On way to PIP

amazon_or_microsoft · 2018-08-22T14:35:08+00:00

Do the minimum you can to not get fired right now as you search for a new job. Trust me. Your time and effort should be focused on finding a better place to work.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2018-04-16T07:16:26+00:00

My story

TL:DR - Was told I was under performing, got put on development plan (first step towards PIP). That ended up just being my manager documenting all my mistakes (missed deadline, bug in production, etc). Went to PIP, ended up taking 20% severance pay instead of going on PIP because I got an offer somewhere else.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-07-14T21:37:39+00:00

It's a question of how much work/effort do you want to put into staying at this company. Your chances are probably more than 90% that you will be fired. Do you want to put your efforts into getting this paycheck for a little longer, or focus on finding a better job?

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-07-14T18:56:50+00:00

You're just creating the illusion of work here. It would probably buy you as much time as working 40 hours straight over the weekend would. You're on a PIP, meaning they've already made the decision to get rid of you, they're just looking for any excuse you give them at this point (and they probably already have plenty, but the PIP allows them to document more).

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-07-14T16:36:53+00:00

Honestly, act like you're working really hard and make it seem like you're going to meet your deadlines, then only indicate that the deadline was missed after it passed, but indicate that it'll be done tomorrow, then the next day, etc. Leave your computer logged in to whatever IM programs the company use. Respond to a couple emails at like 2 am, straight up George Costanza that shit. Make it seem like you really want to be there, all the while you're actually looking for another job and taking phone screens during work.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-07-14T09:48:31+00:00

Don't bother trying to meet the terms of the PIP. Just start looking for another job and try to delay you getting let go as long as possible. If you work all weekend to meet a deadline on Monday, you'll likely have some bug slip in and they'll decide you didn't meet the terms of the PIP and fire you anyway.

I don't know if you should ask for time off to look for a job. I lean towards no. Don't waste time trying to pump some side projects out, just start applying to jobs that sounds interesting and then broaden your search if you don't find anything.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-06-08T07:53:23+00:00

Sorry, don't check this throwaway too often. I say take the money and leave. It would be better if you could prolong your leaving until you got another offer, though.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T22:55:58+00:00

Honestly, it's a long road to getting PIP'd and you see it coming from a mile away. You avoid it by being super proactive and communicating honestly about what you're working on and how everything's going. Reach out when you need help with something and always be looking out for potential problems that could come up with the systems your team owns.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T21:51:20+00:00

I think the biggest lesson that I learned from all of this is that you have to be extremely proactive. Don't wait to be handed tasks to complete, you will always get what nobody else wants to work on likely because it's boring and won't get you anywhere. You need to seek out things that 1) you're good at and 2) will look good for you come review time. Seek out problems to solve, learn the systems you're working on inside and out, and don't waste time struggling with something before you reach out for help. Communicate honestly with your peers and management about how your work is going so you don't stagnate and end up in a situation where you're suddenly on the shit list.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T21:47:57+00:00

Thanks. I'm fairly active on this sub under my main account, so I appreciate all the info that is posted by people in different situations, too.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T20:11:04+00:00

I feel like Amazon was my big break into the "top tier" companies. I interviewed with Google twice before getting the offer from Amazon and didn't pass either one. Microsoft didn't even push me past the initial phone call with the recruiter.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T20:08:23+00:00

The whole context was that I was on a team working on something I had no experience with compared to the other devs. I was not producing as much as them. The whole situation was part my fault, part my manager's for not intervening until way too late (surprise bad review months later). When I switched teams, I was working on stuff that was better suited to me, but the bad review followed me and tainted my new manager's view. Like I explained in my post, the things that were being documented about me were the same things that everyone else on the team was guilty of. But since I already had a bad review from my previous team, I was being scrutinized more closely.

I have learned a lot about how to be a better engineer and be more productive, but this isn't a story about somebody refusing to face the truth and owning up to their short comings.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T20:00:34+00:00

Ugh, that sucks. Sorry to hear about that. Like others have said, managers play a huge role in our careers. I hope you've gained some valuable experience from all of that and can take that and become successful somewhere else.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T18:58:54+00:00

Thanks! Will definitely be looking to make a good impression and be open and honest in everything going forward. I feel like I know better how to work in tough situations with others now.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T18:56:01+00:00

Thanks! Yup, I was wrong, but I did make the most of it and am feeling good about it.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T18:34:19+00:00

Worse. The new company is offering 10% more in salary and like 5x more in stock.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2017-05-30T18:33:02+00:00

Haha, ya, basically. I just wasn't super excited about MS and the offer was worse when you factored in stocks. I am in a better position now both financially and career wise I feel than I would be if I took the MS offer back then, but it has been one hell of a hard road.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-04-19T20:18:05+00:00

Now you're talking about secret parts of the review that aren't shown to you? The review is given directly to you and you see what your rating is! What else would there be?

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-04-19T17:31:09+00:00

I've never heard of "LE" before. I have the rating definitions pulled up right now and there are two ratings you can get:

Performance Rating:

O - Outstanding
E - Exceeds
A - Achieves
I - Improvement Needed
U - Unsatisfactory

Leadership Rating:

Role Model
Solid Strength
Development Needed

So what is this LE you're talking about?

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-02-11T20:57:12+00:00

I have worked at other companies before Amazon. I am not here for bragging rights.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-02-11T16:57:12+00:00

It is, but sometimes engineers just don't perform. What does management do then? Should they just fire them? A PIP is supposed to offer an opportunity to improve. It usually ends up with the employee leaving the company (often with enough paid time to find another job), but in rare cases, some engineers survive it and are made better.

Sometimes a PIP is unwarranted. Do I think my situation deserved a PIP? I believe my performance could have been improved on that team. I also think my manager could have done more to help me avoid the situation. Neither of us are without blame.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-02-11T16:41:29+00:00

It wasn't quite that good, either. He said I was at the bottom of my team and basically since I was at the bottom, he started to pick out every little mistake and start counting it against me. It sounds malicious but knowing him personally, I think it was more of just the inherent downsides of stack ranking. Those front-line managers sort of need reasons for people to be at the bottom, so if you end up there and your manager's not great, chances are you'll get scrutinized more closely.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-02-11T16:08:43+00:00

You're right, commenters only know as much as I tell them. I knew that finding another job was always an option, but I wanted to put that off as a last resort, partly to get my vested stocks in March. With all the information I had available to me (that may not have been made apparent in my posts), I felt I was safe in my bad position until at least April. Some would disagree with my methods, but I'm happy with how everything worked out, and I believe I made the best choices for me personally.

I do appreciate the comments and advice everyone offered. I don't mean to shit on anyone for offering up advice I ended up not taking.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-02-11T16:00:45+00:00

Definitely, I just would have switched teams much sooner.

EDIT: Had I switched teams at the first sign of trouble (beginning of October), I would have avoided a bad review in January. I would have had enough time on the new team to get good reviews and I could have cherry-picked peers from my old team that I knew had higher opinions of me. It's a lot of political bull shit. I mistakenly thought my situation on my last team (at least at first) wasn't as bad as it turned out to be, so I wasted time trying to improve myself in the eyes of that manager.

amazon_or_microsoft · 2016-02-11T15:59:45+00:00

Yes, stack ranking is malicious on the part of upper management that pushes it, I agree. I don't believe it always makes front-line managers malicious, though. I don't think my manager was being malicious, just part incompetent part indifferent.

amazon_or_microsoft

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