Very few employment claims are about the decision itself. They are about how it was handled. A fair outcome reached by an unfair process still loses. This handbook covers the four habits that keep employers out of trouble.

1. Follow your own process

If your handbook says three meetings, hold three meetings. If it says the employee can bring a companion, let them. Tribunals rarely punish employers for a hard decision. They punish employers for skipping their own steps.

2. Write it down, in plain words

Every meeting gets a short note the same day: who was there, what was discussed, what happens next. Avoid adjectives. “Late on four occasions in March” is evidence. “Poor attitude” is an opinion.

3. Deal with grievances quickly

A grievance left in an inbox for a month becomes a resignation and a constructive dismissal claim. Acknowledge it within two days, hear it within two weeks, and give a written answer with reasons.

4. Know when to call a lawyer

Before a dismissal, before a restructure, and the moment someone mentions discrimination or whistleblowing. Twenty minutes of advice at that point is cheaper than any claim. Our retainer clients get that call answered the same day.

5. Keep the documents current

Contracts and handbooks written five years ago probably do not match how you actually work. We rewrite them in plain English so managers can follow them on a Tuesday afternoon without ringing us.