Surviving a PIP: the 30-day plan

Week 1 — Set the record

The first week is about paperwork, not performance. Read the plan carefully, twice. Draft and send a written response that acknowledges receipt, requests measurable criteria if any are missing, and asks for weekly check-ins in writing. Save every version of the plan and every message to a folder outside company systems. Use the letter builder if you want a running start.

Weeks 2–3 — Execute visibly

Each week, send a short written update to your manager that maps directly to the plan's criteria. Two or three bullets under each item. Attach or link the deliverables. After each check-in, follow up with an email summarizing what was discussed and any commitments made. This is boring, and it is the entire game.

In parallel, quietly do two other things. Update your résumé. Reach out to five or ten people you trust and let them know you're open to conversations. This is not disloyalty. It is prudence, and no one who's been through this once will judge you for it.

Week 4 — Prepare for either outcome

By now, you have a sense of where this is going. If the plan is landing well, the last week is about closing strong: one more clean written update, one more thoughtful check-in, one more explicit conversation about what continued employment looks like after the review.

If the plan is going the other way, run your severance numbers if you haven't already, and read how to negotiate severance. Consider whether you'd rather negotiate a separation now — often on better terms than the post-plan version — or hold to the review date.

Either way

You will end this month with a documented record you can defend, options you shaped rather than accepted, and a clearer view of what you actually want in the next role. That is not a bad month.