I may potentially be put on a PIP at work under false pretense.

[ViShawn]

We as a people are constantly put in precarious situations like this. Basically you had no choice but to take this role. Unemployment is no joke.

Hang in there and try to get laid off or "let go" whatever it is - At least you'll get unemployment benefits and hopefully severance of some kind in exchange for you signing something promising not to bad mouth the company.

I actually had an excellent severance package with my last company - 10 weeks and this is a six figure job. Nothing I could have done because, well acquisitions happen. I still talk to my old boss and he tells me the craziness going on.

It afforded me the opportunity to move to a hot tech bed in that of Austin Texas and relocate.

I'm trying to strategize like you said a way that in the worst case I get laid off with severance. At best I get something before that even happens.

 

[ViShawn]

Long story short you didn't do anything wrong and this actually happened to me at a previous role. People were baffled and knew I was a hard worker and very confused when I got the boot.

Play the game for as long as you can, don't take anything to heart or personal. Send me a PM and I'll provide an e-mail you can send your resume to.

Sometimes when you think of your failures and missteps you think it's all you.

"Maybe I am not as good as I thought. Maybe I'm an imposter."

shyt like that. But I realize my last few positions and how I excelled in them. Last year when I was 100% remote I was more than willing to work to prove my worth in the organization and it was appreciated.

I know I'm not perfect though and that's ok when training. Seems like he has something against me and things will be toxic for me if I continue.

I'll definitely show you my resume man I'll PM you

 

[Hard Times Nakamura]

Sometimes when you think of your failures and missteps you think it's all you.

"Maybe I am not as good as I thought. Maybe I'm an imposter."

shyt like that. But I realize my last few positions and how I excelled in them. Last year when I was 100% remote I was more than willing to work to prove my worth in the organization and it was appreciated.

I know I'm not perfect though and that's ok when training. Seems like he has something against me and things will be toxic for me if I continue.

I'll definitely show you my resume man I'll PM you

Yeah I feel you. As I've gotten older I've realized that your effort only counts for a real small piece of the pie.

Much of all of this shyt is out of our direct control. I think it's 20% your direct effort and 80% is the aggregate wave of everyone else's efforts or conditions/circumstances. 80/20 Pareto Rule.

Err on the side of assuming it's THEM and not YOU especially once you've paid your dues early in your career. Once you have about 6-7 years exp. it's not about being micromanaged or clocked. If they insist, it's a BS place you need to leave ASAP. Whole point of hiring a Sr. Manager is so you can be hands off.

Like right now I'm technically 100% remote so in the first few weeks I'm operating a step or two faster than my supervisor to show him I am engaged and interested. I already setup a weekly 1:1 with him which can become bi-weekly once I'm fully up to speed in a few months.

I have a slightly defensive mentality so I'm trying to be proactive as possible to avoid getting hit from left field with the whole "We need to talk about your performance etc."

When you are proactive and reach out daily in the beginning even if he doesn't respond you create a paper trail which gives a HUGE advantage and they won't be able to pull that mess later on and get rid of you that easily.

If someone from up above asks about me and questions whether I am needed all I have to do is say check my company communication messenger record and e-mail correspondence. I will be like an Employment or Labor Lawyer will find this very interesting that you came to this conclusion. They will change their tune very quickly and the company I joined is pretty high up on the Fortune 100 so they don't need any negative publicity or attention.

 

[desjardins]

Yikes, sorry to hear that. I was actually reading about how SRE have to have deep knowledge in many domains today (thread on hacker news)
I was once put on a PIP about 9 yrs ago at my first programming job. I was literally reading message boards all day though to be honest. My boss didn't know (or at least didn't say so) but I was barely resolving any tickets or getting my projects done on time. shyt like adding a time component to the UI using jython and our custom framework was taking me like 2 weeks so i couldn't even hate on the fact I got a PIP really. I ended up leaving before the PIP period ended and got a another gig paying $15k more.

Only you know what's valid or not. But some of the things you listed gave me flashbacks. Being the only black person on a development team I used to always hear i need to be more engaged, etc. Just do what they want until you can jet man.

 

[ViShawn]

We use Jira to do things so he sees all of my work, all of my responses and response times. It seems personal. Also the fact that he can't look at me in the eye when talking to me and on email he's harsh.

Also the occasions of me dreading the next day or being highly anxious is unlike me.

 

[Hard Times Nakamura]

Being the only black person on a development team I used to always hear i need to be more engaged, etc. Just do what they want until you can jet man.

This is addressed more to the group as whole but when does it stop?

It's like we have to go from job to job constantly avoiding being axed and be able to suss out when our time is up or we've worn out our welcome.

I'm eager to get started on stuff at my new role but the processes and procedures are holding me up right now.

Certain things are in limbo and already in progress so it's hard to insert myself without looking over-eager

It sucks but even though in the back of my head I'm like this is a good job I'm always skeptical and looking over my shoulder wondering if a PIP is coming due to issues with 3 prior employers (not consecutively) along with all the issues I see from fellow Coli members on here as well as IRL in my professional circle. There is no rhyme or reason to it. I have gotten PIPs and merit increases after them. Many of them as mentioned by others are caused by people you have never even met and departmental pressures that are completely outside of your control. I don't get offended or take it personal but either way it means your job is in danger. TBH I rather them just get rid of me and give me 3 months salary than go through the motions of a PIP.

It's hard to break the slight anxiety the same thing may happen here due to no fault of my own. But it's probably better to be told to slow down than to pick up the pace in my opinion. At least in the beginning when you're trying to prove yourself.

 

[PikaDaDon]

When you said PIP I thought you were talking about forex trading.

 

[ViShawn]

Bumped into two old coworkers while getting lunch in my local corporate office. I told one about my situation since he told me his company was hiring a while back. I divulged my situation to him and passed on my resume.

Took one call last week, got one this week and a test I have to do for one potential role.

Also one of my old colleagues out of the blue contacted me stating he just accepted a remote position and he is trying to push the need for others like him in his position so he may have something in the near future.

So I've been busy.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Bumped into two old coworkers while getting lunch in my local corporate office. I told one about my situation since he told me his company was hiring a while back. I divulged my situation to him and passed on my resume.

Took one call last week, got one this week and a test I have to do for one potential role.

Also one of my old colleagues out of the blue contacted me stating he just accepted a remote position and he is trying to push the need for others like him in his position so he may have something in the near future.

So I've been busy.

who's the remote gig with? DM if needed.

 

[ViShawn]

who's the remote gig with? DM if needed.

I really don't know. The only thing is that is is Colorado based. He kept it close to the chest for the time being and probably doesn't want to give my hopes up.

 

[MMS]

Altho you say these are baseless, a few of these seem to be concrete issues. Have you recalled a time you've asked a question 2x? If so that might seem like you're not engaged or retaining information.
Also, have you not been as prompt with answering tickets or alerts as they come in? If you have been, is there a log to show that this is false?
Non-work browsing is a no-no, especially at a new job. If you've been caught doing that then that's not a good look. That leads to the next point of showing initiative and being proactive by asking for things to do when there's a lull.

It sounds like there's a culture shift that you're not used to. If you worked remotely then all of these "soft skills" things might come as a surprise to you, esp if you do your work well. Trust me I know how to play the game cuz it sounds like you have a boss like one of my old bosses. She wanted me to be all in her face w/ status updates all the time, seeming engaged in meetings by asking questions or making comments, being proactive, etc. Pretty much do your work well but be seen and be a busy body. Maybe email your boss with updates on projects, resolutions, issues you're currently working thru and solutions you've identified, etc so they don't have a reason to ask you for anything and you're being transparent. It also will help you keep a paper trail just in case there is any question or issues in the future.

i do this

i keep gantt charts updated with all the active projects i work on

almost got this black belt locked up

 

[Apollo Creed]

i do this

i keep gantt charts updated with all the active projects i work on

almost got this black belt locked up

You do this in MS project? We use clarity and I`m sure there is a way I can export this stuff but I might just toss Project on my laptop and do this.

 

[MMS]

You do this in MS project? We use clarity and I`m sure there is a way I can export this stuff but I might just toss Project on my laptop and do this.

i make shytty ones in excel ive yet to really put Project to work

in Lean Six Sigma we use pretty straight forward templates to explain where we are in a project cycle (specialty chemicals manufacturing)

 

[ViShawn]

Yeah so So I had a 1:1 with my boss. It went well. He at least put in time to coach me a bit on things and I asked him a few questions and some stuff confused him a bit due to procedures, etc. I think he realized some of his action items were bullshyt and unable to measure but I doubt he'd own up to it.

Still my strategy is to do well here and at least slow him down to give me some breathing room to continue my search outside of work. Overall it's not a good cultural fit. Teams trying to blame each other and having to cover your ass so people don't have ammo to throw you under the bus. Really that's what many tech companies get away from but this is a big monolith of a company and they are set in their ways.

I think this sort of environment moving forward may be troublesome for me and overall toxic so going somewhere with a better fit is the best move for me.

I don't think I'm leveraging my full skillset either or using my specialities such as configuration management.

I had and old colleague help me with a few things as well as I'm trying to study a bit on the side for interviews for other stuff I specialize in.

 

[King of Creampies]

Bumped into two old coworkers while getting lunch in my local corporate office. I told one about my situation since he told me his company was hiring a while back. I divulged my situation to him and passed on my resume.

Took one call last week, got one this week and a test I have to do for one potential role.

Also one of my old colleagues out of the blue contacted me stating he just accepted a remote position and he is trying to push the need for others like him in his position so he may have something in the near future.

So I've been busy.

Good for you OP. Seems your time is done when a PIP comes around as it always starts that way.

Flex your options and just save for the next 3 months as a PIP is what? 30 days for improvement?

When you have to walk into your bosses office to ask him what the protocol is for putting in your 2 weeks just embrace the on his face when you have an entire 2 weeks to do nothing while you have just signed for a new job.