HR Advice Hub

What If the Previous Manager Never Addressed an Employee’s Poor Performance?

Taking over a team can sometimes come with a few surprises.

A new manager might quickly notice that an employee is not meeting the expected standard, only to be told that it has been happening for months - or even years.

Perhaps the previous manager noticed but never addressed it. Maybe concerns were discussed between managers but never raised with the employee. Or the employee's performance was simply allowed to drift without anybody setting clear expectations. It can leave a new manager wondering what they can actually do.

The good news is that poor performance does not have to continue simply because it has been allowed to continue in the past. But where an employee has never previously been told there is a problem, the way the new manager approaches it matters.

Can a New Manager Address Existing Performance Problems?

Yes. A change of manager does not prevent a business from addressing genuine performance concerns. If an employee is not meeting the reasonable standards expected of their role, their new manager can start managing that performance.

However, there is an important difference between poor performance that has previously been managed and poor performance that managers have privately complained about but never actually raised with the employee.

If nobody has told the employee that their performance is below the required standard, it may be unfair to behave as though they have knowingly failed to improve. The starting point may need to be making the expectations clear.

Can You Performance Manage an Employee If Their Previous Manager Didn't?

Yes. A previous manager's failure to address poor performance does not prevent a new manager from doing so. But it may affect where you start. If there is evidence that the employee has previously been told about the concerns, given clear expectations and had opportunities to improve, the new manager can take that history into account.

If the employee has never been made aware that there is a problem, immediately moving into formal performance management may be harder to justify. The employee should understand what they are doing wrong, what standard is expected and what they need to do differently.

Sometimes that means the new manager has to do the work that should have been done months earlier. It can be frustrating, but previous poor management should not become a reason to manage the employee unfairly now.

“But Everyone Knew Their Performance Was Poor”

This is something HR hears surprisingly often. A new manager inherits an employee and is told: “They've always been like this.” But when you look for evidence of what has actually been done, there is very little.

No documented conversations. No clear objectives. No examples discussed with the employee. No support offered. No indication that the employee was ever told their performance needed to improve. Other managers knowing about a performance problem is not the same as the employee knowing about it.

Before deciding what should happen next, establish what has actually been communicated to the employee rather than relying on what previous managers say amongst themselves.

Look at the History, But Don't Inherit Somebody Else's Opinion

A new manager should understand the background. That might mean reviewing previous appraisals, objectives, one-to-one notes, emails, performance data or any previous informal or formal action. But there is a difference between understanding the history and arriving with a predetermined view of the employee.

Comments such as: “You'll have trouble with them” or: “Nobody has ever managed to get them to perform” might give the new manager some context, but they are not evidence on their own. The new manager should form their own view based on the employee's current performance and the information actually available.

What If There Is No Record of Previous Conversations?

This is where poor management records can create problems. A previous manager might insist: “I've spoken to them about it loads of times.” The employee might say: “Nobody has ever told me there was a problem.”

If there is no record of those conversations, establishing exactly what was said can be difficult. That does not necessarily mean the conversations did not happen. But it may make it much harder to rely heavily on them when deciding how far to escalate the situation.

This is one reason managers should keep proportionate records of performance conversations, even when they are dealing with matters informally. An informal conversation does not need to become a lengthy HR document. A brief factual note of what was discussed, the expectations set and any agreed next steps can be extremely useful later.

How Should a New Manager Address Poor Performance?

Start by establishing what the performance concern actually is and what has happened previously. Then speak to the employee. Explain the areas where their performance is falling below the required standard and give specific examples rather than relying on vague statements such as “you need to improve”. Make sure the employee understands what good performance looks like and what needs to change.

It is also important to listen. There may be reasons for the performance difficulties that the new manager does not yet know about. The employee may not have received appropriate training, objectives may have been unclear or there may be other factors affecting their ability to perform their role. Depending on the circumstances, a sensible approach may include:

• discussing the specific performance concerns

• explaining the required standard

• setting clear and measurable expectations

• agreeing what improvement is needed

• identifying any appropriate training or support

• setting a reasonable period for improvement

• arranging a date to review progress

• keeping an appropriate record of what has been discussed

The aim should be to give the employee a genuine opportunity to improve rather than simply catching them out for something the previous manager failed to address.

Don't Jump Straight to Formal Performance Management

A new manager may understandably feel frustrated if they inherit a problem that should have been addressed much earlier. But that frustration should not result in the employee suddenly being pushed into a formal performance process without considering what has happened previously.

If the employee has never been clearly told that their performance is unacceptable, an informal conversation will often be the sensible starting point. Explain the areas of concern. Give specific examples. Clarify what good performance looks like. Ask whether there is anything affecting their ability to meet the required standard. Consider whether additional support, guidance or training is appropriate. And, importantly, make it clear what needs to change.

The fact that the business should have addressed the issue six months ago does not necessarily justify skipping those steps now.

Can You Set New Expectations?

Yes, but first establish whether the expectations are actually new. Sometimes a new manager is accused of suddenly changing the rules when they are really starting to manage standards that have always existed.

For example, an employee may say: “My old manager never had a problem with it.” That does not necessarily mean the behaviour or level of performance can never be challenged. But previous tolerance can be relevant. If somebody has worked in a particular way for several years without being told there is a problem, it may be reasonable to give them clarity and an opportunity to adjust before treating their failure as an established performance issue.

Equally, if the new manager genuinely wants to introduce different standards or ways of working, they should be clear about what is changing and why.

Be Specific About What Poor Performance Actually Means

Another problem with inherited performance issues is that the language can become very vague. An employee gets described as: “not very good”, “difficult to manage” or “not pulling their weight.”

None of those descriptions tells the new manager exactly what needs to improve. Performance concerns should be capable of being explained in practical terms.

Are deadlines regularly being missed? Is the quality of work below the required standard? Are errors being made? Are agreed targets not being achieved? Does the employee lack particular knowledge or skills required for their role? Being specific helps the employee understand what is expected and gives the manager something meaningful to review.

Make Sure It Really Is a Performance Issue

Before starting to manage somebody for poor performance, it is also worth considering what is actually causing the problem. Performance is generally about an employee's capability to perform their role to the required standard.

That is different from somebody being capable of doing the work but deliberately refusing to follow reasonable instructions or expectations, which may instead be a conduct issue.

There may also be other factors that need consideration, such as unclear objectives, inadequate training, workload, changes to the role or a health issue affecting the employee's ability to perform. The fact that previous management labelled somebody a “poor performer” does not mean that label is necessarily correct.

What If the Employee Still Doesn't Improve?

Addressing the matter informally does not mean the business has to continue doing so indefinitely. Once the employee understands the concerns, knows what standard is required and has been given appropriate support and a reasonable opportunity to improve, the manager should review what happens.

If performance improves, the informal management has done its job. If it does not, it may be appropriate to move into the organisation's formal capability or performance management procedure.

At that stage, having clear records of the concerns raised, expectations set, support provided and progress reviewed becomes particularly important. The aim is not to build a case against the employee from day one. It is to give them a genuine opportunity to reach the required standard while ensuring the business can take further action if they do not.

Don't Let a Legacy Management Problem Become a Permanent One

It can be frustrating for a new manager to inherit an employee issue that should have been dealt with long before they arrived. But avoiding it because the previous manager avoided it simply allows the problem to continue. Equally, the answer is not to try to compensate for years of poor management by immediately escalating the employee into a formal process.

Understand what has happened. Establish what the employee has actually been told. Set clear expectations. Keep appropriate records. Give them a reasonable opportunity to improve. Then manage what happens next. A previous manager's failure to address poor performance may affect how you start dealing with the issue, but it does not mean poor performance has to be accepted forever.

Need HR Support?

If you've inherited an employee performance issue and aren't sure where to start, BloomHR can help.

We provide practical HR advice to help small businesses address performance concerns fairly, set clear expectations and decide when more formal action may be appropriate. Contact us for more information.