In the UK, employees can turn to ACAS when things go wrong. There’s structure, guidance and a clear route to follow if things escalate.
But when it’s the other way round, it’s a different experience entirely.
Most employers will have come across it at some point. Someone isn’t quite delivering. Deadlines start slipping, standards aren’t where they should be, or reliability becomes an issue. Not necessarily anything dramatic or instantly actionable, just enough to create friction, impact the wider team, and raise questions about what to do next.
And that’s where it gets difficult.
As an employer, you find yourself navigating conversations, documenting everything carefully, following process and trying to handle it fairly (all while being fully aware that one misstep could cause bigger problems down the line). There is guidance out there, but the reality is the responsibility sits with the employer to manage it properly, consistently and in line with ever-evolving employment law.
It takes time, it takes energy and it’s rarely as straightforward as it should be. Which is why so much of this comes back to the very beginning:
Hiring decisions
Because once someone is in the business, your flexibility narrows and situations become more sensitive, more complex and harder to resolve quickly.
It’s not about getting it right every single time, that’s not realistic. But being more deliberate upfront, taking the time to properly assess fit, capability and attitude, can save a lot of difficulty later on.
Get references, not just two – ask for five. Build a clearer picture of who you’re bringing into the business, look beyond the CV and get a genuine sense of character, consistency and how they operate day to day.
Where appropriate, run security checks and make sure your interview process is robust but fair and is something that actually gives you real insight into capability, attitude and commitment, not just rehearsed answers.
If you don’t have time to be this thorough (because let’s be honest, recruiting is a full-time job), there are always external recruitment partnerships to lean on.
