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> "Amazon instructs managers not to tell office employees that they are on a formal performance-management plan that puts their job in jeopardy unless the emplo
by arcticbull 5y ago
> "Amazon instructs managers not to tell office employees that they are on a formal performance-management plan that puts their job in jeopardy unless the employee explicitly asks, according to guidance from an Amazon intranet page for managers."
The fact is the PIP hasn't put their job in jeopardy, it was their not meeting expectations that put their job in jeopardy. The reality is once you're there, it's (a) probably obvious due to your manager's consistent displeasure and (b) almost impossible to get out of either way because even if the manager is wrong the employer will side with the manager. The PIP itself is, as you say, just procedural backside-covering to paper up a decision that was already made.
> Lack of discussion is concealment.
With that in mind, is it really better to torture an employee with a set of steps you know they won't execute to your satisfaction anyways and dole out false hope? It seems far more humane to let them know it isn't working out and to put their stuff in a box.
I bet my lunch money that an employee is far more likely to shape up and deliver in line with expectations when they aren't afraid each day they walk into the office may be their last. I think this gives employees more chance to succeed, not less. More transparency isn't always beneficial.
- mannykannot 5y agoPutting aside everything else, having a formal performance-management plan, in which those put on it will be informed of that fact, normally means that most employees will have some evidence for not feeling afraid that each day they walk into the office may be their last.
- arcticbull 5y agoThere is a plan, and the manager will hold employees to it, the difference is they aren't proactively saying "if you don't complete these steps, you can see yourself out." At that point the manager has usually already, for better or worse, flipped the "bozo bit" on the employee and is very unlikely to attribute any successes and instead over-index on the failures. The vast majority of employees put on a PIP do not successfully complete the PIP.
- pseudalopex 5y agoTargets the employee doesn't know about aren't a plan. The low probability of reversing the bozo bit is why the employee should know when the manager flipped it.
- arcticbull 5y agoA PIP doesn't have targets the employee doesn't know about - not formally, anyways. The targets are the same whether you're on a PIP or not: meeting expectations for your level. At a company like Amazon these are going to be well defined and published. The manager would have also more than likely, if acting in good faith, found you a mentor by this point. If they weren't acting in good faith, then it doesn't matter whether you know about your PIP or not, meet your expectations or not, you're cooked. But yes, I agree, you should pull the ripcord as soon as you get a good sense of what's going on.
- pseudalopex 5y agoWe were discussing Focus. I can't tell if you're calling Focus a PIP or talking about Pivot. I've read Amazon performance evaluations. The expectations and how they were evaluated were as subjective as anywhere.
- mannykannot 5y agoI see you are completely avoiding the issue of what effect the nondisclosure aspect of this plan has on the employees who are not on it. You yourself raised the negative aspects of not knowing if every day will be your last.
- arcticbull 5y agoI seriously doubt every employee every day fears that day will be their last, if they do, they need a new job ASAP. It’s not proactive disclosure, that’s all. They’re still allowed to be told they’re doing a great job. Or a bad job. I can see it both ways to be honest and appreciate your thoughts.