Bengaluru employee says manager denied Dussehra leave days after placing him on PIP, internet says ‘New layoff strategy’

A Bengaluru-based employee has sparked a discussion on Reddit after claiming that his manager placed him on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) days before a planned Dussehra trip to his hometown and subsequently denied his leave request.

The employee said he works at a retail-focused company in Bengaluru and joined the organisation around four months ago. In the comments section, he clarified that he is a fresher.

According to his Reddit post, he had booked tickets to travel home for Dussehra and spend time with his family. However, his plans were disrupted after a performance review meeting in which his manager reportedly raised concerns about his output and placed him on a PIP.

"Today we had my performance review and he put me under PIP saying I'm not giving the expected output or performance," the employee wrote.

He said he subsequently requested two days of leave to celebrate the festival with his family, but his manager rejected the request because he was on a PIP.

"Later I asked him regarding my holidays for 2 days to spend time with my family for occasion. But he rejected it saying I'm under PIP and can't give any holidays," the post read.

The employee also claimed that he had not received written communication confirming the PIP and alleged that his leave requests had been rejected previously.

"But they didn't give any written confirmation on my PIP. What should I do now? I'm really confused and stressed," he wrote.

"I really want to go home and spend time with my family as it's been long time since I went home and my parents are excited and waiting on my arrival," he added.

The post prompted discussion among Reddit users about workplace pressure, performance reviews and the implications of being placed on a PIP shortly before a planned holiday.

"Its just my opinion in your place I would have gone home. Looks like they are aiming to get u removed," one user wrote.

Another commenter described PIPs as "the new layoff strategy," adding: "Go home, enjoy the festival and start looking for another job."

Other users advised the employee to consider alternative job opportunities while assessing whether he could meet the expectations set out in the performance review process.

One commenter argued that PIPs can involve demanding targets and may not always result in an employee being retained.

"It is the norm to put people on PIP, dump unreasonable expectations, tell them they'll be retained if they perform well and eventually let them go," the commenter wrote.

Another Reddit user advised the employee to focus on future opportunities if he believed he would struggle to clear the PIP.

"PIP in very rare scenario turns positive. If you somewhere believe you will not be able to pass it, start job hunting after your holidays," the comment read.

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