Sudden call for a review about bad performance. Am I getting fired?

Question

Today morning, I received an email from the manager about some issue that came up at the client side about hardcoding some links. Me and my boss were emailed, "you guys are taking things for granted". Half and hour later I get an email about performance review, HR and my boss are CC'd to that mail. We also had a meeting about missing a deadline last week because my boss couldn't set up the correct staging environment. This time I don't even know whose fault it is, it certainly doesn't look like mine. Its an US company with office in India where I work.

Is this review meeting to fire me? What should I say? Or shall I just resign first? Because its all being a blame game now.

One more thing, the contract that I signed says:

• In case of resignation, the notice period would be 3 months.
• In case you desire to leave the services of the company before completion of ONE year from the date of joining, subject to confirmation as an employee within six months from the date of joining, you will have to give at least three months notice and return all stipend money received till date by the company.

But I wasn't confirmed within 6 months, they confirmed me after about 7.5 months and till date I have served, around 10 months. So will it be right to tell them to reduce the notice period since they are not happy about my performance and I won't return any stipend money?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Different countries can react differently but it sounds to me like you'll be put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). There are 2 types usually, informal and formal. They are much the same, but the informal isn't as heavily recorded in your record, and while the informal usually leads to the formal, the formal leads to discipline (or firing).

You'll have to agree a set of targets with your boss, along with concrete timescales for the improvements to happen.

It sounds like your boss is getting heat as well (from the question and comments I assume he's a lead rather than a pure manager), but by the sound of it the main issues are with you. I'm assuming the links were your job, and your boss is in trouble for assuming you'd be able to get it right or ask. The deadline sounds like you've sat back and said "oh well the environment isn't ready, not my job". Did you raise it that you could/would miss the deadline if the environment wasn't ready? That's your responsibility.

The contractual stuff is outwith the scope of this site, but I'd suggest missed confirmation at 6 months will be assumed to been passed (ie if you weren't OK at 6 months you'd have been let go, so the fact you're still here is an implicit confirmation).

Don't resign, they will likely keep you to the contract. You'll likely survive this, but you have work to do to turn it around.

Once you're back on even ground is the time to start looking to move, your card is marked here, but it'll be harder to move under a cloud.

And learn from what happens.

Answer 2

The answer depends on a lot of situations -

1) Does your company give more than one warnings ? (Take examples of previous employees)

2) How important are you to the company (Is there any guy who does the same work as you or are you the only developer) ?

3) Even if the blame game has started , make it clear to your HR what all had happened during the process in an email.

4) Last option would be to serve your notice period if you see everything going against you , i haven't read about returning stipends anywhere and if the bond mentions so then you might have to .