Amazon PIP
My Manager told me that I am not performing well and suddenly put me in PIP plan . He has already told me in September that my performance was low, and I have worked hard after that to show him. Even in 1:1s after September he has told me that I am improving. But I did not expect him to give me the pivot document suddenly. He has given a project which I was already working on and now I need to deliver it by Nov end. The L4 (front end/software engineer) tasks are not easy to achieve, but I am scared about the fact that recession is coming and this might be an Amazon way of kicking people out and even if I delivered everything he asked for, he can still decide to kick me out. So , can anyone help me with referrals and tell me what should I do at this situation? What is the best way to survive PIP as well as prepare for interview? I am in L4 and have worked for amazon for 14 months till now.
Don't worry, you're not alone. Lots of people have been through this and come out the other side just fine. The best thing you can do is stay positive and keep working hard. You never know, your manager may have a change of heart. In the meantime, start preparing for interviews just in case. Good luck!
This is ridiculous. Amazon is clearly just looking for an excuse to get rid of people and this PIP plan is just a way to do it. 14 months is not a long time to be working for a company and they are already looking to get rid of you. I wouldn't bother trying to survive the PIP plan, just start looking for a new job.
Once you're placed on plan, it's time to look for another gig or look forward to some relaxing time of unemployment because at that point, it's up to your reporting manager and the manager above them if they want to keep you and that's not dependent on your performance. I'm sorry that you are facing this situation. Anyone on and above L4 are always shafted when the performance is not satisfactory according to their metrics even if it's not in your control. I hope you find a way out somehow and please don't be afraid of taking a lower paying job if that means more peace of mind. If you have loans and emis, you may have to grind a bit more and try to keep your head above water till all payments are done.
Even my manager threatened a PIP. I am an L4 and it's been only 6 months since I've joined. What can we expect in a PIP?
For some reason we can't post a reply on our reply but here it goes. There will be certain metrics that will be expected to be met and if it's not met, it's up to your reporting manager to decide if PIP will be the right way forward. Sometimes, your manager is forced by their manager to put you on PIP if the performance was exceptionally abysmal, but either way, your manager will have a final say on it. At this stage, you'll be expected to meet a certain metric or project within the deadline and your work will be closely monitored. Even if the target is unreasonable, you'll have no choice because it's decided by your manager or supervisor (whom your manager reports). Failure to meet will mean a termination or another stage of improvement plan if your performance is somewhat satisfactory but not up to the mark but you'll be grinded as long as you're in plan. I'm not sure how it works in SDE but at least in my domain, that's how the process is. Our workload (and salary) is much lower so the pressure is almost nil and it'd take a herculean effort for us to move into the plan stage. You may check your work handbook and see what exactly happens in the plan stage in your domain.
So your life after PIP as you have figured out is not nice. Either you get fired (with severance), or you are kept but are still tagged as a low perforer which affects your next appraisal (s). Not to mention your peers are are laughing at you if you care about social niceties.
So use this PIP time to do some leetcode and get hired. Trust me. There are 1000+ companies still hiring. MNCs have a hiring freeze but join a startup (culture is same since you're already in Amazon). Also it's easier for you to get shortlisted due to FAANG tag and easier yo get in (I'm guessing you did some level of leetcode before to get in)
Worst case is you finish your project in PIP. As I've mentioned, this cannot be good for your future.
So do leetcode and prep. PIP exists so that people can leave voluntarily. If Amazon fires you they will have to pay you severence. This is them trying to avoid it.
Happy leetcoding
Dumb question: Do we get a severance if we got fired after not improving in the improvement plan. If yes how much?
When put in PIP, you will get option of around 2month severance to leave or fight it by completing the assigned tight deadlines. Failing it will give you 1month of severance to leave
Hey even I am frontend developer working at Salesforce within 2 months of joining at Salesforce they extended my probation I was put in PIP. The suggestions which I got were to look out for the job and do not be in hope that you will clear the PIP