Workers in Michigan can lose their jobs for a wide variety of reasons. Knowing when there has been a wrongful dismissal and whether one’s rights are protected under state employment law is key when determining whether or not there are options to file a legal claim. One issue that is often worrisome for employees is known as Performance Improvement Plans or PIP. Losing one’s job over PIP might lend itself to a legal filing against an employer.
PIP frequently leads to trepidation for employees who are working in sales. An employer might implement a PIP program to try to motivate employees to reach certain thresholds that are listed in the plan. These might be categorized as a way to keep employees working as hard as possible, but they are sometimes unfair and can result in employees being wrongfully dismissed. Given the uniqueness of a sales job, the employer can formulate a variety of different ways in which an employee’s performance can be gauged. These methods can surpass simple numbers and expand to different areas.
Other factors should be weighed when an employee’s productivity is assessed. An employer might set the bar so high that it is nearly impossible for a worker to reach it. Also, PIP can often be used to mask other forms of discrimination against a person’s gender, race or national origin and put up a front allowing the employer to point to a failure to achieve PIP as a reason for the dismissal when there were other reasons. It is then that PIP is not being used as a tool to improve performance. It is instead an excuse to dismiss otherwise competent workers.
Having an understanding about PIP and how it might have factored in when an employee lost his or her job can help with deciding whether or not to consider a legal filing. Speaking to an attorney who is aware of PIP and is well-versed in wrongful termination cases can help with moving forward with a wrongful termination case.