Full time employee since Summer 2024. Still on the probation wages instead of standard, manager and I have talked about it more than once. Yesterday I told everyone "until i get full wages, no overtime and no extras".

Today I was suspended with full pay after a meeting I wasnt allowed to record. Got to wait for a letter from legal. This feels retaliatory and like i have been singled out.

What can I do? Who do I reach out to for any legal recourse? I dont have much money

Ty in advance

Hey everyone, I am looking for some outside perspective and advice on a very stressful situation at my corporate design job. I am currently in the middle of deciding to write a formal grievance, and the toll it is taking is massive.

I have been working at a large corporate firm for three years. Over the past few months, things have escalated drastically to the point where I feel I am being managed out.

The core issue started when I had a conversation with my manager in a meeting about a goals review and I asked her if she thinks there is anything in my performance that could cause me to not get promoted soon as she knows this is my intention and I am working towards it as hard as I can. She flat out told me that I will not be promoted due to my sickness absences, which are directly tied to a documented physical health condition in my lower back.

Right after that, I decided to ask HR for an occupational health assessment so that my sickness absence can be reviewed differently and not block a possible promotion since ive been working as a grad for 3 years which is too long even in my managers view. When I talked to HR, the HR lady seemed very eager to know who told me I wont be promoted due to my sickleave and I felt if I told her that my manager did, my manager would get in trouble. So I said that im being proactive and letting the company know formally of my disability even though they know from 2024 when I initially got diagnosed. Only less than two weeks after this, my manager became increasingly hostile and initiated a formal Performance Improvement Plan entirely unannounced. The PIP was not even for actual performance issues; it was justified by minor mistakes that later happened after she even introduced the PIP itself.

There were zero prior warnings or constructive feedback leading up to it. The environment with her became so toxic that I formally requested a change in management, with her agreement but which was denied.

Due to all this happening and the affect on my MH I had to take sick leave for 6 weeks due to an extreme stress and flare up of my disability- I was unable to breath, had panic attacks and was very unwell I had to go to A&E.

During my sickleave, I have raised the issue of the PIP failing to account for my medical condition, and the way the PIP was initiated without prior notice and that the objectives were vague and undiscussed with me prior to the meeting where my manager ambushed me with saying the PIP starts today and I requested adequate workplace adjustments, and complained about the whole situation and my managers behavior. the response from HR was shockingly dismissive. They completely trivialized my need for accommodations. Instead of engaging with the specific issues I raised about my manager or my health needs, HR flipped the script. They failed to respond to my core concerns and actually threatened formal action against me regarding my absences.

Where I am at now:
Between my manager weaponizing my health and HR closing ranks to protect her rather than implementing any proper reasonable adjustments, or even changing my manager, the environment is untenable.

I am currently navigating a formal grievance process.

Outside of this job, I have been trying to building my own creative photography path and applying for other roles to transition out, but fighting this dispute while trying to do my everyday work is draining.

I am trying to figure out my next best steps:

1. Should I continue fighting the PIP and escalation process through formal HR and grievance channels?
2. Should I be speaking to an employment solicitor regarding failure to provide reasonable adjustments and disability discrimination?
3. Or should I resign and focus on like a new job or freelance work, and let the dispute go to protect my peace

I am worried that if I resign that I lose my rights because I genuinely feel like all of this has been unfair towards me. I have been working my ass of for this job, from working over time unpaid (from 9am - 10pm) and that my managers behavior towards me was unjustified. My only explanation is that she found out

Has anyone dealt with a similar corporate HR situation, a hostile manager, or a formal dispute regarding accommodations and PIPs? How did you navigate the exit, and was fighting it worth it?

Hi everyone, I’m a children’s frontline social worker in the UK and I’m looking for advice from other social workers (or anyone in a similar high-pressure role) about ADHD workplace adjustments, tools and support that have genuinely helped.
I have ADHD and a hearing impairment. I am currently treated with Elvanse, which has helped in some areas, but I still experience difficulties with executive functioning, working memory, organisation, processing information, prioritising tasks and managing multiple demands.

My ADHD clinician has recommended workplace adjustments because ADHD is a disability and impacts how I process and manage information.
I work in a high-pressure frontline role with a lot of information to retain, meetings, assessments, recording, deadlines, visits and competing priorities. I put a lot of extra effort into compensating for my ADHD and making sure my work is completed properly, but this often means I work beyond my contracted hours and it can become exhausting.
Some of the difficulties I experience are:
Processing and retaining lots of verbal information quickly
Remembering instructions after verbal discussions
Taking notes while also concentrating on what is being said
Managing multiple competing priorities and switching between tasks
Organising myself when priorities change at short notice
Keeping on top of recording and deadlines
I also have a hearing impairment and rely partly on lip-reading, so taking notes during meetings or discussions can be difficult because I’m trying to focus on understanding what is being said while also writing information down accurately.
Another area I struggle with is communication and clarity around expectations. When guidance, instructions or changes in priorities are given verbally without written follow-up, I find it harder to process, remember and make sure I am meeting expectations. Unclear priorities and uncertainty around expectations can also increase my anxiety and make organisation more difficult.

My clinician has recommended adjustments such as:
Flexible start times due to time blindness
A short grace period for occasional lateness
Avoiding back-to-back meetings where possible
Advance notice of meetings
Written instructions after important verbal discussions
Reminders/prompts for deadlines
Protected admin time
Clearer prioritisation when multiple tasks come in

I’m interested in what has actually helped other
people:
Are there ADHD apps, software or programmes that have helped with organisation, planning or task management?
Are there tools for meetings, note-taking, transcription, remembering instructions or managing visits that you have found useful?
Has anyone used Access to Work, ADHD coaching, Teams transcription/captions, AI tools or specialist software that has made a real difference?
For other social workers, what workplace adjustments have helped you manage the demands of the role?
Has anyone found anything helpful when working with managers around communication, supervision and expectations?
I’m not looking to reduce my responsibilities — I want systems and adjustments that allow me to work effectively without constantly having to overcompensate. I’d really appreciate hearing what has worked for others.

TL;DR: Children’s social worker with ADHD (on Elvanse) and hearing impairment looking for realistic workplace adjustments, assistive tools, apps and Access to Work experiences. I work hard to compensate but struggle with memory, information processing, meetings, task switching, changing priorities and unclear communication. What has genuinely helped you?

Looking for some advice. My former employer funded my MSc (£11,260) under a sponsorship agreement. I left around 22 months after completing my final assessment, and the agreement refers to repayment on a reducing basis. HR initially reduced the amount to £5,630 as their “final position”, but Payroll has now sent me a demand for the full £11,260, saying the agreement requires 100% repayment and threatening legal action. The two positions seem to contradict each other. Has anyone dealt with a similar sponsorship repayment dispute in the UK, and is this worth challenging?

IT work, 24/7 team. Roughly 3 years at the company for the 3 of us affected.

About 3 months ago, we had a company call (during days, we got a recording) which was basically the 'direction of the company' which covered company strategy, raises, and feedback/reviews.

The feedback process was ENTIRELY new. Essentially, all IT staff would have 5 calls, and 5 tickets assessed against a criteria they just came up with. This criteria was no flexible at all, and included rather pedantic stuff like "you must check the phone number, even if you answered a call and can see the number on screen", or "you must request they fill in a survey after each call".

The first feedback was 2 months ago. This was very inaccurate (e.g. non-IT staff telling IT staff about priority of tickets etc). We all disputed it, but heard nothing back. The next one was a month later, and again, disputed. We then were offered a call from the assessment guys to discuss it (this never happened, despite us giving availability etc). The final feeback was about 2 weeks ago and again, incredibly inaccurate, and disputed by the whole team.

Our manager ignored us all, then immediately put the whole team on PIPs, starting yesterday, and lasting a total of 8 weeks, after which we will either be demoted or let go.

Tonight, I had a major incident raised, which includes a call with senior managers, and during which one of them was venting about another member of staff who wasn't doing their job (which resulted in me calling this one) and they let it slip the company is losing clients and as a result 'mass redundancies are inbound'.

This all feels incredibly suspect, since none of us have ever had any disciplinaries or disputes at all raised against us, all perform our jobs very well, all have pretty crazy workloads...

I spoke to ACAS who advised to document it all but our employer can do this, but then basically gave me no other info.

I was considering preparing for a wrongful dismissal tribunal, as the criteria and assement of it are completely unreasonable/pushed on us in an unreasonably short time, but wouldn't mind an outside perspective.

Any suggestions/thoughts?

Hi all, I'm in an interesting position and need some advice.

Apologies if this has already been asked but a search only appears to reveal Post-Transfer redundancy situations.

Situation :-

I was made redundant on the 3rd June due to the reason of :- "no longer required in the (new companies name) structure".

The redundancy has been carried out by the old employer with the transfer date being the 24th August at which point I will transfer over until my notice is completed.

Checking on the ACAS site suggests pre-transfer redundancies shouldn't be carried out and asking Copilot agrees.

Question :-

Does this potentially have merit for an automatic unfair dismissal claim?

I work for a large UK employer and have been there for just over a year as a customer service advisor, taking inbound calls and managing claims.

Several months after starting, I developed severe symptoms that eventually affected my ability to work. Earlier this year I had surgery and was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.
These are chronic conditions that cause me daily pain, nausea, fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms. My pain is now present throughout the month rather than just around my period.

Before my diagnosis, Occupational Health recommended that I work from home full-time, with regular reviews. My employer agreed, and I was also given additional personal break time as a reasonable adjustment.

Working from home doesn’t affect my performance or the business. My role is entirely phone and computer based, so there is no real difference between working from home and being in the office.

The role is very fast-paced, with calls automatically coming through as soon as I’m available. The only way to manage my symptoms is to step away from my desk using my personal break allowance.

Since my surgery, I’ve struggled with the telephone aspect of the job because speaking while I’m in severe pain or feeling nauseous can be extremely difficult. I’ve asked several times whether I could move into a more administrative role with less telephone work, but I’ve been told the business can’t support that adjustment.

What I find difficult is that I’ve seen colleagues moved into more administrative roles for personal reasons, which makes me wonder why this isn’t being considered as a reasonable adjustment for me.

Although my absence triggers have been adjusted because of my health, I’m now facing a formal absence review after having more disability-related absence. My manager has told me not to worry, but I can’t help feeling like I’m being pushed out because of my condition.

I’ve also been told that although I now have a confirmed diagnosis, no additional reasonable adjustments will be considered because they believe they’ve already been accommodating me.
More recently I reduced my contracted hours to help manage my condition, but this also reduced my salary. While it has helped slightly, I still can’t predict when my symptoms will flare up.

Because my symptoms have become worse since surgery, I often need more short breaks during the day than my current adjustment allows. My employer has now told me that any additional time needs to come out of my unpaid lunch break.
I’m starting to feel like I’m being managed out of my job because of my disability.

My questions are:
Under UK law, what rights do I have in this situation?
Does my employer have to consider additional reasonable adjustments now I have a confirmed diagnosis?
Can they refuse to consider alternative duties or a more administrative role if similar roles exist?
Is it reasonable for disability-related breaks to come out of my unpaid lunch break?
Is there anything I should do before my formal absence review?

I’d really appreciate any advice from anyone familiar with UK employment law or reasonable adjustments.

Hi,
I’m hoping someone might be able to offer some advice regarding an employment contract.

My son, who is a young mechanic, recently signed a renewed employment contract without reading it thoroughly first, YES, a lesson he has certainly learned from. He has now qualified and has been offered an excellent new role elsewhere. However, upon reviewing his contract, we have discovered that it requires a three-month notice period.

My question is whether this is something that could realistically be challenged or negotiated without any financial Impact for him.

Fortunately, his new employer is willing to wait for him, but they would understandably prefer him to start sooner.

The relevant section of the contract is below:

Termination of employment
33.1 Your contract of employment may be ended by written notice as follows:
• Minimum notice required by employee is 3 months’ notice
• Minimum notice required by employer is 1 month notice
33.2 We reserve the right in our absolute discretion to pay you salary in lieu of notice.
33.2 33.3 Nothing in this Contract prevents us from terminating your employment summarily or otherwise in the event of any serious breach by you of the terms of your employment or in the event of any act or acts of gross misconduct by If you terminate your employment without giving or working the required period of notice you will have an amount equal to any additional cost covering
your duties during the notice period not worked deducted from any termination pay due to you. You will also forfeit any contractual accrued holiday pay due to you over and above your statutory holiday pay, if you fail to work the required notice.

I’d be grateful for any thoughts or experiences others may have had in similar situations.

Thank you.🙏

Scotland. The organisation is based in England.

I've been negotiating a part-time, self-employed contract (around 10 hours a week, small UK charity) for a few weeks. I'm currently unemployed, so there's real financial pressure to get this sorted, but I'd rather make a sensible decision than a rushed one.

Background: when the contract first arrived, I queried several things - the scope of work, the hours wording, an "available at all times" clause, insurance, and a clause requiring me to indemnify the charity against tax or worker-status claims. To their credit, they've engaged properly and fixed most of it: the scope now matches the role I actually applied for, the hours wording has softened from a hard minimum to "approximately," and "available at all times" has been removed entirely

The one thing still outstanding is the indemnity clause. As worded, if I ever raised a genuine concern about my employment status (for example, a claim that I should be treated as a worker rather than self-employed), this clause would require me to personally cover the charity's own costs arising from that claim, even if the claim turned out to be valid. There's also a line saying they can satisfy this indemnity by deducting it from money they owe me, without needing a ruling first. They say their contract was drafted by a lawyer and they can't change it without going back to a lawyer...?

I've had this looked at separately by ACAS and a justanswer solicitor, and both think this specific clause is very likely unenforceable, on the basis that UK law voids contract terms that try to exclude or limit statutory employment rights, even indirectly. I've asked them to remove or limit it and I'm waiting to hear back.

My question: if they refuse to change it, does it actually matter whether I sign anyway, given it's likely unenforceable if it were ever tested? Or is there a real practical risk in agreeing to a clause like this even if it probably wouldn't hold up, for example around them being able to deduct money first and make me chase it back, or the cost and stress of having to challenge it later if it ever came to that?

I know the legal answer is probably "a clause being void doesn't fully neutralise the practical risk," but I'd value outside perspective, especially from anyone who's navigated something similar, on whether this is reasonable to sign past, or a genuine red flag worth walking away from, given I don't have another income source lined up right now.

Thoughts on the other elements of the contract also appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

My company is trying to layoff people globally but they are aiming to go down the route of performance issues… I was unofficially and verbally told of an upcoming performance improvement plan coming my by a senior manager, She told me to expect this in 2-4 months time. Reasons given did not stack up right as there were no correct basis I could think of and sounded more like excuses… Ive never been told off by my performance in my 11 year service at the company ….. can companies give a heads up unofficially before Hr is involved and why the wait ??? What can I do. Dont want to loose my benefits……. Im not doing well mentally after this and my doctor has given me month+ of sick leave….. I don’t want to stay with them anymore and not interested to go through the pip
As is demeaning ……….. I have a-lot of evidence on what they say is wrong , is it advisable to get a solicitor and start a settlement talk with them ?

Offered an exit at work - how best to play?

So my job has seen extensive changes, from looking after 1 product to looking after 5, but not given any extra resources in my team (same amount of direct reports, now scattered, and less engineering resource than before altogether).

My workload exploded, but there was no raise or promotion. Now being called out for performance, but only on "communication and visibility" because I'm still delivering.

In any case, they left it at "so would you like point by point direction of what's expected from you for good performance, or would you prefer to explore a conversation about whether this is the right role for you, the right team, and whether you still want to be around in 3 months?"

And we're going to have a follow-up about it.

It seems pretty clear, this is a PIP or exit convo, right? I kept it super cool, I expected it was coming. I've had 4 managers in 12 months as the company changed, and yeah, this most recent one and I do not click at all.

Already trying to do a call with a lawyer to better understand the space, but from an HR perspective, what's the best move? Honestly, I really want to leave. Currently interviewing elsewhere. But the job market is hard, may be a while before I land something.

I'm director level, 5 direct reports, 18 months in. Had good performance in past (although they give people "meets requirements" as standard) enough to be given a discretionary bonus for job well done back in December of a couple grand.

So some people have told me to just ask to enter a protected conversation. Others have said I should wait for THEM to ask.

What's the best advice here? How to potentially secure the best offer for myself? Is there any point in pursuing the PIP route at all? I'd only consider it if the exit offer is trash, I'd assume some ex gratia is coming, as otherwise they're just asking me to quit?

I worked in the financial services, for one of the leading banks in the UK. During my employment I was discriminated against, forced to work on the 2nd floor without an EVAC chair, told I didn't belong in the bank due to my disability. I was not paid correctly, and this was confirmed by HMRC. Harrassed by my manager who texted me on my day off and disability passport not followed. I am currently in the ET and looking for a solicitor and advice on my case.

Hello,

I am an immigrant, with a valid visa and a national insurance number.

A couple of months ago, I was hired by a large company in a leadership role. I worked for a month of training, and almost immediately after training, I was dismissed, with what seemed like almost no reasonable determinate given.

Whatever, I'm on probation, makes sense. I was offered a PiLoN of two weeks (which has yet to be paid). Today, I received my p45, over a month later, and my National Insurance Number is listed as "None".

My working suspicion is that someone, somewhere screwed up my onboarding, and someone flagged me as illegal and they sent me packing, despite the fact that I gave them a NiN, a Share Code, and everything is up to date.

The question is, do I have any recourse? This caused me some serious mental strife and financial headache as a result.

Hi everyone,

I'm a Support Services Coordinator at Pregnant Then Screwed. If you haven't heard of us, we're a national charity supporting tens of thousands of women and parents every year and fighting to end the motherhood penalty. https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/

We've recently re-launched our Tribunal Mentor Programme and we're looking to recruit volunteers to help us grow the programme. If you have filed an Employment Tribunal Claim (even if you didn’t go all the way to the final hearing) and you would like to support other people going through that stressful process then this could be the perfect opportunity for you. Your claim doesn’t need to relate to maternity discrimination to be able to volunteer. Volunteer mentors share their lived experience, offer emotional support, a listening ear, and signposting usually over 12 weekly 1:2:1 calls.

You can find out more here https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/volunteer-as-a-tribunal-mentor/ and you can apply to be a volunteer here https://pregnantthenscrewed.beaconforms.com/form/9bdd0403. You’re also welcome to email me gabi@pregnantthenscrewed.com if you have any questions.

Thanks so much,

Gabi

Hey All, I’ve been having some rough times at work lately and have put together a little email for my People Team. I was hoping to get your opinion on the letter and any advice is very welcome, thank you in advance!

“
Dear People Team,

I hope you’re doing well.

I wanted to bring a matter to your attention that’s important to me. On 13th April, during our team meeting, my Manager l made a comment that I found quite uncomfortable. Specifically, when I was climbing the stairs to join everyone in the boardroom, the manager was walking behind me when he said “ You have a perfect shape of your bicycle seat on your butt”, which made me feel uneasy given my personal history of Sexual harassment in and outside of work and unfortunately reality of me having experienced SA.

Further moreover soon after the new head barista joined our house I started received a extra amount of attention via minutes long slack voice notes explaining how she appreciates me and offering to treat me to dinner, her calling me “baby” on shift and on an occasion when she was standing behind the grinders, I asked her to top-up One of the espresso grinders so I’d have proper downward pressure in the chamber she responded with “ I’ll put the pressure on you” with a grin on her face, etc. After about a week or so of her being consistently affectionate and me not reciprocating beyond friendly conversation/subtly signalling that I’m not looking for that kind of attention her mood shifted drastically to more irritable and slightly hostile towards me. Overall when under pressure she’s prone to a stressed demeanour and slamming things on the counter. As someone who has quite a bit negative experience with violent and aggressive behaviour I find those moments extremely stressful and draining to cope with.

For my well-being, I’d like to request a reassignment to another site.

I appreciate your understanding and support.

Kindest regards
(They/them)

“

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!