><li>They quit</li> <li>The manager forgets to document the process and the PIP expires</li> <li>They get fired</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>Stewart agreed and said that he has worked for companies that purposefully create performance improvement plans that were SO impossible that there was no way the person could succeed.</p> <p> </p> <p>That conversation led to this one.</p> <p> </p> <p>Ed Samuel has 30 years of experience spanning the corporate world and now working as a career coach at Sam Nova.</p> <p> </p> <p>Pascal Derrien has had big corporate jobs and now is the CEO of Migraine Ireland.</p> <p> </p> <p>Along with Stewart who has many years of corporate experience, I knew this panel would have some great insight into the benefits and risks of being put on a performance improvement plan.</p> <p> </p> <p>In the last 90 seconds of our conversation, I asked for their advice – “If I’m put on a PIP should I try to get better at my current job or start looking for something else?”</p> <p> </p> <p>All three said start looking. Ed added a word of warning that many companies in the US don’t even have to give you the 90-day PIP process. They can fire you because there is often wording on the offer letter that says they can let you go for any (or no) reason.</p> <p> </p> <p>After listening to the experience and opinions on this Quick Hits – do you think PIPs are actually meant to help improve performance?</p> <p> </p> <p>Connect with the panelists: Stewart Wiggins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewart-wiggins/ Pascal Derrien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascalderrien/</p> <p>Ed Samuel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edsamuel/</p> <p>Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/</p> <p> </p> <p>Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, p