Complex HR Cases: What To Expect

We’ve previously looked at the case load of the average HR worker in 2025 from a number of different perspectives, ranging from the contrast between proactive and reactive HR case management to the issue of HR burnout and what can be done about it. In this piece we go back to basics to a degree, with an examination of the type of cases that HR departments have to handle and, in particular, the more complex of those cases.

Any HR professional will know that there are standard ‘bread and butter’ cases which need to be handled on a more or less daily basis, and then the more complex cases which come along when existing systems have, pretty much by definition, failed to deal with underlying issues.

While a proactive approach to HR case management is intended, as far as possible, to spot more serious issues before they have the chance to become entrenched, even the best systems are never going to completely stop more complex HR cases arising across a modern workplace from time to time.

An important factor to realise is that once this type of case arises, there are very specific processes to follow and specific pieces of information to record in order to reach a suitable and swift resolution. A case management system, built for HR, has become essential to ensure compliance and optimise outcomes for everyone involved.

How HR Is Coping

The scale of the challenge faced by HR departments was captured in statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in November of last year. According to research carried out amongst senior HR leaders, 47% felt that their teams were trapped in a ‘constant cycle of implementing layoffs and managing performance issues’, 73% were ‘struggling to align their strategy with rapidly changing business objectives while staying focused on the needs of employees’ and 53% ‘felt ineffective tech solutions were increasing their teams’ workloads.’

Tech solutions can definitely help ease the burden for HR departments, and we will discuss these later, specifically to the ways in which Workpro case management software can help HR professionals to deal with the kind of problems outlined in the CIPD statistics.

The types of issues handled by HR departments can range from basic payroll requirements, recruitment and retention right through to tricky redundancy and disciplinary cases.

Complex HR Scenarios

So what can bring about the more complex cases that HR departments have to handle? Here are some scenarios that practitioners should be prepared for and suggestions for how to respond.

Harrassment

Situation – An employee repeatedly making inappropriate comments in the workplace, often aimed at a particular fellow-employee. Allowing this to happen will erode trust in the workplace and make the employee impacted by the comments feel unsafe.

Response - The practical approach to dealing with a case of harassment should begin with a confidential investigation into the circumstances, providing a safe space for those impacted by the behaviour to speak out. An investigation of this kind often leads to more people coming forward with information or examples of inappropriate behaviour.

Providing an anonymous portal through which concerns can be expressed can help nip this type of issue in the bud before it escalates.  

Bullying

Situation – an employee is being bullied by their team leader through disparaging and unpleasant comments made in public or through open communication channels such as Slack. Dealing with bullying of this kind is vital as, left unchecked, it will impact worker morale across the board and will often lead to the affected employee leaving to work elsewhere.

Response - An investigation by the HR team will involve closely documented interviews with all involved parties and anyone who witnessed the bullying. Employees should feel comfortable in being able to talk freely about what has happened, safe in the knowledge that the correct action will be taken, something that will depend upon clear and transparent communication between the HR team and the employees, and an emphasis on respect between team members.

Unconscious Bias

Situation - in some cases the poor treatment of an employee might be more subtle than explicit bullying, such as when a junior or female member of a team finds that their ideas are ignored until another team member repeats them, at which point they are praised and taken up.

Response - This is the kind of ‘low level’ discrimination which is perhaps less likely to lead to a direct HR complaint but which is still highly damaging in terms of employee morale and retention. It is best dealt with through training in (sometimes unconscious) bias, with a particular emphasis on equipping managers to spot and deal with issues of this kind as and when they arise.  

Workplace Conflict

Situation – arguments repeatedly breaking out between particular managers during inter-departmental meetings, in a way which distracts from the intended activity of the meetings and impacts negatively on the morale of the wider teams under these managers.

Response - The HR team should set up a facilitated mediation session between the two managers in an attempt to establish accepted forms and standards of communication and, where needed, disagreement. If the arguments continue after this, then disciplinary action could be taken on the basis of agreed processes.

Absenteeism

Situation – if an employee is frequently absent from work without presenting medical evidence of a good reason for these absences, then the impact is bound to be negative in terms of wider morale amongst those attending work regularly. Productivity will also be affected with missed deadlines or other staff having to take on the extra workload.

Response - HR should deal with this situation by holding a private meeting at which the root causes of the absenteeism can be established. In wider terms, the tracking tools in a platform like Workpro can be used to monitor things like patterns of burnout and absenteeism over time, and drive proactive interaction before the absenteeism in question becomes chronic in nature.

Late Attendance

Situation – an employee is consistently 30 minutes or so late to their shift. While this may seem like a minor issue in isolation it can impact the morale of the rest of a team and have a negative effect on workflows and productivity, with other staff potentially having to cover the work or routines being disrupted.

Response - The HR case management in a case like this will involve careful documentation of the instances of lateness prior to discussing the issue with the employee in question. An effective HR intervention in this case will involve a discussion of the expected approach to timekeeping, an explanation of the possible punishments for continued lateness and a chance for the employee in question to set-out any issues – such as child-care requirements, for example – which are causing the lateness. In cases such as the latter, the HR department could explore any flexible working patterns which would help the employee to deal with their lateness.  

Poor Performance

Situation – in some cases, employees may repeatedly miss deadlines and targets, or produce sloppy or poor quality work, despite feedback from immediate line managers aimed at dealing with the situation.

Response - The HR department in a case such as this should start from a position of carefully documenting the problems with the work being done by the employee or the way in which they are missing deadlines or targets. The HR meeting with an employee in this position should focus on a concrete improvement plan featuring actionable outcomes and an understanding of what failing to deliver these outcomes could mean. The initial meeting should also include an agreement on further meetings to discuss progress and methods of tracking performance improvements fairly and consistently.

Plan Ahead

While this type of difficult case is not an everyday occurrence, it is inevitable that some of these will arise from time to time and it is essential that the processes are in place to handle them sensitively and fairly. The HR team also need to ensure that all managers follow a consistent methodology with the aim of resolving issues swiftly before they escalate, avoiding any of them resulting in costly and time consuming litigation and workplace tribunals.

HR Case Management systems provide an easy-to-follow, trackable process so that all employees can be shown to have been treated fairly with all similar cases handled in the same way.

Using Workpro To Handle Complex Cases

In more complex HR cases, Workpro can play a huge role in facilitating the practical steps needed to resolve issues. Initially, the use of 20 HR case types, including Absence Management, Disciplinary and Performance, can speed the delivery of a HR response as each type contains specific, appropriate stages and outcomes.

Ready-made templates for letters and emails help formulate fair and consistent communication and standard reports make feedback faster.

In addition, document management allied to performance tracking and data management makes it easier to spot problems before they become firmly entrenched, or to gather and present the information needed to put a coherent and constructive argument to the employee in question.

In all cases, the fact that the multiple moving parts of any complex HR investigation are kept and maintained in a single place can greatly reduce the time and workload involved in dealing with investigations of this kind. It also promises consistency across multiple cases and accountability through transparent and easily accessed audit trails.