Well-reviewed employee is suddenly put on a PIP after asking for a raise: ‘If stepping back wasn't possible, why offer it? And if they simply want me gone, why not fire me?’

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Aug 26, 2026 8:00 AM EDT

Is this a process HR initiated or some obscure managerial tactic?

Something about this story is fishy. The timing is just off. Everything was going well, and he was receiving very good feedback until he asked for a raise, and suddenly a lot of 'anonymous negative reviews' started coming up out of the blue.

In an ideal world, the employee could contact HR, and they would protect him or at least try to intervene in the PIP with a little extra organization, but if you ask me, I think no matter what he does, he is already cooked.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't know a single example of somebody who has entered a PIP and survived. The only thing one can do in those cases, in my opinion, is to use the PIP time to search for a new job.

Obviously, asking for a raise shouldn't be viewed as a crime, but some organisations would rather dispose of anyone with ambition and hire a person with less experience who is willing to work for less money. It is just how it is.

At any rate, my opinion is very biased and very negative. Do you think this company is really trying to assess a normal productivity issue and is willing to keep this employee?

Or are these kinds of processes always a tactic? What do companies really get from PIPs if that were the case? Because if they fire him in the end, they will still have to pay compensation, right?

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  • Is this a way of slowly laying him off?

    Cheezburger Image 10658569728
    via phyo min

    The PIP in question

    Not actual story subjects



     

  • Years of positive reviews, asked for a raise, and suddenly I'm on a PIP

    I've worked for the same company for several years and always had positive yearly reviews and conversations with my manager. I regularly took on more responsibility and started new initiatives.
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • Last year I asked for and received a promotion, but without a raise. I accepted it because I wanted to prove myself in the new role first.
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • At the beginning of this year, I asked for a raise to go with the increased responsibilities. After several months, they refused, mainly because I'm already one of the highest earners in the company. That's probably
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • true, I'm paid well and above market rate so while I was disappointed and told them so, the refusal itself wasn't a huge surprise. My raise request led to several conversations about why I was "unhappy." I was even
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • told that if I were happy with my job, I wouldn't need a raise to feel validated. Then this summer, I went into what I thought was a normal meeting with my
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • bosses and got 45 minutes of entirely negative feedback. Apparently multiple team members had anonymously complained about me, and
    via Own_Copy_5605

  • Where did the anonymous reviews come from?

    Предприва
    via tommao wang

    The employee receiving the PIP invite

    Featured likenesses do not identify those mentioned



     

  • management now considered my performance in my new position very poor. This was completely different from the feedback I'd received before.
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • They asked if I wanted to step back into my old role, but warned that if I did, they couldn't guarantee I'd still have a job because they'd need to hire someone for my current position. My boss also explicitly told me he didn't
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • believe I could improve enough to succeed in the role. After thinking about it for a few weeks, I agreed to step back.
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • They seemed genuinely surprised with my choice, which is weird when they put so much pressure on me. Then they told me stepping back actually
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • wasn't possible and instead put me on a two- month PIP, which I had to write myself. So now I'm confused about what they actually want.
    via Own_Copy_5605

  • I agree with OP that the fact he had to write it himself is a major red flag, some commentors argue that he should look to involve HR inmediately because it might be a case of some managerial maneuver, as I said before. But it could also mean management is kinda lazy and that's it.

  • If they don't believe I can improve, why give me a PIP? If stepping back wasn't possible, why offer it? And if they simply want me gone, why not fire me? I'm not in the US, and a PIP doesn't give them any special legal protection
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • here so they'd still owe me the normal compensation if they fire me. I've also talked to my teammates, and everyone I've spoken to has been positive toward me, although obviously I can't
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • know what people said anonymously. Does this sound like they're trying to manage me out? Or just management handling a genuine performance problem incredibly badly?
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • Either way, would you start looking for another job?
    via Own_Copy_5605
  • SecureWriting8589 You know that PIP stands for "Paid Interview Period" Start looking and interviewing.
    via SecureWriting8589
  • StopManaCheating Never accept a promotion without a raise, or you will never get it. Title AND money up front.
    via StopManaCheating

  • Should he look for another job?

    Cheezburger Image 10658570240
    via Jakub Żerdzicki

    Is PIP always the end?

    Representative only



     

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace work workplace toxic-work-environment
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