My employee’s behaviour is unacceptable, but I don’t know what I’m allowed to do.

Overview of situation

One of our senior employees was repeatedly failing to meet expected performance standards and had also been involved in several incidents of inappropriate conduct, including undermining a junior colleague in front of clients.

​

The problem they faced

The situation became unmanageable. We were unsure of our legal position, and while we knew action was needed, we were worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. The behaviour had created a toxic undercurrent in the team, leading to complaints from others and a drop in team morale. Worse still, our clients began to pick up on the tension, which started to impact confidence in our delivery.

​

What caused the problem

We had no clear or consistent disciplinary process in place. We also hadn’t documented previous performance conversations properly, so when things escalated, we didn’t have a clear paper trail to rely on. This left our managers feeling vulnerable and reluctant to act—meaning the problem went on for far too long.

​

Cost of the opportunity

The situation cost us heavily: the damage to client trust, the internal disruption, and the risk of losing good staff who didn’t want to work in a tense environment. There was also a real risk of an employment tribunal if we got it wrong, which added even more pressure to an already difficult situation.

​

The plan XYZ proposed

Bearman HR stepped in with calm, expert guidance. They took time to understand the situation from both a legal and cultural perspective. They implemented a fair and compliant disciplinary process for us, drafted all the supporting documentation, and even attended the meetings to support our managers. They also created a performance management framework that’s now helping us to set clearer expectations across the board.

​​​

​Results that followed

The process was handled professionally and fairly, and the employee exited the business without legal challenge or backlash. The team felt listened to and supported, and the positive shift in morale was immediate. Since then, we’ve had no further issues and our managers now feel confident and supported when addressing difficult issues. Bearman HR continues to provide guidance and reassurance whenever something crops up.

​​​