A TikToker put her boyfriend on a ‘performance improvement plan’ and she says he 'kind of liked it'

• A TikToker went viral for sharing how she put her boyfriend on a "performance improvement plan," also known as "PIP," to save their relationship.
• A "PIP" is a common corporate tool used to detail measurable changes an employee must make in order to not get fired.

As the dating world evolves alongside a rapidly developing world of social media and technology, many younger couples are taking on more "customized" ways to work out common relationship obstacles.

Just last month, a TikToker went viral on the platform through a video in which she shared how she saved her relationship by putting her boyfriend on a "performance improvement plan," also known as "PIP" — a tool commonly used in the corporate world as a final resort to manage an employee on the verge of being fired.

"My boyfriend and I were having a lot of issues in the beginning, like a lot," the TikToker, Nadeen Hui, said in the video which has now gathered more than 197,000 views and 13,000 likes, as of Thursday.

So as a "last straw," the couple decided to do a "PIP" to save their relationship. "I know it's kind of harsh to some of you, but he's an engineer, and sometimes it's really hard to communicate with him without using something that he can already relate to," said Hui in the TikTok.

"Plus, he kind of liked it", she continued in the video.

Hui created a shared note with weekly and daily tasks that her boyfriend would have to do, as well as a set of things that he needed to work on, and apparently the plan worked out "really well," according to Hui.

She shares in the video that they use a kanban board, a visual work management system that allows you to display your workflow. It was first used as a visual scheduling system as part of the Toyota production process.

Hui also says that her favorite part of the whole system they implemented was the end-of-week check-ins they would have with each other.

The video received mixed reactions.

While many praised her for her communication skills. Some other users were criticizing her for "workifying" her personal relationship — "Late stage capitalism is truly hell," a comment with close to 500 likes read.

There were also people who found it comical. "As an engineer this is absolutely hilarious", another comment reads.

In a follow-up video responding to criticism calling her implemented system "so condescending," Hui defends herself saying that the decision to "PIP" her boyfriend wasn't an ultimatum, nor did it come from a toxic argument as a "manipulation tactic."

"He was the one who told me that task lists with clear objectives are what works for him," the TikToker added.

The 30-year-old also clarifies that the PIP-ing was only towards the beginning of their relationship, when they were struggling to adjust to each other's different lifestyles. The couple has now been together for three years according to the TikToker, and there are no new PIPs.

But they still do weekly check-ins where they ask each other if they feel like they were loved or if they got enough attention from each other, said Hui in her follow-up TikTok.

"These are just tools that we put in place that work for us and help us maintain an open communication," Hui continued in the second video.

On hindsight, she was glad that they found their own way to work out their differences earlier in the relationship, she said in an interview with HuffPost. "It just gets harder as you're together longer because you're reinforcing what's acceptable," Hui told HuffPost.

"It's not gonna work for everyone but he literally is my best friend and my favorite person in the world, and I am his," she ends off in the follow-up clip.