Difficult employee situations
What's Going On In Your Team Right Now?
If an employee situation is taking up more headspace than it should, you are probably already feeling the pressure of it.
Whether someone keeps going off sick, performance is slipping, tensions are building in the team, or there is a conversation you keep putting off, these situations rarely improve by themselves. You do not need more HR jargon. You need to know what your options are, what the risks are, what to do next, and how to handle it properly.
- FCIPD Chartered Fellow
- 25 years ER experience
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How it usually starts
Most employee problems start small.
- A conversation that keeps getting avoided
- Performance slipping gradually
- Repeated sickness absence with no clear picture
- Tension in the team that is hard to name
Options narrow the longer they sit. The team notices. The weight of it grows.
More common than you think
Most owners deal with situations they never expected to face.
The difficult part is usually not caring too little. It is caring a lot while also trying to protect the business, support the wider team, and avoid making the wrong decision.
The right move is understanding where you stand before you act.
Find your situation
What is going on right now?
Choose the situation closest to yours. Each page gives you a realistic picture of what is happening, what the risks are, and what to do next.
An Employee Keeps Going Off Sick
Short, frequent absences. Long stretches with no clear return date. You want to be supportive, but the business has to function.
Read more →Performance Is Not Improving
You have had the conversation more than once. Nothing has changed. The rest of the team is noticing.
Read more →An Employee Has Raised a Grievance
Someone has made a formal complaint. Whether it is directed at you, a manager, or someone else, this needs handling properly now.
Read more →Something Feels Off With an Employee
You cannot quite put your finger on it. The work is getting done. But something is not right and you are not sure what to do.
Read more →Every Conversation Turns Into Hard Work
Attitude, resistance, or behaviour that keeps coming up. It is affecting the team and you are running out of patience.
Read more →There Is a Conversation You Keep Putting Off
You know it needs to happen. You keep finding reasons to delay. The longer you leave it, the harder it gets.
Read more →An Employee Is Returning From Maternity Leave
It should be straightforward. But the role has changed, the team has moved on, and it is more complicated than you expected.
Read more →Someone Is No Longer Right for the Role
Whether it is capability, a change in the business, or something harder to articulate, you are starting to think this is not working.
Read more →I Think I Need to Dismiss an Employee
You have reached the point where you do not see how this can continue. But you are not sure how to do it properly, or whether the moment has actually come.
Read more →Worried About Saying the Wrong Thing
You know a conversation needs to happen. But you are anxious about saying something that creates a legal problem. So it keeps getting delayed.
Read more →What Happens If I Get This Wrong?
A quiet voice in the back of your mind keeps asking about the consequences. That question deserves a straight answer.
Read more →High Performing But Difficult Employee
Their results are good. But the way they operate is causing problems, and because they perform, you have let it go. Until now.
Read more →I Need to Have a Difficult Conversation
You know what needs to be said. You are not sure how to open it, stay on track, or make sure it actually changes something.
Read more →Ready when you are
One session. A clear picture of what to do next.
60 to 90 minutes with Samantha. You explain the situation. She assesses the risk, explains your options, and gives you a clear plan. A written summary follows within 48 hours.
Samantha Newton FCIPD · Chartered Fellow CIPD · 25 years ER experience · Reply within one working day