r/HumanResourcesUK

My company is currently going through a redundancy process, we have completed both the collective and individual consultation process. The outcome for my team is that we are going from 4 members to 3. We have all been made to submit an application (written examples type thing) and have now been invited to outcome meetings next week.

My question is: all 4 meetings are 20 minute back to back. Is there any specific order these things normally take place in? For example do the normally inform the successful candidate firstly or lastly.

Hello, I’m a HR Advisor at a law firm in the UK.

I was a HR Assistant for 2 years before being promoted in April. In October last year, I informally raised an issue with my boss (it’s just me and the HR Director in the department at this point) about how I feel I’m not being developed or progressed appropriately, and I’m essentially treated like a PA despite being told I would be fast tracked in my development when I took the job. I only wanted to have an honest conversation about my future, but it turned into an hour of her putting me down, and even saying I took too much time out of the business to be promoted - I had 1 day off for surgery in January 2025, and 10 days off for recovery (should have been 4 weeks but I was made to feel guilty leaving her on her own). During my recovery, she was emailing me telling me how unwell she was and how she’d been signed off, making me feel even more guilty.

I was told to forget about being a HR Advisor, but then in April I got promoted. I’ve had no support since then, when I’ve asked for help I’ve been told to read the policy instead, and excluded from conversations in the office. I’ve been given project to work on 1 day before annual leave, and then no support when I return to get things completed, making me feel like I’m set up to fail.

My final straw was when I was pulled into a meeting last month and told that in April, she went through my emails and found that I’d been talking about her? I wasn’t shown the email she was referring to, but I doubted it existed and when I searched for it using a phrase she insisted I used, there were no results. She spent about 20 minutes accusing me of bullying her, making her feel uncomfortable, how she’s disappointed in me as she’s given me so much, my work isn’t where it should be, etc. That night, I applied for other jobs and have since managed to secure one and hand my notice in. I made it clear when I handed my notice in that if things had been different over the last 12 months I wouldn’t be leaving, but I feel like I have no choice.

On Friday, she was extremely rude to me in front of two colleagues who were shocked at how she spoke, and I politely said that I am happy to help her, but to please not patronise me. She left the room and went to the MD for about 30 mins. Today (Sunday) I received an email and text at 4.30pm, informing me I was placed on garden leave for the next two weeks, and I can’t contact any employee etc. To me, it’s clear this is as a result of me asking her not to patronise me, and I’m so angry that I let things get this bad without standing up to her for two years anyway to the point now that I’ve been pushed out of the company, from a job I genuinely love and employees I really care about.

What should I do in this situation? Should I contact the managing director to let him know of my treatment over the last year or so? I just feel lost and so angry.

Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate any support.

I have worked for my employer for just under 4 years. It’s a council in the north west of England.

I handed my notice in five weeks ago, and set my end date as 10th July. My immediate manager doesn’t fully understand how to work the systems and asked me to let her know of any booked leave etc before a certain date, which I did.

I then was told of an induction at my new employer on 02/07, and let my manager know via message. She didn’t pick this message up on time and processed my leave without it.

When she realised her mistake, she essentially reversed my resignation, issued the leave date, and then reinstated it. This was fine.

During the conversation where she did this, she told me that if I had any leave after this date, she and the council would send ‘sundry debtors’ to my door to recoup the lost money because they wouldn’t be able to take it out of my final salary. She repeated this several times to me over the phone call, and then told me she would have to also inform me of this via email. When she did email me, with HR cc’d in, she didn’t mention the debtors.

She has a history of bullying and threats to all staff.

On Friday 03/07, my father was taken seriously ill and blue lighted to hospital. We thought he would pass away on Friday, but he is still currently alive but obviously in hospital.

I am due in work this week, and I am willing to go in and do my final week at work. I am however worried that my boss will be threatening as per the days I took off (Friday and Saturday half day).

I also therefore am choosing not to spend time with my dying father because I’m concerned about what my boss will do to me. I am also worried that if he deteriorates again, and the reality sadly is that he almost certainly will, that she will start some kind of debt/CCJ process against me. She is quite vindictive and is in no way above treating me this way despite my family circumstances and the fact that I only have three days (over the course of the week) left in work.

I am leaving my job to begin work as a secondary school teacher, and I do not want debtors or legal proceedings being brought against me because my father became ill at a time inconvenient to her. I don’t have debt, I don’t break the law and this is very much adding to an upsetting and stressful situation.

Would my employer be likely to pursue me for the week ish if I choose not to work this week? Would this process immediately start with debtors?

I'd appreciate your view on whether this investigation followed good HR practice. The same manager who identified the concerns, obtained and reviewed the CCTV and access-control records, conducted the investigation meeting, and questioned me.

Country I a m employed in is England.

I have been working at this company for 8 years.

Hiya all!

My partner is looking to study his CIPD Level 5, but is unsure where to start. Has anyone got any advice on which websites are the best to study and also for a decent price? Ideally they support some sort of payment plan feature.

He has HR experience, but most jobs seem to want CIPD lvl 5 or above.

Or does anyone know of any equivalent certifications, etc that would be useful to have?

Thanks all!
Kian

I'm transferring under TUPE from a private employer to a public sector employer. It's my first time and I want to have a bit more understanding on what is protected under TUPE.

My contract states that my working pattern is subject to agreement with my line manager.

For the last 10 months, I've had an agreed working arrangement. Since January, this has included attending the office twice a month which was reduced to once a month in May due to childcare arrangements. Before January with my previous project I worked remotely since September, and throughout the whole 9/10-month period I've had flexibility to take a later lunch break for the school run.

Following my first TUPE consultation, I'm formally raising this with HR so my current working arrangement is recorded before the transfer. I am also documenting evidence such as my rota showing my office attendance pattern; and messages from when my working arrangement was agreed and formalised.

My Line Manager and Project Lead have also both provided me with written confirmation through email of my agreed working arrangements, including that my office attendance was reduced to once a month and that I have an agreed late lunch break for the school run.

The incoming employer has a standard office attendance policy but has said individual circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Does this sound like the type of established working arrangement that could transfer under TUPE, or is it more likely to be viewed as an operational arrangement that doesn't transfer?

Hi all.

I've been offered a settlement agreement by my employer and there is one clause I'm concerned about.

It states that, at the date of signing, I warrant that I am not employed elsewhere, am not negotiating another role, and have not received or accepted another job offer.

I have accepted a future job offer that doesn't start until after my employment with my current employer will end.

Is this type of clause standard boilerplate in settlement agreements? If it doesn't reflect my circumstances, is it something that is commonly amended or removed during the negotiation process, or is it usually left as-is?

I'm taking independent legal advice, but I was interested to hear whether HR professionals see this clause changed in practice.

Thanks.

Hi everyone. Hoping to get some ER or HRBP eyes on this so I know what to expect.

I have disclosed Dyspraxia (DCD, with a lot of overlap with autism). Earlier this year we put some reasonable adjustments in place after some working issues and a dispute with a colleague raised questions about my collaboration skills but they were strictly for operational workflow, not social communication.

A colleague recently raised a grievance about something I said at an after-work pub meetup. I awkwardly asked if she'd ever had to deal with bribes or informal work in Bulgaria. I used to live there too and had been involved in both these things to an extent and was clumsily trying to bond over a shared geographical experience, but I overestimated our familiarity and crossed a professional boundary making her uncomfortable and offended.

During the ER fact-finding I held my hands up immediately and offered to apologise. It always feels terrible when I make a social blunder and upset someone like this so my main concern was to put things right with the colleague rather than fight the investigation. After the meeting I followed up in writing to ER that my DCD specifically impairs my ability to intuitively read social and conversational boundaries (very true and not a lie). There are two other witnesses to the incident who I'm pretty sure will confirm I didn't act with malice.

ER is finalizing the report now. Our policy says minor issues are handled informally but can escalate to formal disciplinary. Given I explicitly tied the behaviour to a disability symptom in writing, could this still lead to a formal disciplinary? I do have history which is probably why this was escalated to formal action immediately and dealt with by ER rather than my manager or HRBP.

Could HR legally use my previous workflow adjustments to claim this entirely separate behavioural incident is a "repeat offence" to justify an escalation?

Hi everyone,
I recently received a conditional offer for the MSc Human Resource Management (2026 intake) at LSE, and I’m trying to make a final decision.

I’m an international student from India, and this is my first-choice programme. Since the intake isn’t far away, I need to start arranging finances, my visa, accommodation, and everything else soon.

I’m planning to self-fund around 50% of the total cost, with the remaining 50% through an education loan. Because it’s a significant financial commitment, I’d really appreciate honest advice from current students or alumni.

A few questions:
Is the programme genuinely worth the investment?
How challenging and rewarding is the curriculum?
How good is LSE’s career support for HRM students?
How are the job opportunities for international students after graduation?
If I decide to return to India instead of staying in the UK, does an LSE MSc HRM still have strong value with employers?
Knowing what you know now, would you choose this programme again?

My long-term goal is to build a career in HR leadership or consulting, and I’m open to working in either the UK or India after graduation.
I’d really appreciate any honest experiences, advice, or things you wish you’d known before joining.
Thank you!

Hi everyone, I am just looking for some advice really. I worked for a well known large UK company specialising in money exchange.

I have worked for this company for 11 months on a temp contract. I was told that they will not be renewing my contract and so I got another job relatively quickly.

It was all of a sudden as they passed my probation and a week later they said they were letting me go as I did not meet expectations.

I had 12.7 hours holiday left, which I understand is not a lot but I have Just received a letter from HR saying -

"You are required to use all outstanding and accrued holidays during your notice period. Any unused and accrued holiday not utilised before your last day in service will be lost, unless confirmed by HR."

I passed my probation and was given a letter saying I passed after 11 months of service but a week later found out they will not continue my contract and they gave me a month to look for another job. I could not give them a month notice as I acquired a new job so I had to give them only a weeks notice before I start my new job.

I have looked on Acas and this does not seem right? - I just want to see if this is allowed before I email back HR with my response, if there is any.

Thank you so much for your time.

Hi,

I have been off on sick leave due to my disabilities (impairments) and have been off for around 5 weeks. Cover under the EqA 2010 as reoccurring conditions etc

My fit note expired yesterday and was due to return this Monday in a new internal role, which has a signed contract and start date etc from both sides.

During my 5 week absence due to my medical conditions, my employer and management didn't contact me at all, until Thursday just gone, no OH referral or anything, no discussion at all during these 5 weeks. The HR guy I disclosed to didn't bother to engage on anything as well.

This has been due to management abscenes, our HOD knew about my absence (fit note) as he was covering for line manager being absent but he didn't bother to reach out to me or anything in this time. I did inform him my fit note was due to expire on 2nd. I don't think he told my line manager this.

She has returned to work now (didn't know this), she only reached out on Thursday, asking when I was due to return to work, I've told her this Monday as the fit note expired yesterday. I replied back to her and told her that I was under assumption I would go to my new department on Monday.

But then I noticed I had an email from the new manager for my new role asking for me to complete RTW with my previous manager and get any support implemented and if we can delay my start date for a week.

I haven't responded back to his email as I am unsure on what to even say to a change of contract start date which my employer and me both signed.

I am 1 year and 3 months of service.

I'm at complete loss of what I should do. As it's Saturday, I am basically walking into work with nothing implemented, no support plan etc... We are a multi country organisation with a huge HR department.

Should I email in sick again next week?

Any advice anyone has would be great on steps I should take?

Thank you

Edit: I do know some in HR work weekends should I use my work laptop and try and reach out to someone in HR?

I resigned in May, and June went by in a bit of withdrawal—after all, I’d been working night shifts for over 7 years. Now I’m finally back in the job market. Honestly, Naukri doesn’t feel as effective as it used to. Even after paying for the 3‑month premium, I haven’t found it helpful. So, Reddit folks, let’s support each other with referrals or share any practical tips that can actually make a difference.

As the title suggests, I have been pulled into an unauthorised meeting by my manager on Monday for wfh today rather than being in the office, as it states in my contract. She was away yesterday so I have let another senior member of the team know and they said they have passed my message onto them.

What are your thoughts? Am I being dismissed?

Hey everyone. I’m a 48-year-old married gay man living in Scotland. I’m posting this here because I don’t really have any gay friends or an LGBTQ+ community around me to talk to right now, and honestly, trying to fight this corporate mess completely on my own is making me feel incredibly isolated.
To give you the background, I’m right in the middle of a massive, active dispute and formal grievance investigation with my company regarding ongoing homophobia directed at me in the workplace. Just 5 minutes before my shift ended right before a holiday—when I still had a 4-hour drive ahead of me—my manager decided to call me out of the blue to "check on my wellbeing" and talk about work matters. Given that there is an active investigation happening right now into discrimination against me, the timing, tone, and nature of that specific call were entirely inappropriate, and it caused me severe anxiety and distress.
When I called them out on making unsolicited contact right before my holiday, the HR Manager stepped in. She sent me an official email proposing a face-to-face meeting at the office to "gather information and facts surrounding the issues raised." They actually went ahead and disrupted and completely rearranged my operational work schedule just to force me to attend.
Because this whole situation has been having an absolute nightmare of an impact on my health and anxiety, I replied to her in writing a week in advance. I explicitly told her that I would be bringing my husband with me to the meeting for support on compassionate grounds.
When I walked into the room today, HR had a designated notetaker sitting there ready to record official minutes. But guess what? They barred my husband from entering the room. The HR Manager looked me in the eye and claimed that because she wasn't classifying this as a "formal" meeting, she had zero legal obligation to let me be accompanied. When I challenged her on it right then and there, she tried to play a sneaky compliance game—she offered to let me scramble to find an alternative colleague or companion on the spot. I refused, because by failing to put that option in the initial written invitation, they completely denied me the actual time needed to arrange proper representation.
Honestly, the way they treated me today felt like more of the exact same treatment I’ve been fighting against. It’s bad enough dealing with targeted homophobia from colleagues, but seeing HR use these cold, tactical power plays to shut out my husband—the one person there to support me—feels incredibly hostile.
The meeting itself stayed cordial because I absolutely refused to lose my temper or let them get a rise out of me, but the aftermath is a joke. It’s a complete masterclass in corporate gaslighting:
HR is aggressively arguing over semantics to cover up her mistakes. She's desperate to label the output as "notes" instead of "minutes" so she can pretend ACAS guidelines don't apply.
Yet, she is demanding that we *both* sign these "notes"—which is the exact level of gravity they'd use for a formal disciplinary or grievance meeting, not a casual chat!
The good news is, as soon as I got out of there, I sent a sharp, factual email putting my objections firmly on the record. Within 15 minutes, she blinked. She replied in writing confirming that my objections would be forced into the official text.
I know I won this specific round on paper, and honestly, seeing them try to silence and belittle me has just made me even more determined to see this grievance through to the absolute end. But fighting a company that uses word games to dodge a basic duty of care is exhausting. I’m sitting here second-guessing my own sanity and feeling nervous that I’m somehow the one who is wrong, even though my paper trail is bulletproof.
Has anyone else dealt with HR trying to use the "informal chat" loophole to strip away your rights or isolate you during a discrimination grievance? How do you stay strong and protect your mental health when fighting a rigged system without a local support network to back you up?
Thanks for reading.

I made a mistake at work, and I’d really appreciate honest opinions from HR professionals and managers.
I’m an HR professional in Norway and have been in my current role for about a year. Up until now, I haven’t made any major mistakes.
An employee worked for around three months before going on 100% sick leave. Because of the sickness absence, I had already extended the probation period twice. I knew that if the employee was still on sick leave, I needed to issue a final extension before 23 May.
Unfortunately, I forgot. I didn’t put the deadline in my calendar, and I only remembered about six weeks later. By then, it was too late to extend the probation period.
I’m not looking for sympathy or reassurance—I know this was my responsibility, and I accept that. I’m trying to understand how experienced HR professionals and managers would genuinely view a mistake like this.
If you were my manager, how serious would you consider this?
Would this significantly change your confidence in me, or would you see it as a serious one-time mistake that someone could recover from if they otherwise had a strong performance record?
I’d really appreciate honest feedback, even if it’s difficult to hear.

The question is usually along the lines of: Think of a time when you didn't get along with a colleague, what did you do to resolve the issue?

Been working for over twenty years in very technical fields. I can always smash through technical interview questions but dread getting to HR type questions that they always seem to end on. The question above always seems to one they ask, what is the interviewer actually looking for in an answer?

Hello, I came here looking for some advice. For context, i work as a cleaner in retail pa4t time. I have a diagnosed eating disorder and have recently been having issues with bulimia. My store manager is very aware of these issues. Last night, I suffered a collapse at home, and as of this morning I have been struggling to walk, so I called in. Over the phone, the store manager angrily declared that:

-I was causing the issue myself.

-"you've left me with no staff" (the other cleaner is on holiday)

-Had an overall threatening tone throughout.

-Stated that my mental and physical health are a product of my own doing.

-Stated "you need to have a serious think about what you want to do."

Previously, I have also collapsed in front of him in his office, and yet refused to let me go home early as the other cleaner wasn't present.

He is very aware of my issues as I thought telling him about them would be the best move, but all it seems to have done is give him a weapon.

This is also my first time calling in sick at this job.

Is there anything I can or should do?

Thank you.

Hi all. Very stressed so any professional advice would be appreciated.

I have 6 points for driving without insurance (went court as they said I was on my phone (total lie) and the phone charge got dropped as i thought).

Anyway, when onboarding a new job it states ‘any previous criminal convictions (spent doesn’t have to be stated) if so please write it down’.

My only issue is, is my driving points an actual criminal conviction? So many websites state it won’t even come up, but I don’t want to risk it too. So do I state it or not I’m in 2 minds.

Context I’m 22, this was when I was 18, 3 and a half years ago. Points have expired but not ‘spent’ but no further points or charges since. Never been in trouble with police aside from this. England based.

Bear with me as it could be a long-ish one.

I was put on an attendance review - informal improvement plan 9 months ago due to absences relating to long term health conditions making my Bradford factor score over 150 in a 12 month period.

For the last absence I was off for a few weeks due to anaemia as I don’t store ferritin well thanks to a few medical conditions (again long term). I had an iron infusion which picked my levels up enough to feel human again and up until this point I have had no further absences.

However, I am now contemplating being signed off as I’ve just been placed on the urgent suspected cancer pathway. My head is all over the place, I’m struggling to concentrate and my anxiety is through the roof. I have my first investigative procedure next week and they haven’t been hugely helpful regarding that either.

In my notes from the first informal improvement plan, if states the trigger for stage 2 occurs after two additional absences within 12 months from the start date of this plan, or if the Bradford factor remains high. It’s currently 11, as as I’ve said I’ve had no further time off.

I really don’t feel like I can continue being in work at the moment, I don’t feel very well supported and there have been other instances (not related to me) that have occurred at work that have made me start to look elsewhere, so I’m not planning on being here any longer than I have to. I’d rather not trigger a move to stage two and a formal improvement plan, but I imagine that’s the way it’ll go.

Just to add, I’ve been here just under two years and it’s not a big company (charity).