Everyone knows that it is not a good thing to be put on a performance improvement plan at work, but in some situations they can actually work out for the best.

What would you do if you were put on one of these plans, and then during a scheduled check in you were told that you were doing well, and then at your annual review they fired you anyway?

That is what happened to the employee in this story, and he is shocked and heartbroken about losing a job that he thought he would be at for years to come.

Put on a Performance Improvement Plan, told I was improving, fired anyways

In October I was put on a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) and told I was not exhibiting enough attention to detail, team awareness, and other traits.

Everyone can improve.

I thought that was fair since I had been making some mistakes (small but reconcilable and non-consequential).

I was also told directly that I wasn’t trained properly so they needed to roll back some of my responsibilities to get me back to basics. Fine.

That is great!

After a month I was called in for a check-in and was told that I was improving. No notes, no negative feedback.

I thought I was good to go and was going to disprove what everybody on this sub was saying (“if you get a PIP, they’ve already decided to fire you”).

Oh boy, what is happening?

Today was my annual review. I felt good about my performance. But as soon as I walked into the office I knew something was up.

They told me almost immediately that they weren’t seeing improvement and that they would have to let me go.

Yup, they knew they were going to fire him all along.

I asked, what happened since 3 weeks ago when you said I was doing fine? They brought up some mistakes I made as proof that I was not doing well. I noticed that my supervisor’s hands were shaking as she told me this.

So that’s it. I’m out of a job during Christmastime, in one of the worst job markets in history.

Finding a job that is a good fit can be difficult.

I feel like a failure. Ever since graduating college I’ve had a terrible time finding a good job.

I’ve dealt with micromanaging, neurotic bosses, and poorly-run small businesses. I thought this job would be one I’d stick at for years to improve my resume.

Companies always love saving money.

Part of me thinks I was fired because the team was unexpectedly assigned an intern, so they figured they could have someone do my job for less.

Maybe they resented that I didn’t join them for group prayers before meetings. But a bigger part of me says that I’m just a terrible worker, a failure in life that can’t hold down a job.

It is nothing to be embarrassed about.

I feel so embarrassed and ashamed.

This can be a heartbreaking situation. And it is made worse by the fact that the company implied that he was doing well, only to fire him immediately after.

Let’s see if the people in the comments had anything helpful to say.

Something similar happened to this guy.

Yup, find a new job ASAP.

PIPs are just a way to fire people.

It happens to lots of people.

This is the way.

He was fired the whole time and didn’t know it.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.