Home Features Pricing FAQ About Example cases

Real HR questions, answered

Thirty situations UK managers and SME owners actually face — an employee who won't attend their disciplinary, a fit note that arrived the day after your letter, one role that has to go. Each case shows the answer Just Ask, HR gives: plain English, grounded in ACAS guidance and UK employment law, in the advice style you choose.

My employee refuses to attend their disciplinary hearing. What now? Twice invited, twice refused. Can you decide without them? Disciplinary & ConductConcise Charlie How do I run a disciplinary when we have no HR department? A fair process is a checklist, not a profession. Here it is. Disciplinary & ConductDetailed Dan Offensive WhatsApp messages between staff — can I discipline for things said outside work? A private group chat just landed on your desk. What counts, what doesn’t. Disciplinary & ConductConcise Charlie One of my team is persistently late. How do I fix it without going nuclear? Ten minutes here, twenty there — and the rest of the team has noticed. Disciplinary & ConductPositive Pam I suspect an employee is under the influence at work. What are my options? Safety first, process second, assumptions never. Disciplinary & ConductDetailed Dan I think an employee is stealing from us. Do I call the police or start a disciplinary? Stock keeps vanishing on one person’s shifts. Move carefully — and correctly. Disciplinary & ConductConcise Charlie An employee secretly recorded our meeting. Where do we both stand? The phone was face-down on the table the whole time. Disciplinary & ConductDetailed Dan Mid-disciplinary, the employee has raised a grievance about me. Do I have to stop? The classic counter-move. Here’s how to handle it without derailing. Disciplinary & ConductConcise Charlie The employee went off sick as soon as the disciplinary started. What now? A fit note for "work-related stress" arrived the day after your letter. Disciplinary & ConductSupportive Sara Underperformance: is it a capability issue or a conduct issue — and why does it matter? Won’t do it and can’t do it need completely different processes. Disciplinary & ConductDetailed Dan Can I dismiss an employee on long-term sick leave? Eight months of fit notes and no return date. What the law actually allows. Sickness & AbsenceDetailed Dan My employee is signed off with stress. What can I ask, and what should I do? You want to help — and you’re terrified of making it worse. Sickness & AbsenceSupportive Sara An employee off sick is working somewhere else. Can I dismiss them? Signed off from your rota — spotted behind another bar. Sickness & AbsenceConcise Charlie An employee just stopped turning up and won't answer. What do I do? No call, no show, day four. You can’t just delete them from payroll. Sickness & AbsenceConcise Charlie How do I make a single role redundant fairly? One role has to go. Small numbers don’t mean small process. Redundancy & ChangeDetailed Dan Orders have collapsed. Can I lay staff off or cut their hours temporarily? Before redundancies, there’s a middle option — if your contracts allow it. Redundancy & ChangeDetailed Dan We’re calling everyone back to the office and one employee refuses. Where do I stand? Three years of homeworking meets a three-day office mandate. Redundancy & ChangePositive Pam An employee is returning from maternity leave — can her role change while she’s away? The team reorganised itself in twelve months. Her job looks different now. Family & Flexible WorkingSupportive Sara Can I refuse a flexible working request? Day-one right, two-month clock, eight legal grounds. Know the mechanics. Family & Flexible WorkingDetailed Dan An employee’s close relative has died. What leave and pay do I have to give? What the law requires, and what decency suggests on top. Family & Flexible WorkingSupportive Sara How do I work out holiday entitlement for part-time and irregular-hours staff? The 5.6-week rule, pro-rata maths, and the 12.07% method — untangled. Pay, Holiday & ContractsDetailed Dan Can I make my staff work overtime? A rush order, a thin rota, and one employee who says no. Pay, Holiday & ContractsConcise Charlie What rights do my zero-hours staff actually have? Casual doesn’t mean rights-free — and the rules are tightening. Pay, Holiday & ContractsDetailed Dan What can I legally say in a reference — and can I refuse to give one? The ex-employee was a nightmare. The new employer is on the phone. Probation & ExitsConcise Charlie The new hire isn’t working out. How do I dismiss during probation? Month four of six. Act now — the window matters. Probation & ExitsConcise Charlie An employee resigned in the heat of the moment and now wants to take it back. Must I let them? “I quit!” on Friday. “Can we talk?” on Monday. Probation & ExitsConcise Charlie I want to offer an employee money to leave. How do I have that conversation safely? Protected conversations, settlement agreements, and the traps between them. Probation & ExitsDetailed Dan An employee has raised a grievance about me. How do I handle it when I’m the boss? It stings. Handle the sting separately from the process. Grievances & RelationshipsSupportive Sara Two of my employees are in a relationship and it’s causing problems. What can I do? You can’t ban love. You can manage its org chart. Grievances & RelationshipsPositive Pam How do I talk about retirement with an older employee without discriminating? There’s no retirement age any more — and no ban on planning, either. Probation & ExitsSupportive Sara

Every situation is different — ask about yours

Just Ask, HR gives you a specific, UK-grounded answer in about 30 seconds — in the advice style you choose. Free to try.

Ask Just Ask, HR — free

Example scenario for illustration. These cases are realistic but fictional — no real employee or employer is described. Guidance reflects UK employment law and ACAS practice as at the review date and is general information, not legal advice; statutory rates and rules change, so check gov.uk for current figures. For a live dispute or tribunal matter, speak to a solicitor. © Just Ask Apps Ltd · Privacy · Terms