WSJ has an article out on the increasing popularity of PIPs.
Truth is that they want to fire you and the PIP is just to protect against lawsuits for wrongful termination.
https://www.wsj.com/business/firing-someone-performance-improvement-plans-more-popular-the-pip-7cac7062
Yes the PIP is to fire you without legal problems. The PIP process documents everything either to save you or doom you. When you agree you sign a bunch of paperwork. It states if you do not complete the program completely without gaps you will be terminated. It also states you give up your right to sue exxon for any reason such as wrongful termination due to age discrimination. It also states you will not be eligible to apply or seek employment with exxon or any of its affiliates. Exxon is very careful when they want to get rid of employees. We are well taken care of at exxon. A fun thing to do is tell the Piper you wont sign unless your employment lawyer looks over the paperwork. They lose their s hit and the fear in their faces is priceless. The choices are try the pip, retire if you can, leave immediately and get paid for three months. I know of an older worker who took the 3 months pay and signed. They developed cancer a few years later and wanted to sue because of the chemical exposure they endured. They had trouble because of the no sue clause. I don t think they were successful in their lawsuit as they died a few years later.
Everyone who has worked for exxon and gone through the ranking process knows this. The only ones who are in disbelief or immune are the protected. I heard one of the protected defending the ranking process and said it was a fair system. The supervisors also say it is a fair system and spread the BS line. I have seen many who did not deserve to be piped fired and those who did deserve it protected. One wrong comment or the gossip doomed them.
Already common knowledge.