Should I stay or should I go?

Question

I need advice.I work at a company of about 50 people. We're not a tech or engineering company at all, in terms of mindset, we're all just survey programmers. Maybe 3 people work on more advanced stuff, and that's not their main focus. I'm trying to move into a software engineering/development role. So it's not an ideal role, but it's just a general painting of the scenario.The real issue is that I got PIP'D. The same day I got PIP'D, they fired 3 people. Yesterday, we also had a "Town Hall" to address overall company shortcomings.I truly believe I can survive the PIP and that the org truly believes in me and is using the PIP as a way to help me. Before the PIP, however, I only had 1 performance review that I had to request. Aside from that, my managers would talk to me about my blunders and I would own them, but they never sat me down to go over goals and expectations.As things unfolded and we all caught wind of things not going well and had meetings to discuss, people would bring things up, like more resources and documentation to clarify goals and expectations. Well, that's not happening. At the Town Hall it was reiterated that processes and resources aren't the issue, mindset is. Today, via email, it was also reiterated that no processes would change and that people just need to change their mindset. What they did offer, however, is 3 months severance to anyone who doesn't think it's a good fit anymore.I don't believe in an organization that, when faced with a workforce that isn't meeting expectations, just says "we don't need to change anything, you guys need to change your mindset." Seems...naive? Like in any other aspect of life, if the way you're doing things doesn't produce the outcomes you want, you shift! On top of that, for a company that collects data, our own internal data practices are weak. We don't have what I consider to be strong documentation, clear goals, or even a shared mission/value statement (that they also want us to double down on...) I want to take up the 3 months offer, but I'm also nervous about job prospects. I only make $45k, so it's not like I'm walking away from a 6 figure salary. At this point I have a little over a year of experience with my butt in the seat programming and am also currently pursuing a Masters in CS. My experience, however, is mostly with Python, XML, HTML, CSS, but not hot technologies like React, so I'm nervous about finding work in the next 3 months. I don't believe I belong here anymore, but I'm also nervous about my prospects. I feel stuck and don't know what to do. Any insight would be appreciated.

ZTrope90 · Accepted Answer

Stoop kid never leaves his stoop... Jk, sounds like in this case it might be the best option.

It sounds like they anticipate letting people go without the 3 month option so this might be your best chance to secure at least 3 months of pay, guaranteed, especially if you're on a PIP.

I work in a SMALL startup, like 10 full time people, and yeah startups are going to be strapped and not all have processes/documentation lined up and if that's something you need to be successful, then it's probably best to split with this company while you can.

I agree though, their mindset that they don't want to change and would rather push their employees to change their mindset (seemingly without explaining what the mindset is??) is weird as hell and looks like they're intentionally trying to push people out. I'd take the severance and use the time to work on and develop some side projects/skills that you can use to boost your resume. You're already ahead of a lot of other folks who are full self-teaching because you have pretty relevant work experience. The market is wild right now, but it sounds like your chances of getting let go are high enough that you're probably on the job hunt soon-ish no matter what. I think it makes sense to take the 3 months of guaranteed pay to set yourself up better for the future.

mroebuck · Answer

I stopped reading after reading the words "PIP" and "fired". That's your queue. It's time to get out of that place and move one. I found myself in a PIP position twice in my career, both times over strong disagreements. In both situations, there was opposition fighting on my behalf behind the scenes, and I managed to sustain myself long to find another job.It's clear that you're not being valued for whatever reason. It's time to end employment there and move on. There's no need to prove any type of loyalty to that employer.

Should I stay or should I go?

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