I worked nights, weekends, and holidays after being put on a performance plan. I saved my job, but it wasn't worth it.

The author was put on a performance plan and burned out. Azatvaleev/Getty Images

• When I got a new department head at work, I was forced onto a performance plan.
• Even though I was already doing a great job, I worked extra hard on nights and weekends.
• I was taken off the performance plan and given more work with no raise, so I left the company.

I had been at my job in the legal industry for a few years and was comfortable in my role after successive positive annual reviews and regular praise for my work. Then we got a new department head; we did not get along. Nobody seemed to gel with her authoritarian management style.

She changed processes seemingly just for the sake of changing them and got involved in the minutiae, making dozens of revisions on everything and not trusting the team to do work we’d done successfully for years. I love process improvement, but she made our jobs unnecessarily harder. We needed to work nights and weekends to keep up.

After several months, the pressure and stress began to take a toll on my team. Several coworkers began to experience some scary, major stress-related health problems. I, too, was frustrated and upset daily.

I approached a member of senior management with my concerns. I thought someone could get her to back off us a little.

A few days later, my direct manager said I was being put on a performance-improvement plan due to shoddy work. I was shocked, angry, and terrified. I believe it was because I complained.

I was married with a toddler back then and was the breadwinner. Losing my job meant I’d lose everything.

I did everything I could to stay at the job — no matter the cost

To me, the PIP meant: “This is our first step toward firing you.” Nobody wants to stay where they aren’t wanted, but the job market was very tight. I applied all over and had a couple of interviews with a company. They went great, but the job was canceled before the offer stage. I was stuck.

I had to figure out how to stay in my job. I was already a great employee but knew I had to become perfect.

Each day, I donned a mental suit of armor, pasted a fake smile on my face, and became as formal, distant, and neutrally pleasant as an attendant to the royal family. Every email I sent had to be reviewed and approved by my manager first, which was arduous and humiliating. I met with her daily to review projects and report progress. It was demoralizing, but I grinned through my grimace and acted like I loved it.

I arrived super early to every meeting, “cheerfully” offered ideas, and stepped up whenever the new department head asked who wanted a task. I praised her, laughed at her jokes, and complimented her ideas. I worked nights, weekends, and holidays at the expense of my family. I was burned out and miserable.

To some people, this might sound like “being a good employee,” but I was already a good employee. I had years of proof. My work product was unchanged. I still beat every deadline, brought projects in under budget, and received regular praise for my work. But now, I forwarded every positive email to my manager.

I finally turned my boss’ opinion of me around

The PIP lasted three months. Two months in, the department head pleasantly remarked how hard I’d been grinding. I think praise and encouragement of overwork culture are toxic, but I acted thrilled and humbled to be recognized.

Every day, I hated my job more than the day before. I was under such high stress that my health began to suffer. I was hospitalized for heart palpitations and an irregular heartbeat — from stress, no surprise — but I still answered emails on my personal phone. I needed that job.

When the PIP ended, my manager said the department head not only loved my “turnaround” but also was promoting me to manage the biggest, most important projects in our department, which would require more hours and way more pressure every day. I asked whether the promotion came with a pay raise, and my manager said no, adding: “At least you’re off the PIP, right?” Right.

I finally left that job for a better one

Six months after the PIP, the job market loosened up, and I got a better position — with a pay increase, free parking, flexible hours, and a chance to grow my skills in another direction. It wasn’t more work but better, more interesting work.

I left on my terms, not theirs, and it felt great. I’ve continued to expand my skills and progress in my career ever since. I’m happy in my work every day. I work from home now, and my well-rounded skills are in high demand.

Being surprised with the PIP taught me a valuable lesson about corporate life: Don’t trust anyone, do whatever is necessary to survive, and don’t stay where you’re not wanted.