"First, I would make sure that my first step is to have some documented evidence of the lack of performance, prior to speaking with the employee. If this was a time where a typically well-performing employee suddenly turned, my approach would be pretty straightforward in talking about their drop in performance, and I would really try to leave most of the conversation in their hands to let me know why the drop in performance is happening. From there, problem solving becomes key and course of action would really be dependent on the situation with the employee. I had a situation like this with a team member of mine and it turned out that some troubling things in his home life were negatively impacting his work. I facilitated conversations between the employee and our HR department and some FMLA time was granted."