The PIP Slip Up

I was the top performer in my team at work.

I wake up one morning, realising that my earache of a few days has turned into an inner ear infection.

Me: *Calling the boss.* “I can’t come in today. My ear has an infection.”

Boss: “This is really inconvenient.”

Me: “Not as inconvenient as having motion sickness and nausea!”

He reluctantly ‘let me’ go and see my doctor, and I was able to get medication and recover after almost ten days.

Soon after recovery and return:

Boss: “So, we need to put you on a PIP.”

Me: “A performance improvement programme? Why?”

Boss: “Your performance is second from the bottom this month.”

Me: “Well, yeah, I was out for ten days.”

Boss: “Yeah… that would do it.”

Me: “You don’t see how it’s not a case of my performance being bad?”

Boss: “Second from bottom is second from bottom. Rules are rules.”

So, I let HR know. They were unable to understand how I lost ten working days that month due to illness AND still only be the second-worst performer in the whole team.

I also let HR know I was considering resignation and suing for constructive dismissal as a result of my boss’s actions, a clear indication of bullying and the detrimental effect on my career.

HR took me off the PIP straight away and placed my boss on a course (for what, I don’t precisely know).

He attended a single day and refused to continue. They sacked him.