When a Performance Problem Surfaces After You Take Over
One of the trickiest situations a newly promoted manager can face is discovering that a performance issue existed before they ever took the reins. You didn't witness it, you didn't document it, and you certainly didn't cause it — but now it's sitting on your desk and it's your problem to solve. This scenario is more common than most management guides acknowledge, and handling it well requires a clear head, a fair process, and a firm commitment to accountability.
Whether the issue involves a disengaged employee, a complaint from a volunteer or client, or a pattern of dismissive behavior that nobody formally addressed, the steps you take in the next few weeks will define both your credibility as a leader and the future performance standard of your team.
Why You Can't Simply Ignore Pre-Existing Performance Problems
It might be tempting to reason that because the behavior happened before your promotion, it's not your responsibility to address it. That thinking is understandable but ultimately flawed. As the current manager, you inherit the full landscape of your team — the wins, the gaps, and yes, the unresolved issues.
Ignoring a documented complaint, especially one from someone external like a volunteer or client, sends a damaging message to your organization and to the person who raised the concern. It also signals to the underperforming employee that problematic behavior carries no consequences, which makes it far more likely to continue or escalate. Worse, it puts you in a legally and professionally precarious position if the behavior resurfaces and it comes out that you knew about it and did nothing.
The good news is that addressing past performance issues is entirely within your authority as a manager, even when those issues predate you.
Step One: Gather the Facts Before Taking Any Action
Before you call the employee into your office, invest time in understanding exactly what happened. In the example of an employee like Robert — who allegedly conducted multiple calls with a volunteer in a dismissive and disengaged manner — you need to assess what evidence exists, what the employee's prior manager knew or observed, and whether there were any previous conversations or warnings about this kind of behavior.
Talk to HR early. This is not a step to skip. HR can advise you on what documentation already exists, whether any prior performance conversations were logged, and how your organization's policies apply to pre-promotion incidents. They can also help you determine the appropriate weight to give a complaint that surfaces months after the fact.
Collect any written records — emails, complaint letters, prior performance reviews — and resist the urge to draw firm conclusions until you have a complete picture. Your job at this stage is fact-finding, not verdict-delivering.
Step Two: Have a Direct Conversation With the Employee
Once you've gathered the relevant information, you need to speak with the employee directly. This conversation should be professional, calm, and focused on specific behavior — not character judgments. Avoid opening with inflammatory language taken from a complaint (even if a complainant called someone "a disgrace," that phrase has no place in a coaching conversation).
Describe what was reported, give the employee a genuine opportunity to respond, and listen carefully. There may be context you're not aware of. Perhaps the employee was dealing with a personal crisis, a medical situation, or a team dynamic problem that contributed to their disengagement. That context doesn't excuse poor behavior toward volunteers or clients, but it may inform how you proceed.
Be transparent that this is a formal conversation being documented, and make clear what your expectations are going forward. Clarity is kindness in performance management — vague feedback helps no one.
Step Three: Establish a Forward-Looking Performance Standard
Even when addressing past conduct, the most productive outcome of any performance conversation is a clear agreement about future expectations. Work with the employee to outline exactly what professional, engaged behavior looks like in their role. If their job involves onboarding volunteers or external stakeholders, specify what a good interaction looks like: active listening, timely follow-up, a genuine effort to connect the volunteer's experience to the organization's needs.
If appropriate, consider whether a formal performance improvement plan (PIP) is warranted. This is especially relevant if the behavior fits a broader pattern of disengagement you've observed since becoming their manager. A PIP is not a punishment — it's a structured tool for setting measurable goals, providing support, and documenting progress or lack thereof.
Step Four: Close the Loop With the Complainant
The volunteer or client who raised the concern deserves acknowledgment. You don't need to share details of any internal disciplinary process, but a professional response that thanks them for speaking up, acknowledges the experience they described was not acceptable, and affirms your team's commitment to respectful engagement goes a long way toward rebuilding trust.
Ignoring external complainants entirely is a reputational risk — particularly when volunteers, donors, or community partners are involved. These relationships often take years to build and can unravel quickly when people feel dismissed.
The Bigger Picture: Setting the Tone as a New Manager
How you handle your first difficult performance situation will set the tone for your entire tenure as a manager. Teams watch closely to see whether their new leader has the courage to address uncomfortable truths or will look the other way to avoid conflict. Addressing a pre-existing issue fairly, decisively, and with appropriate process demonstrates that you hold everyone — including people you used to work alongside as peers — to the same professional standard.
It's also worth reflecting on what systemic gaps allowed the behavior to go unaddressed for so long. Were there no feedback mechanisms in place for volunteers? Was a prior manager aware and avoidant? Understanding the organizational conditions that let a problem fester can help you build better accountability structures going forward.
Managing inherited performance issues is never easy, but it is an essential part of effective leadership. Do it thoughtfully, do it fairly, and document every step of the way.