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 7 of Placed on Performance Improvement Plan - What should I do?

I think what manager123's post illustrates clearly is that there is a right way and a wrong way to do a PIP. At the end of the day, a PIP is just a tool, and, like any other tool, can be used for good or ill, depending on the user.

If the manager creates a PIP with the intention of helping an employee get back on track, creates SMART goals, and evaluates the employee honestly, a PIP can be a great thing. Of course that also means the employee has to be open to constructive criticism, even when it might sting a bit, and be willing and able to make changes.

On the other hand, there are managers who use PIPs as a tool to cover their rear ends, and have no real intention of helping an employee become better. In those cases, the PIP is simply a sham that either contains unrealistic/nebulous goals or is unfairly implemented with the manager nitpicking flaws and refusing to acknowledge competence.

I think what it really comes down to are the intentions of the manager. Does this particular manager want to see the employee improve or does the manager want a way to get rid of an employee she doesn't like? The PIP is simply a tool by which each purpose can be attained.

With a complaint as vague as "attitude" and not a single supporting illustration, it seems like OP has a manager who is using the PIP to create a paper trail that will allow her to terminate OP, regardless of OP's actual job performance. I don't know if this is true, but it doesn't look good. OP, perhaps you will come back with some details on what the proposed PIP contains. If it's vague and full of crap, run for the hills.

Oh, so have I! And I too tried management for awhile.....and my effort to emulate those I admired got me stabbed in the back by my immediate superior, and fired. At that point I decided I made a better Indian than a chief and never had any desire to be a manager again. I'm now happily retired and better for it.
Hi Jay, I went back to general duty nursing too. Well more protected because of union membership. Where I live, we had govt. changes which meant health care system changes. I was in management for a number of years and then the new govt. decided we didn't need that many managers. Then that govt. got voted out and over the years, the incumbent govt. has slowly but surely built up a bureaucracy of managers. There are ore managers than bedside nurses. So I guess these managers don't have a lot to do, so they are gunning for the staff they employ to make themselves look and feel important. Yes retirement is a godsend, isn't it?
Thanks ActualNurse. It was actually a pattern of 'rude and unprofessional' behavior that was created, the last of which was going out of the 'chain of command'. I just fought too hard thinking I had rights when letting it go may have been way wiser to take heed of my manager's warning/threat and just transfer out before she wrote me up again like she ended up doing shortly thereafter. Ouch, that hurt when she told me that. I guess that was really honest. I had transferred from the hospital to a clinic area when I began getting these write ups. Maybe OP can transfer.
Yes I have learned over the years that once the witch hunt has begun it will not end well. Better to cut your losses and move on before the wretch totally destroys you and your career. I know a couple of nurses who have sued and won but I personally would not do it. You have to put out a lot of money to lawyers and there is a chance you might lose. Having said that, once these people won their lawsuits, the felt invincible and untouchable by management. However, I think management will just dream up another angle. There is one case where the nurse was ruthlessly harassed, sued, won, retired at age 39 with his lawsuit winnings and the manager was booted out. But I think that is rare. I would tell the original poster to get out, run as fast as she can in the opposite direction, and never look back.
Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
The ANA has made one decree after another on ethics, workplace bullying and even nurse fatigue. Yet, many members who are managers or higher are not held accountable. If they egregiously violate the values of the organization, they should not be allowed to remain members.

The problem is, being a member of ANA (or any other nursing professional organization, for that matter) matters only in a narrow circle of nursing politicking and academia, leaving outside approximately 99% of what is real nursing world.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
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.

What part? That it actually happened, or that I took a course that helped me get a better job. I put up with a lot over many years in nursing. What I did was right for me, and I hoped there might have been something in it that was helpful to the OP.

I would look for another job in a different hospital right away. It may take some time to find another job and there is a real possibility that you might be fired if you are not in a union. Even if you are in a union find out if there is a period when you are first hired when they can fire you for no reason. My first job out of RN school in 1978 was on an EENT floor. There was a 12 month time period when management did not have to have a reason to fire me. My head Nurse was always coming to me with complaints about my work and even though I didn't agree with her, because it was my first job as an RN I had no reference to go by. There was such a negative atmosphere that I quit after I found another Job after 10 months. After I quit I talked to a wife of a friend of mine who was a RN on the same unit I was, She said that the problem was the head nurse and not me and that I had been fine. She also said that there was a clique on the unit that included a LPN and the Head Nurse who had been a NA on my floor only 1 year prior to my starting date. The LPN didn't like me and resented that I could tell her what to do. I would do everything that Nurse Beth suggested as it is good advise but I would actively look for another job and try to get one. It seems that no matter what you do it isn't good enough and that is a bad sign.
This is right on. So sad. Sounds like the last place I worked. Cliquish, unprofessional managers. They are everywhere it seems. THey listen to gossip, don't treat people fairly.
Specializes in ER, ICU/CCU, Open Heart OR Recovery, Etc.
I thinking keeping a written record is an excellent idea. I have been a nurse for 30+ years and have seen this witch hunting repeatedly over the years. A friend of mine kept a record and it saved her in the end. She ended up suing the facility for harassment and won. In your written notes, I would also keep a record of any rudeness toward you from others. I know you kinda just got this position recently, but I would be on the lookout for another one. Once management starts this harassment power game it never stops. Move on. But in the meantime keep notes. I know of a few more nurses who sued for harassment and won, being able to retire before age 50 on the lawsuit monies. One of the managers got fired too as a result of years of harassing this nurse. Keep those notes.

Yes. The value of documenting things cannot be overstated. Names, dates, what was said, etc for all the meetings. Get copies of your write ups as well. Read up on departmental and facility wide policy as well.

I kinda wonder what you all would do in a slightly different situation. I, myself have been in a predicament where I too was called into the managers office to review my performance. No specifics were mentioned except that "someone was worried about your performance". I even asked for an example and got a blank stare... I never had a PIP or anything like that, no goals were gone over to reach. Nothing was specifically said that I needed to improve. Since then, I have heard nothing from managements side and everything seems to be going well. However, I get that vibe sometimes I am being watched/whispered about. The only other thing is everyone talks about everyone, and I mean EVERYONE. So maybe I am being whispered about but is that just the name of the game? Maybe it is my self-confidence but where do you go from here? Does it sound good, bad, ugly?

Dear love & loss,

I've been in healthcare for a very long time and for some reason if you're not being talked about then something is wrong! Just watch your back and be vigilant. Sounds like someone has put a bug in the manager's ear but had no specifics. A long time ago as nurses we worked together and had everyone's back but these days things aren't like that. That's where the phrase came "Nurses eat their young". Hang in there and go back to your manager periodically to just "check in" to see if they have any further concerns about your performance. Be transparent and willing to do whatever it takes to maintain a good relationship with your manager. Try not to let this undermine your self confidence! If you are so inclined, keep a journal of your work so that if anything comes up you'll have the documentation to CYA!

I kinda wonder what you all would do in a slightly different situation. I, myself have been in a predicament where I too was called into the managers office to review my performance. No specifics were mentioned except that "someone was worried about your performance". I even asked for an example and got a blank stare... I never had a PIP or anything like that, no goals were gone over to reach. Nothing was specifically said that I needed to improve. Since then, I have heard nothing from managements side and everything seems to be going well. However, I get that vibe sometimes I am being watched/whispered about. The only other thing is everyone talks about everyone, and I mean EVERYONE. So maybe I am being whispered about but is that just the name of the game? Maybe it is my self-confidence but where do you go from here? Does it sound good, bad, ugly?

Boy, does this sound familiar! This is exactly like where I work! Is this just how it is if you work at a hospital? I'm not "young" but how do you not lose a little bit of confidence? I know I second guess myself constantly.

Boy, does this sound familiar! This is exactly like where I work! Is this just how it is if you work at a hospital? I'm not "young" but how do you not lose a little bit of confidence? I know I second guess myself constantly.

Nurses eat their young, their old, their vulnerable. It makes me wonder about the quality of care they give to vulneralbe people when they are so mean to one another. But I do wonder about the managers who feed into this witch hunting and gossip, etc. I was a manager and I put a stop to that behaviur on the part of my staff. I would not tolerate gossip and story telling. I brought staff together so the accused could face their accuser . Usually the accuser backed right down when they knew I would not protect them and let them hide in anonymity making the accused guess who they were. At law, an accused has the right to know who their accuser is. But in the warped world of nursing, it appears this basic human right is trampled on by unscrupulous, unethical managers.

The nursing field is turning into a big game of chest and a kindergarteners place ground. There is too much political stuff going on.

+ Add a Comment