They say
“Nobody told me that before.”
Your response
“Let’s check when this was discussed before. If this is the first time I’ve raised it, I should have addressed it sooner. We still need to talk about what’s happening now.”
First, check this
Can you point to an earlier, clear conversation about this issue and the expected change, or did you assume the employee already knew?
Why this works
Surprise feedback may reveal a management failure even when the current concern is valid. Checking the history prevents the manager from inventing earlier clarity after the fact. Acknowledging delay does not erase the present issue; it separates responsibility for raising it late from responsibility for addressing it now. This keeps the page about feedback timing rather than disagreement with the observation.
Don’t say
“You should have known without me telling you.”