What Should I Do if I Was Put on a Performance Improvement Plan?
Performance Improvement Plans: Key ConsiderationsIf you have been put on a performance improvement plan, or received a formal warning about your job performance, you may be wondering what's next. Is this a genuine attempt to improve your performance or an employer creating a paper trail with the intent of firing you at the end of the improvement period?
It can be hard to tell, but you should review the plan to be sure that it sets goals that are possible for you to achieve. If the goals or expectations are unreasonable, you should be sure to raise that with your supervisor. That is also a sign, however, that the PIP is intended as a stepping stone to termination. You should also be sure that whatever you are asked to sign is not an agreement with the contents of the plan or warning, but simply acknowledgement that you have received it. Whatever the true motivation on the employer's part, you should try your best to meet the expectations in the plan. If it is a good faith plan, then doing so will help you succeed in the role. If it is a paper trail for termination, the more you are able to accomplish the weaker the justification for your termination will be. Learn more here about performance improvement plans in Massachusetts. |
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Meet Our Employment Lawyers
![Emily Smith-Lee Employment Lawyer](/uploads/4/2/9/3/42934673/published/lea-headshot_1245.jpg)
Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years before starting the firm that became slnlaw in 2009. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, been interviewed by the Massachusetts Superlawyers magazine about non compete agreements, and written an op-ed in the New York Times about the dangers of non competes. Along with the rest of the slnlaw team, she has helped hundreds of clients navigate, negotiate, or defend against their non compete agreements.
![Rebecca Rogers employment attorney](/uploads/4/2/9/3/42934673/published/rebecca-rogers-2_781.jpg)
Rebecca Rogers: Rebecca is a 2006 graduate of Boston College Law School, and has worked with slnlaw since 2013. She previously worked as an intellectual property litigation attorney for Fish & Richardson in Boston, Massachusetts, and clerked for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Rebecca has helped many clients understand and evaluate their non compete agreements and develop strategies for defending against non compete enforcement and negotiating resolution.
![Jenna Ordway Employment Attorney](/uploads/4/2/9/3/42934673/published/jenna-headshot2-cropped_1012.jpg)
Jenna Ordway: Jenna is a 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac Law School, and also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University in 2015. She has been affiliated with slnlaw since 2011, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Jenna has been recognized since 2019 as a "Rising Star" by Massachusetts Superlawyers. Jenna works with employers to develop reasonable and enforceable employee agreements, including non competes. She has also helped employees understand and evaluate their non compete agreements and develop strategies for defending against non compete enforcement and negotiating resolution.
![Eli Bresley employment attorney](/uploads/4/2/9/3/42934673/published/eli-website-cropped_835.jpg)
Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has helped clients both evaluate and negotiate their non compete agreements, and defended non compete claims in state and federal courts.
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