Does this pass the sniff test? Complained to HR, and now suddenly I’m on a PIP
I mostly need to vent, but I’m also curious how other people would read this situation because something about the timeline just doesn’t pass the sniff test for me.
I’m an administrative professional supporting two senior executives at a mid-sized company. Let’s call them Executive A and Executive B.
Executive A has always been a difficult personality to support. Constantly changing expectations, major FOMO if they aren’t included in something, everything is urgent, and other people somehow end up responsible when things don’t go according to plan.
Executive B, on the other hand, has generally been reasonable to work with, and I’ve had a good relationship with them.
Several months ago, things with Executive A started getting uncomfortable. There seemed to be resentment over the amount of time/attention I was giving Executive B.
Behind closed doors, I started getting comments along the lines of, “What about me?”, “Why aren’t you doing this for me?”, and “I’m also your boss.”
I was repeatedly told that I needed to respond to emails faster, anticipate everything they might need and essentially have answers immediately at the top of my head. There were also comments suggesting that I was barely doing administrative/EA work for them, despite the fact that I was balancing the needs of two senior executives.
What made it particularly uncomfortable was how different the behavior was when other people were around. In front of others: pleasant and professional. One-on-one: demeaning, territorial and increasingly difficult.
Eventually, I went to HR.
I didn’t go in with vague complaints. I had kept receipts. I provided specific examples, timelines and dates of comments and conversations, and explained why I was uncomfortable with the way I was being spoken to and treated.
What happened next really bothered me.
Rather than feeling like my complaint was handled discreetly, Executive A was made aware of it and then approached me wanting to “sit down and have a conversation.”
I had not expected to suddenly be put in the position of discussing my HR complaint directly with the person I had complained about.
I tried to move forward professionally and continued doing my job.
Here’s where things start feeling strange.
My mid-year review with Executive B was good. I wasn’t put on notice that my job was in jeopardy, nor was I told there were serious performance concerns that could lead to formal performance management.
Fast-forward a few months and, seemingly out of nowhere, Executive B tells me my performance is no longer meeting expectations.
I’m now on what is essentially a PIP — although management is being very careful not to actually call it a PIP. Instead, it’s being described as a “framework” designed to help me succeed.
The feedback is that I’m not doing things quickly enough, I need to be more proactive, and they “know I’m capable of more.”
Could some of that feedback be legitimate? Absolutely. I’m not pretending I’m a flawless employee. If there are things I need to improve, I’ll own them.
But I cannot get past the sequence of events:
I raise concerns to HR about Executive A’s treatment of me → Executive A learns about the complaint → my mid-year review with Executive B is fine → a few months later, my performance is suddenly formally under scrutiny → Executive B puts me on what is effectively a PIP.
Maybe those things are completely unrelated. But something about it feels off.
It also feels like I’m now in a position where every small mistake, misunderstanding or delay is being documented or treated as evidence of a larger performance problem, when previously those same types of everyday issues never seemed particularly significant.
Another part that has made this incredibly uncomfortable is that it’s a relatively small office where people know each other’s business. I’ve become aware that other administrative staff seem to know about what’s happening with me, including people I would never have personally discussed it with.
I obviously can’t know exactly what HR has or hasn’t shared, or how people found out, but it has left me feeling exposed. Something I thought I was raising privately now feels like it has become office knowledge, and the whole environment has become uncomfortable to work in.
At this point, I’m documenting everything, doing exactly what is being asked of me, keeping my head down and quietly preparing myself for the possibility that this is ultimately a managed exit.
Has anyone experienced something similar after making an HR complaint?
Did you actually survive the PIP/performance process and stay with the company? Or once things reached this stage, was the writing basically already on the wall?
I’d especially love to hear from people in HR, executive support, or corporate environments who have seen how these situations play out from the inside.
Am I reading too much into the timing, or would this sequence of events raise red flags for you too?