my employee isn’t doing her job … but I think she’s being abused

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager .
A reader writes:
I manage a very seasonal business, one where I can only retain one person in the off-season, as we can’t afford (nor have the work for) anyone else during that time. In my six years here, we’ve built up a good core staff who return most years, and I’ve promoted one person to the full-time, year-round assistant manager position. She’s been with me four years.
In the last year, her performance has dropped to the point that her job is in jeopardy. She calls in often to say she’s going to be late, and about half the time that happens, she simply doesn’t show up. She is entirely non-communicative when she’s out of the office — she doesn’t have her own phone, so is impossible to get in touch with. To cap it off, she has begun dropping duties entirely, to the point where I have taken over a number of her duties because I can’t count on her to take care of things.
Here’s the complicating factor: she’s in what I believe to be an abusive relationship. Many of her call-outs are related to a series of injuries, all of which have fantastical stories explaining them. Last year, we actually moved her onto the property (this is hospitality) to give her a few months to get her feet under her, and at the end of the three months she went back to him.
I’m at the end of my rope. She and I are going to have to have a serious discussion about the realities of her performance, but at the same time, I don’t want to make her life even worse. I honestly don’t know where to start, but the situation can’t continue as-is. What do I do, and how do I do it compassionately?
I answer this question over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here .
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