Employee EEOC threat after being placed on a PIP
Anonymous
Employee EEOC threat after being placed on a PIP
I have an employee on my team that had been underperforming for several months. Specifically, missing project deadlines, inaccurate report completion, not complying with department work products, external and internal stakeholder complaints. Under the guidance of HR, I placed he/she/they on very achievable PIP ( after multiple verbal warnings and discussions). The employee’s response to the PIP was that they believed I was retaliating against them for filing a complaint against me for creating a hostile work environment. The thing is that HR never told me of the complaint. I learned of it when the employee wrote a scathing email in response to the PIP. When I asked HR about the complaint, they told me they investigated and his/her/their allegations were unfounded so they never told me about it. They said the employee didn’t want to me to know of the complaint or to work with me and HR to improve the relationship so they couldn’t tell me. I felt blindsided. Also, they did not tell the employee the findings of their investigation until AFTER he/she/they received the PIP. Based on that, I understand the employee’s perspective about retaliation. It absolutely wasn’t true but I understand it.
Fast forward through the PIP. The employee’s performance is mediocre to poor. Several of the same issues exist, I contact the employee about performance and/or work product and he/she/they either ignore me, send terse responses or call my boss to complain. I share all this with HR and my boss. My boss and HR tell me that I’m doing a good job that they recognize the employee is problematic but to keep working through the PIP. The rest of my team is highly functioning and I have strong and positive relationships with them. Things came to a head when I asked a basic question about the employee’s late work and he/she/they responded that I was hostile, aggressive and abusive. He/she/they stated their belief (again) that I was retaliating against him/her/them. He/she/they went on to say that they have involved the EEOC. At this point, I don’t want to engage with the employee in any manner. I don’t trust that HR told the employee that I never received the complaint and was not retaliating. I don’t trust HR and I feel exhausted and abused dealing with this. I know I’m not an abusive manager nor do I create a hostile work environment, but it’s hard to go forward without feeling afraid that anything I do is wrong. I’ve contacted HR and asked they be a part of any communication with the employee and I’ve shared ( in real time) all of his/her/their correspondence with HR and my boss. I could use advice on how to get through this experience. I’m starting to feel broken. I’ve been at the company for nearly 10 years and I’ve never had this occur before. TIA
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