u/FairEmployment911

I am a software engineer and I recently got fired after being put on a sudden 30-day PIP completely out of nowhere.

My manager told me I "did not understand the product well enough" even though I had been on the team for 3 years. She also said I was too slow and that my work caused bugs. The thing is, everyone on the team causes bugs sometimes. Production issues are usually not caused by one person alone. QA is supposed to catch things too, but somehow I became the person blamed for everything.

What makes this even more confusing is that a few months before all of this, I received a raise and written acknowledgment that I was doing good work. That is part of why the PIP felt so shocking and sudden to me. Nothing in my performance reviews or 1-on-1s suggested I was at risk of being fired.

What makes this harder is that after I submitted a medical accommodation last year, I was put under a lot more scrutiny through a so-called "mentorship" with a senior engineer. I thought this person was helping me and was someone I could trust. Instead, he was apparently feeding my manager information about my weaknesses and mistakes, which later became the basis for my PIP.

The most shocking part is that none of these concerns were seriously brought up during my 1-on-1s. My manager acted supportive and friendly the whole time, so when the PIP happened it felt like a complete ambush. Looking back, it feels less like they wanted me to improve and more like they wanted to force me out.

Now I feel angry, betrayed, and honestly emotionally wrecked by the whole experience. My confidence has taken a huge hit. I keep replaying everything in my head and wondering what was real and what was not.

The betrayal from someone I considered a work friend hurt the most. I think what is messing with me the most is realizing that people may have been documenting my weaknesses behind the scenes while acting nice to my face the entire time.

Is this normal corporate culture? Has anyone else gone through something similar? How did you recover emotionally and professionally after a PIP or firing like this?

I have been at a mid-sized company for a little over 3 years. I was put on a 30-day PIP with no prior written warnings. After about 2 weeks, things escalated and they offered me a "mutual separation" with 4 weeks severance.

Basically, I failed the PIP due to me skipping a meeting to apply for jobs. A coworker ratted me out to my manager. I take full accountability for this egregious mistake. I learned my lesson and will no longer trust coworkers with privileged info again.

I raised concerns about the PIP process, including its timing shortly after an approved medical accommodation. I also belong to multiple protected classes.

Is 4 weeks typical in this situation, is it extraordinarily rare, or should I try to negotiate higher? Any advice on what’s reasonable? Should I talk to a lawyer to pursue the discrimination angle?