Placed on Performance Improvement Plan - What should I do?

Dear Nurse Beth Advice Column - The following letter submitted anonymously in search for answers. Join the conversation!

You are reading page 5 of Placed on Performance Improvement Plan - What should I do?

I know that the advice here doesn't sound very encouraging, and nobody wants to feel like they are whipped. I have been fired from a few nursing jobs and have walked away from a few, because frankly, sometimes work environments are just toxic, plain and simple. You will find another job, it will be a better job, and your life will end up being far improved when you bite bullet, face the inevitable, and take charge of your own destiny. There are essentially no commentators here who are encouraging you to stay around that place. Try to learn from your mistakes, get to a place where you can start off with a clean slate, and make yourself indispensable. Great things await, and a wonderful nursing career is just a decision away. Moving on can be a liberating act opening up a thousand possibilities that you never imagined. I think everybody here is rooting for you.

Totally agree with you. Once she gets stuck with this toxic manager for too long, it will be harder to move on. If she then cites incompatibility with the unit, next potential manager will wonder why she stayed so long. Also, these toxic managers tend to get a reputation and future employers may already be aware of her antics. Yes, move on, and do it quickly.

Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
I'm sorry that my post was too lengthy for you.

Not lenghtly at all... i just, with all due respect, disagree with it and feel that quiet and respectful disagreement is the only one thing that makes sense here.

I agree with Nurse Beth. Very good advice. My response to Roy Hanson is given with confusion. At what point did it warent "only given 3 month" become the answer? She didn't say she hated her job...she is saying help me! I need guidance! I am hopeful in my thoughts that you are not management. I do pray that if you are, it is over a department of one.

I agree with Nurse Beth. Very good advice. My response to Roy Hanson is given with confusion. At what point did it warent "only given 3 month" become the answer? She didn't say she hated her job...she is saying help me! I need guidance! I am hopeful in my thoughts that you are not management. I do pray that if you are, it is over a department of one.
Did you mean "warrant" when you wrote "warent"? Or did you mean "weren't"? Confusing. The context of the sentence seems to favor "warrant."

But, the more numbers that rally specifically against defamation and wrongful termination, the less they will be able to deny it. Create a paper trail of non responses and if they answer it is easy to see wherevthey stand. Eventually, they will have to be accountable. The alternative is do nothing which is why it has proliferated.

But, the more numbers that rally specifically against defamation and wrongful termination, the less they will be able to deny it. Create a paper trail of non responses and if they answer it is easy to see wherevthey stand. Eventually, they will have to be accountable. The alternative is do nothing which is why it has proliferated.
It is similar to the abuse by clergy. They silenced their victims until finally someone came forward that could not be silenced. Then others had the courage to do the same. We must stop the cycle of abuse. It is about power pure and simple. These little managers are given jobs that are beyond their skill level. They think that being a leader means abusing people. They don't know what real leadership is. Stop the cycle of abuse.

I am reading this thread with interest but somewhat dismayed that the content has moved from heartfelt advice to bashing of management (and other off topic areas) in general.

Yes, there are managers/ leadership that are toxic but I honestly don't believe that is the norm in leadership, yet many of the posters seem to indicate this is their norm. I am saddened to read of those experiences.

Yes, the goal should be frequent meetings and positive coaching with clearly written goals to know if it is working and if that is not going to happen, the original poster needs to look for other areas of work. There really are managers who will work with employees to turn around performance issues. Others don't want to take the time. In a specialty area, after time has been invested in orientation, I would hope that the manager is willing to invest some more in this employee.

I am not going to blame the victim, either as I write the next sentence. In critical care areas (esp. L&D, ED, and other critical care units) it does happen that breaks and meals get delayed. Those babies and ambulances have schedules of their own! Did it come across as whiney or 'testy' ? I don't know. There were some concerning care issues, some resolved over time. At times, the manager might resort to written action to get an employee "to pay attention" to what the concerns are. I have had employees with performance issues turn it around after they saw I was serious about holding everyone to similar standards. Two turned into the best employees on the unit and we worked hard together to change what was going to be a downhill track unless change was made. Both of us had to work together and I will admit the employees had to work hard and sustain it to have me believe the change was holding. Yes, as part of that coaching (PIP) contract I had to be VERY aware of the employee's work. How else could I give both positive feedback and constructive feedback? I have also had employees who refused to believe that they needed to adhere to patient care standards and were resistant to any discussion around performance improvement, including refusal to help their peers. They self-selected out of the unit.

The question that was asked was "do I need to look for another job". My answer was and still is 'maybe' but it depends on how open both parties are to working together to resolve issues & change performance concerns. "Attitude" is perception. Lack of teamwork (attitude?) CAN affect the unit as a whole and impact patient care. None of us were there to hear or see that aspect and only the poster can identify how she might have come across over time.

I hope the poster will share the resolution of her issues!

I am reading this thread with interest but somewhat dismayed that the content has moved from heartfelt advice to bashing of management (and other off topic areas) in general.

Yes, there are managers/ leadership that are toxic but I honestly don't believe that is the norm in leadership, yet many of the posters seem to indicate this is their norm. I am saddened to read of those experiences.

Yes, the goal should be frequent meetings and positive coaching with clearly written goals to know if it is working and if that is not going to happen, the original poster needs to look for other areas of work. There really are managers who will work with employees to turn around performance issues. Others don't want to take the time. In a specialty area, after time has been invested in orientation, I would hope that the manager is willing to invest some more in this employee.

I am not going to blame the victim, either as I write the next sentence. In critical care areas (esp. L&D, ED, and other critical care units) it does happen that breaks and meals get delayed. Those babies and ambulances have schedules of their own! Did it come across as whiney or 'testy' ? I don't know. There were some concerning care issues, some resolved over time. At times, the manager might resort to written action to get an employee "to pay attention" to what the concerns are. I have had employees with performance issues turn it around after they saw I was serious about holding everyone to similar standards. Two turned into the best employees on the unit and we worked hard together to change what was going to be a downhill track unless change was made. Both of us had to work together and I will admit the employees had to work hard and sustain it to have me believe the change was holding. Yes, as part of that coaching (PIP) contract I had to be VERY aware of the employee's work. How else could I give both positive feedback and constructive feedback? I have also had employees who refused to believe that they needed to adhere to patient care standards and were resistant to any discussion around performance improvement, including refusal to help their peers. They self-selected out of the unit.

The question that was asked was "do I need to look for another job". My answer was and still is 'maybe' but it depends on how open both parties are to working together to resolve issues & change performance concerns. "Attitude" is perception. Lack of teamwork (attitude?) CAN affect the unit as a whole and impact patient care. None of us were there to hear or see that aspect and only the poster can identify how she might have come across over time.

I hope the poster will share the resolution of her issues!

Nobody said all managers were toxic. You are putting your own spin on it. No one is bashing management per se, just stating facts. How do you quantify and measure attitude and teamwork. I have worked in health care over 30 years. I haven't seen much in the way of team work. I have seen a lot of staff railroaded and slandered and treated badly based on so-called "attitude." Thank goodness we have lawyers. I have seen managers who were forced to quit after harassing staff and losing the harassment lawsuit. Managers can be liabilities too. Who is policing them? Who is doing performance reviews on them? As I said, thank goodness we have lawyers to do the job that the health care facilities should be doing in this regard.

Try not to be dismayed. Be proud that you are one of the ones who are supportive and honest! It's who you are as a person that determines who you are as a manager. I believe someone else made that point as well. Thanks for that whoever you were. That is so true.

You sound like you may be a manager who would actually work together with your employees and respect them and their devotion to patient care and skills.

It's just that she is being bashed by management at work which tends to affect one's whole life. Then us others who've been bashed like that feel the need to tell their stories which may be horrifyingly ugly and not pleasant to hear considering what some managers have put them through or in the end what we put ourselves through for staying.

It is very hurtful, especially when someone is trying with all their heart and soul and the team won't cooperate. No man is an island. Not all managers are like you. So please don't be dismayed.

It is traumatic. Yes, traumatic to be bullied at work. Management is not encouraging teamwork at these places like you apparently do. Thanks for posting maybe somehow you can have a positive influence on these other destructive types of managers if they care enough to be on this site voicing their concerns in the first place. So thank you for coming on and saying something.

Try to understand also though, really and truly there are very bad managers out there. They are not all like you! There are so many variances in people and work environments but regardless of either if the team is encouraged to not work with someone that is to isolate someone it's not right. That's why it's called teamwork, right? Not to team up against! It's just time to leave if you are being bullied by a manager if she won't help support but yet encourage further bullying with her "team".

It would be a beautiful world if all managers were like yourself and would work together and make all equally accountable , to really support their nurses and staff, even if the managers were not nurses themselves. They just are not all like you!

Teamwork is fun. Isolation is torture. It really kills someone's spirit and drive. It changes who they are if they stay too long and let it. Have you ever asked another employee to write someone else up for rude behavior? Just curious? Is that politically/morally correct to ask of someone? To ask multiple people/coworkers?

Also is it right to tell an employee they should leave your/their work area before you write them up again? anywhere but especially at a 1 on 1 in a PIC meeting where the employee is getting off that day? after like 6 months being passed over by raises even? I'm asking please because you are a manager and this is an open forum and I would value your professional opinion.

Oh my thanks again. I better go get some things done for Thanksgiving coming up! :)

I take my work seriously because I worked so hard to get there/here like I know we all did. Thank you. We need laws for ZERO tolerance for bullying at the workplace! Please share.

Thanks for taking the time to post.:nurse::blink::barefoot: :nurse::cool:

Lawyers can't even help in will to work states. For real. I'm not kidding! :specs:

Oops. Sorry to double dip!!

Like everyone has said, attitude and mood are very subjective. I would take these allegation very seriously because it can be defamation of character. Managers are suppose to be authoritative figures who are just and fair but that seems to not be happening theses days. I hope you get another position that allows you work in peace.

I read a lot of management leadership articles and books. I have given the best of or suggested it to many managers. Forbes had a great article on leadership characteristics of the most successful companies. Having worked in dozens of hospitals as a traveler, I can count on one hand the number who exibited one or more of these.

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