Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A man has shared how he was fired just ten months into a job despite being told during onboarding that it would take a full year to fully settle into the role, leaving him questioning everything after relocating across the United States for the opportunity.
The man shared his experience in a post on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell forum titled, “Fired after 10 months at a company that told me onboarding takes a year. Moved cross-country for this. I don’t even know how to feel.”
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In the post, the man explained that he had uprooted his life and moved from Texas to California alone for a position at a consumer packaged goods company, leaving behind his support system, friends and therapist. According to him, his manager had assured him during onboarding that it would take a year to get fully up to speed in the role.
Despite this, he said he was fired after just ten months.
The employee recalled receiving a positive annual performance review in which his manager described him as a “wonderful addition” to the team and spoke enthusiastically about what he would achieve in the coming year. However, he claimed that just six weeks later, he was abruptly placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) without any prior written warnings or formal coaching.
He said he made genuine efforts to improve, proactively sought feedback and even created plans to address issues that had been raised. However, he felt the company had given him just 30 days to resolve problems that, by its own standards, would have required months of guidance and coaching.
According to the man, feedback during the process became increasingly vague and the expectations kept changing. He alleged that he was criticised for issues that were either never clearly communicated or that he was already actively working on.
Among the more confusing complaints, he said management accused him of excessive socialisation in the office and even blamed him for a group game of GeoGuessr involving more than a dozen colleagues. He also claimed that he received contradictory feedback, with the same document praising his attentiveness in meetings while simultaneously expressing concerns about his engagement.
The manner of his dismissal left him particularly hurt.
He recalled that on his final day, his manager and her supervisor encouraged him to head home early. An hour later, he was called into a virtual meeting and informed that he was being let go. According to him, his manager’s supervisor remained silent throughout the call, offering no explanation or acknowledgement.
What made the experience even harder to process, he said, was that the same supervisor had spoken warmly to him earlier that day, acting as though nothing was wrong.
Three weeks later, the man claimed his manager reached out unexpectedly, offering to serve as a resource and help him with whatever came next, a message that left him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Now unemployed, he said he was struggling to decide whether to remain in California or move back to Texas, admitting that he was frightened by the current job market and still trying to come to terms with what had happened.
Take a look at the post here:
The post prompted a wave of responses from others who said the employee’s experience sounded all too familiar.
One commenter argued that Performance Improvement Plans had increasingly become tools used by companies to justify dismissals rather than genuinely helping employees improve. The person claimed that PIPs were often intentionally vague and no longer functioned as they once did.
Another user suggested that the company may have already decided to eliminate the position and used the PIP process merely to protect itself. According to the commenter, many workers had gone through similar experiences and there was little the employee could have done to change the outcome.
A third person advised the man to continue applying for jobs and claim unemployment benefits. The commenter also noted that the manager’s offer to help could potentially serve as a positive reference and suggested using her professional network to explore new opportunities.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
