<i>Now it’s time to give the formal PIP, which everyone knows is “beginning the firing process”</i><p>Why not cut the crap, stop playing head games -- and get to the point? Just have - you know - a regular conversation with them:<p>"We've been talking a lot about how things have been going the past few months -- and I'm sorry to say this, but by this point we just don't think it's going to work out for you here. We could put you on this thing they call PIP, but honestly, to me that feels patronizing (and a waste of your precious time, to boot). And seriously, it's much better for your career and your next job hunt if you were to resign on your own accord, than for us to have to fire you. We'll give you a week or two to think about it - but if you're willing to resign voluntarily, we'll give you X dollars as severance" -- where $X is a non-trivial amount, basically on the order of what you would have spent on the 2 months going through the pointless, soul-crushing, and fundamentally insulting charade that -- as you say, everyone knows -- is PIP.<p>I know what everyone is about to say at this point: "because legal", "because temper tantrums, sabotage, etc". But in reality, the risk here is very, very small. The one time someone (from that precious breed of a "kind, high-empathy manager") went this route with me -- and from the few times it has happened to close friends of mine -- sure, it stung for a few minutes -- but ultimately we saw they were completely right course, and after the fact, we were nothing but grateful for their honesty, and for the pure courage and humaneness of the path they chose to take.<p>Your "reality" may differ of course. In a lot of companies (especially very large ones), no one really knows, or can really trust anyone, fears of sabotage (or a reaction substantially worse than a temper tantrum) are, shall we say, part of air you breathe once you walk through door.<p>But if that's the case, then you have far greater problems on your hands than the slightly awkward problem of firing a person that you just aren't clicking with.