How our hr support works

An active HR case is any ongoing employee issue that requires structured, step-by-step support over time, rather than one-off advice.

These situations usually involve multiple interactions, documentation, and decision points, and carry a higher level of legal or people risk.

• Disciplinary processes
• Grievances (formal or progressing towards formal)
• Capability or performance management processes
• Long-term sickness absence management
• Redundancy consultations
• Dismissals
• Complex employee relations issues requiring ongoing guidance
• Any situation where letters, meeting notes, or outcomes need to be drafted or reviewed
• Any issue involving the same employee over multiple stages or weeks

If we are supporting you through a process — rather than answering a single question — it is likely to be an active case.

The following are considered general HR advice and do not count as an active case:

• One-off HR questions or sense-checks
• Policy interpretation or best-practice advice
• Guidance on how a process works in principle
• Advice on handling day-to-day people management situations
• Reviewing templates from the members’ area (without tailoring or drafting)
• Support with HR systems, policies, or documentation not linked to a live employee issue

Active cases are supported within HR Plus and HR Partner packages, which include a set number of active cases at any one time.

If you’re on HR Essentials and an issue becomes an active case, you can:

• Add one-off case support, or
• Upgrade to HR Plus for ongoing support

If you’re on HR Plus and exceed your included case allowance, we’ll always flag this clearly and agree next steps with you before proceeding.

We’ll always tell you upfront.

If something moves from general advice into active case support, we’ll explain this clearly and outline your options — there are no surprises and no automatic upgrades.

If you’re ever unsure which package is right, start with HR Essentials — you can upgrade at any time.