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PIP on H1B in current market

Janelle197·Sep 21, 2023

Posted in:Advice Job Hunting Management and Leadership Personal Growth Career Growth

HI,

So I have been put under a PIP with 30 days time.

my manager is not at all supportive which is partly responsible for current situation, so i am not sure I will ever be good enough. I am working on documen all my work in JIRA and code changes, but ot sure if that is going to actually amount to anything.

I want to make sure I am not taking any decisions based on emotions and instead am doing things which are actually beneficial for me. What are my options in terms of taking short term disability or negotiating an exit package, especially since I am on H1B and only have 60 days for job search.

Thanks !

mayAtNormili·Sep 22

Hi op,Sorry about being put in this situation. I know it can be brutal for mental health to have to be in environments where the odds are stacked against you. But you have options. And you deserve to do what’s best for you.FMLA is the type of leave where you are protected from job termination. i.e while you are on this leave, the company is responsible for giving you that job back when you return (unless there are layoffs). That means your H1B is not jeopardized. The max amount I know for this leave is 12 weeks.Short terms disability (STD) on the other hand doesn’t offer protection from termination, but it pays you while you are off work.I’ve read that it’s possible to take these concurrently.Going back to your question of whether to apply for leave or negotiate an exit package, I recommend applying for the leave asap and get yourself out of the toxic environment first. If you end up going back and are put on pip again, then you can take the severance.

Janelle197·Sep 25

Hi @mayAtNormili Thanks for your kind words !Is there any resource on navigating these lease options. I of course can't invove company HR and legal team. Should I consult anyone before taking these?

mayAtNormili·Sep 25

We’re working on putting together a resource on this at Normili. But first things first - Do you have a primary care doctor or a therapist? If not, schedule an appointment with a primary care doc asap.Do you mind sharing what company you’re at? Is it a larger company?In order to qualify for FMLA, the company needs to be big enough and have atleast 50 employees. Then you need to have worked at that company for atleast 1 year. If you meet this criteria:Meet the doctor and tell them about how you’re finding it hard to function at work due to stress, how that’s manifesting in your life and taking a toll on your mental health.The doctor needs to be able to approve that you are in need of a leave, and they will be the one to fill out the FMLA form. It’s available online anywhere and most docs already know.

Janelle197·Sep 25

I work for a company which has been acquired by Moody's Analytics. It is big enough.

mayAtNormili·Sep 26

Sounds like it meets that qualification then!Companies usually use a separate leave management platform where you can get more info about these kinds of leaves and initiate them. But it can be hard to find. You may have to dig around in your companies internal pages and directory and find the link…It might be in the same place where someone has to apply for parental leave.Once you submit a request, they usually assign folks a case manager (from the leave management platform) . They are the ones who will loop in the hr and your manager and communicate with them.

mayAtNormili·Sep 27

Also, please feel free to DM me and I'll be happy to support and guide wherever I can.

IsabellaZhang·Oct 02

Hi， you can actually change to CPT for a short-term and come back to H1B when you have a new job offer. It cost some money and effort, but it gives you freedom and time to search for new opportunities.