What would be the initial step to approach an employee who is showing under performance but seems to have personal issues going on in the background?

As a preliminary point, how an employer manages an underperforming employee will depend on the service with the employee. For example, if the employee is still on probation, the employer will have lesser obligations in respect of performance management. The terms of the employee’s probationary period in the employee's contract of employment should be reviewed in this regard. Employees with longer service will generally be entitled to performance management and should be afforded a greater opportunity to improve performance.

The employer is expected to observe its performance management and disciplinary policies when seeking to manage an employee’s under-performance. At a minimum, the