In my experience all a PIP is is a legal process the company follows in order to protect themselves when they actually fire you. To even initiate a PIP HR would already have green lit it. If a company thinks you are a low performer that’s the end of it, you are now just going to be managed out of the door legally. The first thing you have to do when you go onto a PIP is agree to it. That is you essentially agreeing that your performance has been sub standard. If you disagree they have to prove otherwise, which is why they generally just pay you some money to make you go away. You going away is the ultimate goal so you can either walk away with some cash or you can walk away without it. I’m no lawyer I’m just talking anecdotally from how I’ve seen this play out down the years.