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THE QUESTION
A major project I was working on was significantly delayed because of my manager’s negligence. However, my manager blamed me and he’s put me on a performance improvement plan (PIP) as a result. I know my manager has thrown me under the bus to save himself. I have proof that I hit all of my deadlines and emails with positive feedback from my manager that I was doing excellent work on the project.
What’s the best way for me to raise this issue with management higher up? Do you think my manager will even be reprimanded? Is it even worth bringing it up if I want to stay at this company?
THE FIRST ANSWER
Jennifer Houle, vice-president of people operations, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, Victoria
Before you decide how to raise this issue, I think you need to get clear on what outcome would actually feel meaningful or worthwhile to you. Reading between the lines, it sounds like part of the goal is accountability for your manager, but what does that look like to you? A formal reprimand? A reversal of the PIP? Reputational protection? All of the above? Most importantly, how realistic are any of those outcomes based on what you know about your company?
You also need to think carefully about the political and structural realities of your workplace. What have you historically seen happen when people raise concerns about leadership or management? Escalating above a manager is rarely consequence-free. You need to ask yourself how comfortable you would feel continuing to work under someone who knows you formally challenged them.
The risk of doing nothing, however, is very real. A PIP can create long-term vulnerability, including risk of termination, reputational damage and future reference concerns.
It might be worth considering whether others have experienced similar issues with this person. If so, there’s more strength and safety in demonstrable patterns than in isolated complaints.
If you do raise the issue, I would focus less on proving your manager is “bad” and more on documenting facts, timelines, deliverables and inconsistencies professionally and calmly. Your strongest position is credibility, not retaliation.
THE SECOND ANSWER
Vik Kambli, chief operating officer, veritree, Vancouver
This is a common situation that even the most successful people find themselves in at one point in their careers. The framing of this question is the first thing to address. You can’t think of the situation as a “battle to win” (for example, clear your name, get your manager reprimanded, prove you were right). That framing will hurt you whether the facts are on your side or not.
A PIP contains specific claims about behaviours and/or outcomes. Sit with it. For every claim, respond with evidence: the deadline you hit, the email feedback you received, the work delivered. Bring that to your one-on-one meetings with your manager, not as a counterattack, but as a request for clarity.
If you choose to escalate, talk to your skip-level manager or HR. Again, the way you frame it matters more than the facts. “I want to make sure this PIP is grounded in accurate information. Here’s what I’m seeing,” will get you heard. “My manager threw me under the bus” will get you labelled “difficult,” even if you’re right.
Will your manager be reprimanded? You probably won’t know. Companies rarely tell employees how managers are managed. If there’s truth to your concern, leaders take it in and watch. That’s probably not satisfying, but it’s reality.
The harder question is whether you want to stay. Not whether you can clear your name. Even if you get fully vindicated, can you rebuild trust with this manager? If the answer is no, the PIP process is about learning what to do next, not a fight to win.
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