Expert Employee Relations Support for Growing Businesses

We advise on and manage disciplinary and grievance processes from start to finish, ensuring they are handled fairly, consistently and in line with the ACAS Code of Practice.

We can support with everything from an initial concern through to the final outcome, helping you understand what action is appropriate and how best to proceed. This can include reviewing allegations, advising on informal versus formal action, preparing letters and meeting documentation, supporting or conducting disciplinary and grievance meetings, advising on outcomes and managing appeals.

Where allegations are complex or potentially serious, we can also advise on suspension, ensure the process is handled appropriately and help managers navigate situations where emotions are high or the outcome may be difficult.

Whether you need us to manage the process directly or provide advice and support to your managers, we bring an experienced, calm and objective approach to sensitive situations.

Underperformance can be difficult to address, particularly when managers have allowed concerns to continue for too long or are unsure how to have the conversation.

We help you tackle performance issues early, fairly and constructively, before they become bigger employee relations problems. We can help identify whether the issue is capability, conduct, unclear expectations, lack of support or another underlying factor, and advise on the most appropriate way forward.

Our support can include setting clear expectations, preparing for performance conversations, putting appropriate objectives and review periods in place, developing Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), documenting progress and advising on next steps where sufficient improvement is not achieved.

We also coach managers through the process, helping them move from avoiding difficult conversations to managing performance confidently and consistently.

Redundancy and restructuring can be some of the most challenging processes a business has to manage. We provide practical HR support to help you plan and deliver the process fairly, consistently and compliantly, while recognising the impact on the people involved.

We can support from the initial planning stage, including establishing the business rationale, identifying roles at risk, developing fair and objective selection criteria and preparing the necessary documentation. We can then lead or support the consultation process, helping managers navigate difficult conversations, employee questions and representations through to final outcomes.

We have led multiple redundancy processes, including a complex situation following a proposed acquisition falling through, giving us first-hand experience of managing sensitive employee relations during significant business uncertainty. We can also support businesses through TUPE transfers, providing practical guidance on consultation, employee communications and the wider people considerations before, during and after a transfer.

Whether you are restructuring, reducing headcount, going through an acquisition or navigating a TUPE transfer, we provide experienced, hands-on HR support to help you manage the process confidently and fairly.

When an allegation is raised, getting the investigation right is critical. A thorough, fair and impartial investigation provides the foundation for deciding what action, if any, should follow.

We can conduct investigations independently or support your internal team, depending on the circumstances. This can include defining the scope of the investigation, identifying the key questions to be answered, gathering and reviewing relevant documentation and evidence, interviewing the complainant, employee and witnesses, and assessing the information objectively.

We understand that investigations can involve conflicting accounts, sensitive information and highly emotional situations. Our role is to establish the facts as clearly as possible without making assumptions or jumping to conclusions.

We can then provide a clear, evidence-based investigation report and advise on appropriate next steps, whether that is no further action, informal resolution or progression to a formal disciplinary or grievance process.

For businesses, having an experienced and independent HR professional involved can provide valuable objectivity and confidence when dealing with particularly sensitive or high-risk matters.

Difficult conversations are often the point at which employee relations issues either start to improve or escalate. We help managers approach these conversations with preparation, clarity and confidence.

Whether the conversation is about poor performance, unacceptable behaviour, attendance, workplace relationships, boundaries or a breakdown in trust, we can help managers understand what needs to be addressed, how to communicate the message effectively and how to respond to challenging reactions.

We can prepare managers before the conversation, attend or lead the meeting where appropriate, and provide follow-up support afterwards.

Where relationships between colleagues or managers and employees have deteriorated, we can also provide structured mediation support. This creates a safe and impartial environment for those involved to explain their perspective, understand the impact of the situation and work towards a practical resolution.

Our focus is not simply on getting through the conversation — it is on finding a sustainable way forward wherever possible and preventing issues from continuing to affect individuals, teams and the wider business.

Employee relations issues can be daunting for managers, particularly when they are dealing with a situation for the first time. Our role is to give managers the confidence to manage these situations effectively, without leaving them to work it out alone.

We provide practical, real-time coaching and advice, helping managers understand what they can say, what they should avoid saying, what steps they need to take and when HR involvement is appropriate.

This could be a quick conversation before a difficult meeting, ongoing support throughout a disciplinary or performance process, or coaching around a complex employee relations issue that requires careful handling.

We don't believe every ER issue needs to be taken away from the manager. Where appropriate, we help managers lead the process themselves while providing the HR expertise and reassurance behind the scenes.

Over time, this builds stronger, more capable managers who are better equipped to deal with employee relations issues early and confidently — reducing the likelihood of small issues becoming significant problems.

Some employee relations matters don't fit neatly into one category. They may involve multiple employees, long-running workplace conflict, allegations of inappropriate behaviour, complex performance concerns, changes to employment terms or situations where the business simply isn't sure what to do next.

This is where experienced ER support can make a real difference.

We can step into complex situations, assess what is happening, identify the key risks and provide a clear, practical plan for moving forward. Where necessary, we can coordinate investigations, meetings, documentation, consultation and communications, ensuring the process remains fair and consistent from beginning to end.

Our experience of handling employee relations through acquisitions, complex international employment arrangements and redundancy means we are comfortable working in situations where there is significant business pressure and no straightforward answer.