Hard to Fire · Chapter 14 · Checklist

The PIP Survival Checklist

Execute the response in order when stress makes sequencing difficult.

This checklist spots issues. It does not predict termination or establish a legal conclusion. Apply the counsel trigger, and do not move unauthorized company material.

Progress0/21 complete

Next in sequence

Next: Phase 1, #1: Read the PIP and calendar every deadline.

Phase 1: First 48 Hours0/8 complete

1.Read the PIP and calendar every deadline.

2.Clarify signature meaning and request review time.

3.Start taking notes. Tell the truth. Date them. Keep what you saw separate from what you think it means, and don't copy confidential or restricted company information into a personal file.

4.Identify only records you are authorized to retain. A file being about the employee does not make it employee-owned.

5.Record a qualified employee-side counsel contact and any immediate counsel trigger.

6.Screen facts that may require legal review. Do not label the PIP discriminatory, retaliatory, wrongful, or predetermined.

7.Recheck household runway.

8.Tell your spouse or partner, if applicable.

Phase 2: Weeks 1 and 20/7 complete

1.Perform visibly and complete assigned work.

2.Ask for measurable requirements and respond in writing.

3.Record progress, feedback, scope changes, and access changes as they occur.

4.Build external options through Chapter 12 contacts.

5.Research comparable roles and compensation.

6.Protect personal accounts and remove personal data only through allowed methods. Personal devices do not create permission to retain company files.

7.Keep the PIP, legal strategy, and job search out of workplace conversation.

Phase 3: Week 3 Onward0/6 complete

1.Assess whether expectations are measurable and whether documented progress changes the feedback.

2.If the goals stay vague and documented progress still goes nowhere, put more time into the external search. Keep doing the job. Don't hand them a fresh problem.

3.If separation terms arrive, note deadlines and do not rush review.

4.Identify the few terms that materially affect money, benefits, restrictions, rights, and references.

5.Maintain professional conduct and preserve original records without alteration.

6.Return company property and leave clean, usable work files.

Jared's three misses

Phase 1

He did not preserve access to authorized personal employment records before systems closed.

Phase 2

He wrote internal memos instead of opening an external search.

Phase 3

He reached the separation agreement without counsel already identified.

What the checklist changes

It cannot guarantee a different termination decision. It changes what you still control when the decision arrives.

Counsel trigger

Seek qualified employee-side local counsel before signing or missing a deadline when the PIP, a separation offer, record-ownership uncertainty, protected activity or status, disputed facts, money, rights, or restrictions could materially affect the response.

Monday Move

Find your employer's policy for accessing personal employment records. Confirm the permitted request or download method. Then create an empty dated note template on a personal device, without copying company information into it.