Can my new boss PIP me if I've got a long history of strong performance?

[Anonymous]

My new boss is making me uncomfortable. They've overhired in my division lately and taken some of my regular duties and given them to others. There isn't enough technical work to go around so I'm filling my day with clerical work. I've had many years of Outstanding reviews (this is a Federal office). Can they try to stick me on a PIP? I've been seriously job hunting for over a year and there are so few jobs available. What if they do try to PIP me? Would I be better off quitting outright or wait to see if they PIP and fight it? I hope I'm being paranoid, but I think they are trying to rebuild their office with friends and I feel like a target.

[Anonymous]

In the federal government you can only be given a PIP if one of your performance evaluation Critical Elements is "Unacceptable." So no, with Outstanding performance ratings, you cannot be placed on a PIP.

[Anonymous]

And you never said anything when they took your technical work away? I would have put up a fight to prevent this from happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the federal government you can only be given a PIP if one of your performance evaluation Critical Elements is "Unacceptable." So no, with Outstanding performance ratings, you cannot be placed on a PIP.

This is false.

You can be placed on a PIP at any time that your supervisor concludes that your performance is unacceptable. This can happen at any time during the rating period and in the absence of an official rating of record. An employee can have five years of the best performance rating. If, three months after ratings, the suprvisor determines that performance has declined to the unacceptable level, the employee can be placed on a PIP.

[Anonymous]

Since when can you get an outstanding rating? In my agency you can only get acceptable or unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since when can you get an outstanding rating? In my agency you can only get acceptable or unacceptable.

Some agencies are on a two-tier system. Some are on a four-tier, and some are on a five. It is not all the same.

[Anonymous]

History doesn't mean much. What's important is the performance during the current rating period. PIPs are quite convoluted as in they really should not come out of the blue. There is a lot of prep work that needs to happen before HR approves a PIP.

Were you given your 2015 performance elements? Are you in a bargaining unit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And you never said anything when they took your technical work away? I would have put up a fight to prevent this from happening.

OP here. Yes, I expressed concern. Part of it is having two co-workers who want the more choice assignments that I've had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:History doesn't mean much. What's important is the performance during the current rating period. PIPs are quite convoluted as in they really should not come out of the blue. There is a lot of prep work that needs to happen before HR approves a PIP.

Were you given your 2015 performance elements? Are you in a bargaining unit?

My boss wrote up my 2015 performance elements. I offered comments on them as I thought the performance plan was too vague to be workable. I never got a response. I emailed his boss to express concern that I had no performance plan and heard nothing. So I have no performance plan. I am in a bargaining unit. I will try to contact our union rep to see what they suggest. Lately they speak to me like I'm in preschool. I can't figure out what's motivating the shenanigans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My new boss is making me uncomfortable. They've overhired in my division lately and taken some of my regular duties and given them to others. There isn't enough technical work to go around so I'm filling my day with clerical work. I've had many years of Outstanding reviews (this is a Federal office). Can they try to stick me on a PIP? I've been seriously job hunting for over a year and there are so few jobs available. What if they do try to PIP me? Would I be better off quitting outright or wait to see if they PIP and fight it? I hope I'm being paranoid, but I think they are trying to rebuild their office with friends and I feel like a target.

What would that get you? Never quit a job without a job to go to. And if your end game is to sue, you will want to show that you went to great lengths to keep your job and they made it impossible.