In all the companies I worked at in there last 20 years, there’s simply no way someone can get promoted while on a PIP. Nor can they get a salary increase, bonus, or shares. It’s a strict rule, and common sense frankly.
It doesn’t matter if they exceed some aspects and fail in others. If they’re on a PIP, they are not meeting the expectations for their role, period.
If you were on a PIP, your performance was below expectations for your current level. To be promoted your performance needs to be consistently at the next level.
What kind of company was it that contradicted itself so completely?