- An employee placed on a Performance Improvement Plan used the period to interview for director roles elsewhere.
- The employee submitted a three-day notice during a follow-up call attended by the manager and HR.
- The Reddit account has drawn 1,900 comments, although The Daily Dot could not independently verify the story.
Employee Turns Performance Improvement Plan Into a “Paid Interview Period”
A manager has shared how a popular employee responded after being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan, or PIP, by using the time to pursue other job opportunities before resigning with three days’ notice. The account was posted to Reddit’s r/managers community and had received 1,900 comments at the time of publication.
According to the manager, the employee was well liked but was placed on a PIP despite the manager’s opposition. The process reportedly began when a director unexpectedly scheduled a coaching session. When the employee joined the meeting, a representative from HR was already present, and the PIP document was displayed on the shared screen.
“Dude was in shambles. But used the PIP as a paid interview period (as he should), probably because HR was saying one thing on what a PIP is, but my director was basically saying he was not cut out for the job he had for 5+ yrs,” wrote the manager.
The manager said the employee requested weekly follow-up meetings. HR did not attend those meetings initially; they were generally conducted either by the manager alone or by the director, manager and employee together. During one scheduled meeting, however, the manager joined and discovered that HR was already on the call. The employee then submitted a three-day notice.
“I’m not mad. We planned to fire him over a 2k-5k (though tenured) account nobody cared about, but the relationship was deep,” the manager wrote.
Manager Says Employee Was Interviewing for Director Roles
The manager said the employee had been interviewing for director positions and appeared to be using the PIP period to gain interview experience. The manager connected that explanation with changes in the employee’s attendance and paid time off usage.
“I was interviewing for director roles elsewhere (getting reps in), and in late a few times. I figured he used this as a paid interview period, which explains his lateness to work. Dude was never, ever late to work; he never took PTO. Suddenly he was eating up PTO, and I was absolutely approving it.”
After the employee resigned, the director reportedly described the decision as unprofessional and expressed frustration during a call with the manager. The manager said he defended the employee, noting that the employee had three young children and a baby. The company had been preparing to dismiss him when rent was due and without severance, according to the post.
The manager summarized his position to the director by writing: “But he owes us nothing.”
Reddit Users Debate PIPs, Loyalty and Workplace “Professionalism”
Several commenters responded by questioning whether leaving during a PIP should be considered unprofessional. One commenter wrote, “Unprofessionalism is used the same way as respect. Where people throw it around, and any behavior that isn’t being a doormat is called unprofessional or disrespectful.”
Another commenter shared a personal experience with a PIP after years at a company: “As someone who was put on a PIP after 6 years for one missed deadline – that PIP was the best thing that happened to me. Got me a 40% raise somewhere else.”
The Daily Dot said it could not independently verify the incidents, identities, professional backgrounds or businesses described in the original Reddit post and comments. The details reflect accounts posted by individual users on r/managers.
Why This Matters
Performance Improvement Plans are often presented as a way to give employees clear expectations and an opportunity to improve, but they can also signal that termination is being considered. In this account, the employee treated the PIP as a period to secure another role, while the manager viewed the company’s planned dismissal as potentially damaging to an employee with significant family and financial obligations.
The story also highlights the competing expectations surrounding workplace loyalty, notice periods and professional conduct. The Reddit discussion shows that some employees and managers view a PIP as a reason to begin searching for another job, particularly when they believe the outcome has already been decided.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Performance Improvement Plan?
A Performance Improvement Plan is a formal workplace process intended to identify performance concerns, set expectations and establish a period for improvement. In some cases, it may precede dismissal.
What did the employee do after being placed on the PIP?
According to the manager’s Reddit account, the employee interviewed for director roles elsewhere, used paid time off and submitted a three-day notice during a follow-up meeting attended by HR.
Was the story independently verified?
No. The Daily Dot reported that it could not independently verify the incidents, identities, professional backgrounds or businesses described in the Reddit post and comments.