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It's the first time in my career that a manager has written up an Improvement Required note for me. After reading it, none of what is written is true.

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It's the first time in my career that a manager has written up an Improvement Required note for me. After reading it, none of what is written is true.

Additionally, I am a high-performer, an executive, and have solid relationships with peers, my employees and people outside my department. This comes after me asking him if he could not send emails "yelling" at myself or my team in CAPS.

My husbands tells me, I need to sign it, even though none of it is true -- to keep my job, even for a little longer.

It is exhausting being a woman in Tech.

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  1. Anonymous

    You have an opportunity to sign it with a "rebuttal" next to your signature, add "please see my response attached or below."

    Please note that fewer than 10% of writeups are agreed to as honest descriptions so you are perfectly within your rights to disagree. I would include words like retaliation, for May xxx discussion of request to stop yelling, etc, harassment and hostile work environment. These are legal definitions that support employment law.

  2. Anonymous

    Generally, you need to sign anything like that as an acknowledgement of receiving it. You can still file a rebuttal or argue with it. Try to take on what the note said in so much as highlighting that you are living up to the note. That will stop any subsequent action.

  3. Anonymous

    I agree with the others, that your signature only acknowledges that you received it. If you don't sign it, HR or your manager will mark it with "employee refused to sign," which won't look good. If it is written properly, in your copy of the document will be what is required to improve, the timeframe for action, any follow-up meeting requirements, and how you can appeal if you don't believe the issues stated are real. Follow up with these in writing to whoever authored the performance plan.

  4. Anonymous

    Does it provide you an oportunity to states “your side of the story”?

  5. GirlBossanova934974

    Sounds like an executive at your company went and hired his golf or bar buddy and put them in charge of you and your group. That is where these types usually come from. Some suck-up gets a promotion because someone felt "he or she deserved it" aka were big pals. That being said, you can sign your improvement note but sure and post a rebuttal with your side of the story explaining the hostile emails and then be sure to include the following words in your rebuttal in a few places......."Hostile Work Environment". That should get someone's attention aka the Legal Department.

  6. Anonymous

    Nothing in her post indicates it's a golf or bar buddy or incompetent in any way. You are projecting your own issues here.

  7. GirlBossanova934974

    Not so sure of that.......39 years of work experience has shown me these types of "managers" in 99% of the cases get promoted through the "buddy buddy" school of promotion and performance reviews. Someone brought in their pal from company X where they worked from XYZ to ABC and put them in charge! Oh life was just so peachy back then! Problem is that buddy has usually run amok in the last few years and now comes with lots of issues.........First and foremost, they have a real Type A personality and look for confrontations when they should exercise caution and deliverance. Experience tells u that. Pick your battles wisely..........In a good third of the cases, the company gets into hot legal water...........and 12-18 months down the road, a good settlement has to be paid out....

  8. Mary Pool

    A well-written PIP will have a weekly meeting between you and your management to discuss issues and progress. If yours does not have this, I would insist personnel add it. This has two advantages, it gets you and your boss communicating, AND it forces your boss to either step up and address the issues or let the PIP die its natural death. This is an opportunity to change the dynamics between you and your boss. Yes, it is a real hit to the ego and your reputation, but it is also an opportunity. I’ve seen people come back from a PIP stronger with a much better relationship with their management team. Attitude is everything. Change your outlook to make this an opportunity to make fundamental, significant changes for your team.

  9. stephanie baum

    Mary

    i agree with you. It is about attitude and perception of change. Although what they say might not be true to you, it is to them. You have to disprove their perception.

  10. Anonymous

    She wasn't yelled at, simply got an email in all caps. Yes it's obnoxious but wasn't worth the fallout from complaining about it. Sign the form, leave out any hostile work environment comments, and add your version of events

  11. Anonymous

    I would attach your dispute with support and sign it. I would document here on out. But this person will make your life heck from here on out and likely has a target on your back. Get and keep your documentation. Record anything you can - and polish your resume.

    sorry you’re going through this

  12. Anonymous

    NOTHING about this screams 'because you're a woman'. If you asked them to stop typing in Caps, then what part of that isn't true when you say 'none'. If you say it's after telling the other rockstar to not type in Caps, how is that not true? If you said it in an email, tone is who ever is reading it. If you said it in person, think about how you could have approached it a little differently. Could be about your approach. NOW, before you get ALL 'in your head', learn, move on, and either feel empowered or defeated, your choice. It really is.

  13. Anonymous

    Reading your ALL CAPS words in your comment actually made me cringe just now. Nothing in your reply is an emergency and none of those words need to be ALL CAP. No need to scream.

  14. Anonymous

    LOL It's not screaming. It's providing emphasis on important words ensuring they're not missed. Yikes, people attach such silly meaning to caps & no caps & project all sorts of intention & feeling.

  15. Anonymous

    So a PIP? Signing it would typically mean that you acknowledge that you have received it, not that you agree with it. If you feel strongly that this note is not accurate nor fair, then provide a written rebuttal complete with evidence.

  16. Anonymous

    I don't think she overstepped her bounds on this one. Depending on what exactly he wrote in all caps, it definitely could come across as yelling on paper. Clearly he's just the typical tech bro who doesn't like being disciplined by a woman.

  17. Winifred Browne

    There should be an area on the PIP for your response. This is where you can provide a rebuttal to acknowlege your supervisor's comments but also yours as well. Sign it and keep documentation moving forward with your interacations with the supervisor. It may later turn into a law suit so the documentation will be needed.

  18. Prefer to not say

    This same thing happened to me! You need to sign it, but I regret not writing a rebuttal, professionally pointing out all the flaws (being ruthless about it) with proof. Then replying to the manager & HR on it. Good Luck!

  19. Anonymous

    Here is what I have seen with Pip- It is a measure for company to get rid of you while minimize their legal risk - there is no intention to improve anything, because Pip is never truthful from the beginning, if your manager put you on a pip, then he she has determined to get rid of you do not be naïve about there is a plan to improve anything. Get yourself a lawyer negotiate with the company to maximize your benefit, this is the best you can do, do not trust anyone has any intention to improve anything. This is a way to get rid of you legally.

  20. Mary Pool

    I'm afraid I have to disagree. In my career, I have met many people who have come back from PIPs stronger than before they entered them. The forced communication between the manager and the employee can greatly facilitate an understanding between them. I’ve also met people who handled their PIPs with grace and dignity, never a bad word, who were recruited by other teams once the PIP ended because of the character they showed while in the PIP.

    It is all about attitude. If the employee walks in with the attitude of “I'm right, you're wrong,” then yes, nothing will change, and the result will be determination. However, a "let's work this out" attitude can create a strong bond between the employee and the manager. Yes, all of the burden is on the employee, as the manager has the power, but that doesn't mean dismissal is a foregone conclusion. Attitude is everything! Even if this person doesn’t feel this way, remember to “fake it until you make it.” In this case, this means “do what you have to do to survive until you find another position.”

  21. Anonymous

    Totally agree - it’s the very very rare situation when a PIP leads to a turn-around. I have yet to see it. Use it to negotiate your exit package and pointing to the flaws with the Manager, culture and communication may get additional benefits. And, it may take the Manager down a notch which is always a good thing.

  22. Molly F

    100% this. You completely overstepped by telling him not to type in all caps. It's not your place to police how he types. If he always types in all caps, you're well aware he's not yelling. For many, it's actually easier to read. This is not about you being a woman. This is you trying to correct someone who you should not have tried to correct.

  23. Anonymous

    Your husband is partly correct. You should read it and use what is in it to write a professional non-confrontational rebuttal. Use facts and not emotions and then if you still feel that you are being targeted because of your OP above have a private conversation with this person and let them know the perception from your team. Apologize for the correction to them but let them know that your intent is to support them and you wanted to be sure they got the feedback you have been getting about the capitals in emails. Explain the audience and let them know that next time you need to give them feedback you will work with them as well to assure it is taken the right way, and that similarly you expect the same in return being a seasoned resource. If things don't change you might have to look around for something new and these days the extra sensitivity folks are experiencing is making work tougher for many. It's called professional jealousy and often it's folks who are insecure about their own futures, and yes being a woman in tech you have to dance backwards and also move ahead. You can do this!

  24. Anonymous

    I went through this. What your boss did is retaliation. Document everything. I would involve HR now so that you also have it documented that you were trying to find a solution. This way, should you need to take legal action all is documented

    I ended up having to resign due to the abuse without out another job and because all was documented I was awarded severance because they were scared I’d take legal action.

  25. Liz Milne

    I would not sign something that is not true, and I would also ask for an impartial person, higher than you and your boss, to oversee the matter. If this is him being petty, he's not going to stop until he's chased you out of your job...

  26. Carol Suggs

    I would not sign it if not true. You should be able to write a statement to include with your evaluation regarding an untrue incident or not accurate rating. How about speaking to your supervisor about your concern?

  27. acoleman4

    Don’t sign anything that isn’t true!

  28. Anonymous

    Quite unfortunate for her to go through this. A 2 year stint at project coordination level in a corporate showed the dirty office politics that can throw any valuable employee under the bus anytime especially if you outshine your boss. Hopefully this turns out good for her though no one is your friend at the workplace.

  29. Anonymous

    I've been in this exact situation and was told if I didn't sign it, I would not have a job. I sent a rebuttal with information that discounted the individuals claims, but I felt the target on my back. I turned in my notice the next week for a job I loved and had worked for over a decade. It was awful, and sad, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice a reputation I had worked hard for on an individuals whim.

  30. Stacy L Thornton

    If you want to keep your job for a little while, you can buy yourself some time by playing the game. You don't have to sign his letter. You can write your own rebutting each thing that is said in his letter.

    Document everything, even if you are just keeping a journal.

    Get HR involved. That will buy you time, too.

    But, is it possible that he just being vindictive for your correcting him? If this is just a one off, you could just sign it , letting him think he won. That buys you time, too.

    If he's pushing you out, then see above.

  31. Anonymous

    I would love to hear how this turns out. We're rooting for you. Please keep us posted. Thank you

  32. Anonymous

    I had this happen once. I spoke with HR, to understand the "rules". There was a place in which I could state my rebuttal, and I did. I clearly stated that this was 100% incorrect. I then signed the form and next to my name, wrote: See Response above. I did not lose my job. But 14 mos later, when the organization was being bought out, I was terminated without cause. Others lost their jobs, but I was the first one to go on that list (and I was the highest producer in department). the whole issue became a stain on my record, I beleive, but it was PERSONAL attack from the beginning. You had every right to correct someone who is using poor work etiquette on computer, but if you correct the WRONG PERSON, you'll get a target on your back. Talk with HR (even consider an attorney consult to get your ducks in a row)- keep record of EVEERYTHING, forward pertinent emails (prior to this, and now) to your personal email....and do what the attorney says. It's worth a 1 hour consult to protect your (likely) high earner job. Good luck.

  33. Anonymous

    I had the same thing happen to me and they ended up letting me go when I requested a meeting to refute the false claims in the "Improvement Note". I too am a woman in tech and a high achiever. I was put on an improvement as retaliation for putting 2 of my direct reports on an improvement plan, under the instruction of the VP of Dev department. They forced the VP out, put me on an improvement plan, redirected all of my direct reports to report to product managers, did a reorg, eliminated my position, and finally let me go. Don't sign anything, reach out to EEOC to seek legal advice, and if you haven't started yet, get your resume together and start looking for another job.

  34. Anonymous

    I do not believe this is exclusive to women in technology. I work in an organization where all but two resource managers are women, as are the vast majority of technology resources and subject matter experts. I am also a high performer, and have been rated in the past as exemplary or exceeds, now just consistently strong.

    If they got rid of Bell Curves and forced rankings, it would be a good thing. Also decouple rating from compensation. You can rate me as awesome, but just be straight and mention times are tight and there is little money for comp. Better than being subject to unfair assessments.

  35. Anonymous

    Correcting your boss is fraught with creating potential "relationship issues."

    The smart move would have been not to correct your boss. Now, you've created an adversarial relationship with your boss, and it seems you'll be paying the price in the not-too-distant future.

    Sign the document and start looking. Your days are numbered.

    ... and let this be a lesson for you.

  36. Tarra Reynolds

    I'm sorry but asking someone - anyone - not to be disrespectful to her and her team is actually her job. She did not "correct" him at all. She asked to be treated humanely. She needs to go to HR.

  37. Anonymous

    She made her boss look bad, which any college graduate entering the workforce knows is a huge "No No!"

    I can see from all the delusional comments here that many don't understand how office politics works or how to "play the game."

    As my attempt at educating you:

    RE: " is actually her job"

    An employee's job is to make their boss look good. PERIOD!

    The moment you step out of bounds and make your boss look bad, as the poster did, then expect consequences.

  38. Barbara Burke

    She wasn’t correcting him, she was requesting that he treat her and her team courteously. The days when women should just sit back and let bosses, male or female, are over. She needs to go to HR and definitely not sign anything.

  39. Anonymous

    You really think HR isn't aware of the poster's boss's play?

    Of course, they are! You can be sure the poster's boss made HR aware BEFOREHAND that they were going to give a PIP. (Name a company where a manager can give a PIP without HR being aware.)

    Grow up! HR exists to support management and will do so in this case.

    Going to HR will only make things worse and further erode the poster's relationship with her boss, which "might be" still salvageable if she plays her cards right.

  40. Anonymous

    This same scenario happened to me recently. My sup, has barely been here a year and brings no experience to the table. I have been here six with 10 years prior experience. I want to quit all day every day, but I have plans and I’m not going to allow her to run her greasy fingers through my life. These Piranhas are not segregated to tech.

  41. Anonymous

    Not in tech, but this also happened to me during my evaluation in December. They asked me to sign it and then I think they forgot about it. I just got laid off a couple weeks ago.

    I heard from every single person I worked with who told me how sorry they were and how I didn't deserve it...except for the person who told lies about me and talked down to me the whole time I was there. Remember, karma's a b*tch.

  42. Anonymous

    Have you reached out to your HR team. Sounds like he is violating some rules. I think several of us have been in this situation. When I received one, I added extensive notes to the write up and refused to sign because it was inaccurate. This was several years ago, so not sure what is appropriate now. Best to reach out to HR and get their feedback.

  43. Anonymous

    If you leave the company does those reviews stay with you and affect future hiring at that particular place or are they only for this current role?

  44. Anonymous

    Can you write what you feel and sign it after that?

  45. Anonymous

    I would just *not sign*. Go ahead and put it in my personnel file. I'm not "agreeing" to anything. I have had annual reviews in the past that I have refused to sign because there were unfair and inaccurate statements. They were still part of my employee record, but I didn't accept them, so to speak.

  46. Jamie Martin, ACC

    I would sign it but with this under your signature: Signature indicates I have received this document

    It makes sure it's an acknowledgement of receipt not agreement of the details.

    Also, check that the PIP is written in a way that is not asking you to agree that the assessment is correct, but only acknowledges receipt.

    Here's a good article from a law firm on this.

    https://spigglelaw.com/should-i-sign-my-performance-improvement-plan/

  47. Drea Rahming

    Not in Tech but this happened to myself and a coworker she in turn wrote a response and instead of handing it to the Supervisor she took it to HR. a meeting was held and training was provided don't just sign write a response to the note

  48. Louise Derzansky

    Was the training provided to your coworker or to the supervisor?

  49. Drea Rahming

    It was provided to my co-worker for myself it wasn't a fair assessment as the Manager and Assistant Supervisor were only there for 4 weeks vs mine being 4 months

  50. ARB

    An unwarranted write-up happened to me as well. My feeling is that they are trying to provoke you. It's like a kick in the shin that you cannot return.

    High achievers and consistent performers can provoke jealousy from others- even in someone that outranks you and benefits from your excellent work because you're probably getting noticed or even talked about and that can spark envy in your supervisor. People do ugly things when they are jealous.

    I would take this write-up in stride. Don't let anyone see you sweat about this. You can sign it or not, but do write an addendum to the write-up stating why you think the write-up is flawed. That addendum will also go in your file. Then go on as if nothing has happened. Your next career moves will be up to you.

  51. Christi Lopez

    I second this. Be as detailed as possible in your response and include any evidence you have to support your arguments.

  52. Anonymous

    I have seen the PIP process used to vacate a role for the managers contact and I have seen “high performers” who were completely unaware that folks had refused to work with them. I currently have a direct report who is in the second category. They have a long employment history but their style of working is very authoritarian and several partner teams have refused to work with the person. They have been pulled off multiple high priority projects because they have become a blocker, expecting absolutely perfection when progress is good enough. Further they expect complete perfection in processes and ways of working though we are a startup environment who is working with partner teams to establish these very things. The startup culture is just not a fit for their preferred way of working and they is unwilling to adapt.

  53. Anonymous

    I've had something similar happen out of the blue. I wouldn't sign anything that didn't give me space to provide a rebuttal.

  54. Anonymous

    The fact that you had the courage to call out the supervisor on their lack of email etiquette probably bruised an ego. The Improvement plan, as farcical as it is, was written as a subliminal warning to you directly and everyone else indirectly, to 'not dare correct a supervisor, even if they're in the wrong." It's petty, but it's office politics at its finest. You could sign the document to signal that you understand because it was served to you; but you should issue a rebuttal saying stating your side as well.

  55. Anonymous

    Weird how your are in Tech and surrounded by frat boy tech bros. I am in Tech and as a guy am subject to a radical left wing feminist environment. Was not like that when I started there in 2006. I'm all for equity in the workplace, but not when ideology trumps productivity and results.

  56. Anonymous

    Super DOS required all caps. I work in an industry that was built on Super DOS so everyone still types in all caps. Nobody gets all in their feels about it. Older people use all caps because it's easier to read. Facts over feels.

  57. maria rose

    Exactly how was the asking done by you, requesting a tone down of the use of CAPS which is the equivalent of yelling in group emails by your supervisor. Did you have such a good communication with this supervisor that you felt that you were allowed to address them directly. Why couldn’t this have been addressed in a less obvious approach—like a face-to-face conversation. But like most of the anonymous comments stated you bruised an ego—your superior’s ego and now are facing the consequences in an Improvement Required note.

    Regardless of who is right—personally the both of you are wrong—you now have to deal with the consequences. And judging by your comment you can’t do the obvious-“I quit routine”. Signing the note and put signing as requested but do not agree. Stay in your lane and just do your job as required and if remaining there is so triggering—start looking for a new position. Good luck

  58. Anonymous

    What type of advice are you seeking? Do you want to stay? Do you want to leave? Are you seeking a severance package? Do you have grounds for discrimination? In the absence of knowing that all we can offer is empathy.

  59. Anonymous

    If it was me, I would tell the manager that I was not signing the "Improvement Required" unless I put in the signature refuse to sign. A written rebuttal would be appropriate. There is no where saying a person has to sign a document that is not factual. As a HR Director, I have counseled others that they could just write refuse to sign along with a written rebuttal. But the sooner the better.

  60. Anonymous

    I refused to sign a review when the supervisor had misinformation on it. She confused me with a peer. She grabbed a sharpie and angrily crossed it out. Again, I refused. Yeah, it was hard to refuse but I did and glad for it. Don’t sign.

  61. Anonymous

    I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with that. He seriously has a big ego that you bruised. If he gets THIS upset over something so trivial, it probably goes much further than you know. To retaliate like that is a clear sign he’s no business being a manager! I’ve had similar happen to me when I called a manager out for their repeated verbal abuse and dishonesty. (I know he has gotten other people fired, taken peoples commissions, used company funds for his own use, told lies and used profane language during meetings.) Hr made him verbally apologize just once but his behavior continued. When my note came, I refused to sign it as everything in it was lies and tasks he added out of nowhere he didn’t feel like doing himself or issues that were never brought up when they happened. There was no way to avoid this character and they would continue to make my life miserable. It was quite clear he wanted me out and anything I said was my word against him so it was a losing game. I was not able to go to a different department or switch managers any more … I already had 6 managers in 9 months (first three quit.) So I decided not to play. I tied up any loose ends I had and provided all the info needed for whomever was conned into the role again then resigned. I was hoping to stay for much longer as the rest of my coworkers were good to work with. Consider your possible outcomes, talk to HR if you can and give your rebuttal in writing including the timeline of the incident. This is clear retaliation IMHO and should be addressed. I’m sure you’re not the first person he’s done that to.

  62. Regina Brown

    My suggestion would be to ask him to provide examples explaining as to the details in the note

  63. Anonymous

    THIS! If they can't provide an example or a strategy to try instead, they shouldn't be highlighting it.

  64. Anonymous

    Make sure you detail what happened on the letter, and/or submit it to HR. I'm not sure what the right process is after being written up maliciously, but there has to be one. Good luck.

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