If you’ve been put on a Performance Improvement Plan, or PIP, there’s probably one question running through your head:
Is this actually a chance to improve, or has my company already decided it’s time for me to go?
This question comes up in my work with autistic and ADHD professionals all the time.
I’m Brett, the AuDHD Boss. I’m autistic and ADHD, and I spent more than 12 years in corporate leadership. To better understand what happens when someone is placed on a performance improvement plan, I sat down with Vicki Yang, a fractional people leader with more than 20 years of HR experience.
We talked about what PIPs are supposed to do, whether you can come back from one, accommodations, unclear expectations, and what managers should be doing before things ever reach this point.
What Is a Performance Improvement Plan?
At its core, Vicki said, a performance improvement plan should be about developing the employee.
It should summarize feedback that has already been given, explain what needs to change, and identify the goals the employee needs to meet. Ideally, a PIP should not be the first time someone learns there is a serious problem with their performance. But Vicki also acknowledged that this isn’t always how performance plans are used. She said she has seen PIPs become paperwork companies use to document that feedback was given and the employee did not make the required changes.
Which leads to the harder question.
Does a PIP Mean You’re Going to Be Fired?
Not necessarily.
Vicki has seen PIPs work. She has also worked in systems where a PIP was effectively a signal that the employee should start thinking about what comes next. One difference can be whether the employee is actually being shown how to improve. If someone is already struggling to reach a goal, simply putting that same goal into a formal document doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.
What specifically isn’t working?
What needs to change?
How does the employee need to change what they are doing?
Vicki said the how is one of the most important pieces. Another major factor is whether the manager still believes the employee can succeed.
As Vicki put it:
If your manager already thinks you’re done, it’s hard to come back from that.
Warning Signs Before a Performance Improvement Plan
One piece of leadership advice I was given years ago is that there should be no surprises during an annual performance review. You should ideally be having regular check-in’s with your manager often enough that you understand your goals and the feedback they are giving you. Vicki recommends paying attention to the cues your manager is giving you and asking for more clarity when the feedback is ambiguous.
She also encourages managers to be specific about how important something is. She gave the example of a manager saying something was a “nine out of ten” in importance. That gave her much more information than simply being told something was important.
The same thing applies to workplace phrases such as:
“Be more strategic.”
“This needs to have a bigger scope.”
“We need to look around corners.”
What does any of that actually mean?
If you’re an employee and something is ambiguous, Vicki recommends asking for more clarity or an example of what your manager is actually looking for.
Why This Can Be Especially Difficult for Autistic and ADHD Employees
This is something I see regularly with late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD professionals. They may receive feedback that is too vague, be expected to understand workplace phrases that have never been clearly explained, or be asked to read between the lines. Priorities can create the same problem. If everything is important but nobody clearly tells me what is number one, number two, and number three, I may prioritize differently than my manager expects. That’s why clarity and documentation matter. Instead of simply saying something is “urgent,” for example, Vicki asks:
Do you need this in the next two hours?
Tomorrow?
Early next week?
That specificity can help clarify what “urgent” actually means and when the work is needed.
Rather than waiting until someone is already on a PIP, employees and managers can document goals, priorities, expectations, and next steps throughout their work together.
Do You Have to Sign a PIP?
I also asked Vicki what happens when someone is handed a PIP and asked to sign it. From her HR perspective in the United States, she described the signature as an acknowledgment that the employee received the document and heard the message. She also emphasized that employment laws differ in other countries. Her larger point was that refusing to sign does not necessarily mean the performance plan disappears. The company has already delivered the message and communicated that the plan is going into effect. Because laws, company policies, and individual situations vary, this conversation should not be treated as legal advice.
What Should You Do After You’re Put on a PIP?
Being placed on a performance plan can be a shock. Vicki emphasized that you don’t necessarily have to make every decision in that meeting. You can hear what is being said and take some time to think about what you want to do next.
Some questions to consider include:
- Do I want to stay at this company?
- Do I trust my manager?
- Do I believe they are setting me up for success?
- If I pass the PIP, is this still a role I want to be doing?
- What can I financially afford to do right now?
If the goals seem unachievable, Vicki said it doesn’t hurt to ask about them. You can also ask your manager directly whether they believe you can successfully pass the plan. Depending on the situation, someone may also decide to use that time to begin looking for another job. Every situation is different, and everybody has to decide for themselves what they want to do or what they can do in that moment.
Can You Ask for Accommodations After a PIP Starts?
This is another question I hear from autistic and ADHD professionals.
Someone realizes a performance conversation is coming—or they are already in one—and recognizes that they may need an accommodation. Vicki explained that asking for an accommodation doesn’t automatically remove the performance plan. The goals and performance concerns are still there. What an accommodation may change is how the employee works toward those expectations.
Vicki gave examples such as changing how someone’s schedule is structured, grouping meetings together, or making sure someone has larger blocks of time to work.
The important distinction from our conversation is:
The accommodation may change the how. It doesn’t automatically make the performance expectations disappear.
What Should Managers Do Before a PIP?
A large part of our conversation was really about what should happen before someone ever reaches a formal performance plan. Vicki encouraged managers to slow down and think about what the employee needs in order to understand the work.
Do they need to know why?
What context do they need?
Would an example help?
Have I clearly explained what I want them to do and why?
If I say, “I need you to be more strategic,” what does that actually mean in practice?
Does that mean putting together a deck showing where we were, where we are now, and what needs to get done?
Does it mean creating a project plan?
Vicki talked about how misunderstandings and misalignment can happen when a manager says, “Do the thing,” and the employee comes back with something different from what the manager thought they had asked for.
That’s a point where the manager can ask where the communication broke down before immediately moving toward a formal performance plan.
What Is a “Pre-PIP PIP”?
Vicki described something she sometimes uses with managers that she calls a “pre-PIP PIP.”
It is essentially the detailed feedback you might see in a formal PIP, but without the formal language about potentially losing your job.
The manager gets down to detailed feedback about what needs to change before the situation reaches a formal PIP.
If Vicki is working with a manager who says an employee needs to be placed on a PIP, she looks at what feedback has already been given, when it was given, and how clearly the seriousness of the problem was communicated. Sometimes the next step is to make that feedback much more direct and specific.
Lead With Curiosity
Toward the end of our conversation, Vicki offered one piece of advice for both managers and employees:
Lead with curiosity.
Ask more questions.
If you’re a manager and something isn’t working, you might ask:
How is this going for you?
How is this working for you?
Can you talk me through your experience with this project?
Then really listen.
Sometimes there has been a misunderstanding or a breakdown in communication between what the manager thought they asked for and what the employee understood. It may also turn out that the manager didn’t give the employee good instructions or enough information and needs to correct course. That feedback can be difficult for a manager to hear, too. But the goal is to stay curious and figure out where the misalignment happened.
As Vicki described it, it’s about partnering to solve the problem with each other instead of thinking, “I’ve got an answer. I’m going to tell you how to do this.”
Performance Improvement Plan FAQs
Can you come back from a Performance Improvement Plan?
Sometimes. Vicki has seen PIPs work, but she has also worked in organizations where a PIP effectively signaled that an exit was likely.
Does a PIP mean you’re definitely getting fired?
Not necessarily. Vicki has seen PIPs work, but she has also worked in organizations where a PIP effectively signaled that an exit was likely.
What should I do when I’m placed on a PIP?
Vicki recommends taking some time to think about the situation. Consider whether you want to remain at the company, whether you trust your manager, whether you believe they are setting you up for success, what you can financially afford to do, and whether you still want the role if you successfully pass the PIP.
Can I ask for ADHD or autism accommodations after a PIP starts?
Vicki said bringing up an accommodation does not automatically remove the PIP. The performance goals remain, while the accommodation may change how the employee works toward meeting them. Individual circumstances and legal requirements vary.
Free workplace accommodations resource: https://payhip.com/audhdboss
Learn more about Vicki Yang: https://www.victoriayang.com/
The AuDHD Workplace Workbook: https://payhip.com/audhdboss
If you’d like to work with me through coaching, workplace training, or speaking, visit audhdboss.com.
This article and conversation are for general informational purposes and are not legal advice. Employment laws vary by location, and workplace policies and individual circumstances differ.
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