Performance Conversations Without HR: A Manager's Script Guide (Nigeria 2026)

In a company with a real HR department, an underperformance conversation is a process. There is a policy, a template, someone in the room who has done this a hundred times. In most Nigerian SMEs and startups, there is you. You are the founder, the line manager, the payroll officer and the HR function, all in one Monday morning. And the person whose work has been slipping for three weeks sits across from you, waiting.

The temptation is to avoid it entirely, or to explode in a way you regret. Both are expensive. Avoidance lets one weak link quietly reset the standard for everyone else; the blow-up costs you the person and, often, a claim at the National Industrial Court. There is a third way, and it is learnable. This guide gives you the preparation, the structure, and the exact words.

A performance conversation is not a verdict you deliver. It is a problem you and the employee are, at least at the start, trying to solve together.

Before you say a word: prepare on specifics, not vibes

The single biggest mistake untrained managers make is walking in with a feeling instead of a file. "You have not been serious lately" is not feedback. It is an accusation the person can, and will, argue with. "On the 3rd, 9th and 14th, the client report went out after the noon deadline" is a fact. Facts end debates before they start.

So before the meeting, write things down. You do not need an HR system for this: a dated note, a WhatsApp timestamp, an email you can point to. For each concern, capture three things: what happened, when, and what the consequence was. Documentation is what separates a defensible conversation from a personal one, and it matters more when you are the only record-keeper in the building.

• Separate the pattern from the incident. One late report is a bad day. Three in two weeks is a pattern. Name the pattern, use the incidents as evidence.

• Check your own house first. Was the target ever stated clearly? Did the person have the tools, the login, the brief? Sometimes what looks like defiance is a broken system. Our piece on why good employees break workplace rules is worth reading before you assume bad faith.

If this is a scheduled review rather than a flare-up, the groundwork in our guide to preparing for a performance review in Nigeria will save you an hour.

The model that keeps you out of trouble: SBI

You need a structure so that, under pressure, you describe rather than attack. The most durable one is SBI: Situation, Behaviour, Impact, developed by the Center for Creative Leadership. You name three things in order:

• Situation — the specific time and place. "In yesterday's 10am client call..."

• Behaviour — the actual, observable action, facts only. "...you interrupted the client twice while she was explaining the scope."

• Impact — the effect it had. "...and afterwards she messaged me to ask whether we were still interested in the account."

The power of SBI is what it forces you to leave out. "You interrupted the client" is a behaviour. "You are rude and don't respect people" is a character verdict, and feedback aimed at the person rather than the behaviour puts people on the defensive and rarely changes anything. You cannot fix a personality in a meeting. You can absolutely ask someone to stop interrupting. Extend it to SBII by adding an inquiry into intent: after the impact, ask "What was going on for you there?" This turns a monologue into a conversation and often surfaces the real cause.

The conversation, step by step

Have it in private, face to face, never over a group chat and never in front of the team. Give it a real slot, not a corridor ambush.

1. Open plainly, without the sandwich

Skip the fake-compliment sandwich; people see it coming and stop trusting your praise. State the purpose in one calm sentence.

"Thanks for sitting down. I want to talk about the client reports this month, because I have noticed a pattern I am concerned about, and I want to understand it and fix it with you."

2. Deliver the SBI, then stop talking

"On the 3rd, the 9th and the 14th, the report went to the client after the noon deadline, once by almost three hours. The impact is that two of those clients emailed me directly to chase, and it makes us look disorganised. What is happening from your side?"

Then be quiet. Let the silence sit. This is where you learn whether you have a capability problem, a workload problem, or a will problem.

3. Listen, and reflect back what you hear

If they say the data comes late from another team, that is real and you note it. If they go defensive, do not match it; restate the facts. The skill of holding steady while staying warm is the same one covered in our first one-on-one guide for new managers.

4. Agree the standard and the next step

End with a specific, shared expectation and a date. "From Monday, reports go out by 11:45 so there is buffer. If the upstream data is late, message me by 10 so I can chase it. Let us review this on Friday the 31st."

The scripts

Underperformance script

"Emeka, I asked for this time because I am worried about something and I would rather talk than let it slide. Over the last three weeks, three of the daily reconciliations had errors I had to catch, on the 8th, the 12th and yesterday. The impact is that I am now re-checking work I used to trust, and that slows us both down. That is not like your first two months here. What is going on?"

[Listen. Then:]

"Okay. Here is what I need. From this week, reconciliations get a self-check against the bank statement before they reach me, and anything you are unsure of, you flag rather than guess. I will sit with you on Thursday for thirty minutes on the two that keep tripping you. We will look at this again in two weeks. Are you good with that, and is there anything you need from me?"

Praise script (use this one more often)

SBI is not only for problems, and specific positive feedback is far more motivating than a generic "well done."

"Ada, in the vendor meeting on Tuesday, when the supplier pushed back on price, you stayed calm and walked him through our volumes line by line. The impact was that we closed at the rate we wanted and he still left happy. That is exactly the kind of judgement I want to see more of. Thank you."

Thirty seconds, and it does more for retention than a vague bonus. Consistent recognition ties directly into reducing employee turnover.

Directness versus face: the African office nuance

Feedback frameworks are mostly written for low-context, direct cultures. Much of the African workplace, Nigeria included, leans more high-context and more hierarchical: a lot is communicated indirectly, respect for seniority is loud, and public loss of face is a serious wound. This changes how you deliver, though not what you deliver.

• Be soft on the person, hard on the facts. Warm tone, respectful address, unambiguous specifics. The dates do not bend even when your voice is kind.

• Correct in private, praise in public. Close to universal, but it carries extra weight where face matters this much.

• Say the hard sentence out loud. Do not bury "this has to change" under so much cushioning that it disappears. Cushion the delivery, never the message.

Setting a PIP without the HR paperwork

A Performance Improvement Plan sounds corporate, but stripped down it is just a written agreement: here is the gap, here is what "fixed" looks like, here is the support, here is the deadline. You need one page, or one honest email, that both of you can point to later.

• The specific gap — the same SBI facts, in writing.

• The target — measurable and unmistakable. "Zero reconciliation errors reaching me for two consecutive weeks."

• The support — what you will provide: training, a checklist, a shadow week.

• The timeline — a fair, realistic window, commonly two to six weeks.

• The consequence — what happens if the target is not met, stated calmly.

Send it as a short email afterwards and ask them to reply "agreed." That reply is your low-cost paper trail. If the role is still in its early months, run this through the lens of our guide to running a probation period in Nigeria.

When it becomes a termination question

Sometimes the plan works. Sometimes it confirms what you feared. If the target is genuinely missed after real support and a fair window, you are in a different conversation, and this is where doing the earlier steps properly pays off. Every dated note and "agreed" email is now evidence you acted reasonably. Do not improvise the exit. Nigerian employment law has specific requirements on notice and process, and the National Industrial Court increasingly expects employers to have acted fairly. We cover the mechanics in how to legally terminate an employee in Nigeria, read it before you act, not after.

Protecting yourself when you are both manager and HR

• Put a contract in place. Under the Labour Act, workers should have written terms within three months, covering wages, hours, leave and notice.

• Document contemporaneously. A note written the day it happened carries far more weight than a memory reconstructed later.

• Give the person a chance to respond. Fair hearing is not just legal hygiene; it is often where you discover you were wrong.

• Be consistent. If two people commit the same lapse, treat them the same. Selective enforcement is where victimisation claims are born.

• Keep the tone professional in writing. Assume every message could be read aloud in a hearing one day.

Summary

• Walk in with dated specifics, not feelings. Facts end arguments.

• Use SBI, Situation, Behaviour, Impact, to describe rather than attack, and add the "what was going on?" question.

• Open plainly, deliver the facts, then listen; agree a specific standard and a date.

• Be soft on the person and hard on the facts; correct in private, praise in public.

• A PIP is one page: gap, target, support, timeline, consequence, plus an "agreed" reply.

• If it heads to termination, follow Nigerian process and lean on your paper trail.

Frequently asked questions

What if the employee starts crying or gets angry?

Pause, do not retreat. For tears, offer a moment and water, then gently return to the facts once they have steadied. For anger, lower your own voice and restate the specifics without matching the heat. If it becomes abusive, end the meeting calmly and reschedule.

Do I really need written documentation for a five-person company?

Yes, arguably more so, because you have no HR system remembering things for you. A dated note or a follow-up email is enough. If the matter ever reaches a dispute, "I remember it was often late" is far weaker than three specific dates you recorded at the time.

How long should I give someone to improve?

For most SME roles, two to six weeks is fair and defensible. Too short looks like you had already decided to let them go; too long lets a problem fester. State the window in writing and hold the review on the date you promised.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is general management guidance for a Nigerian and broader African SME context, and labour law differs by country and evolves through the courts. Before terminating anyone, confirm your specific obligations with a qualified employment lawyer.