Resolve · HR Investigation and Resolution
A serious grievance. A complex disciplinary. Allegations of harassment or discrimination. A leadership relationship that has broken down and is affecting the whole business. These need more than a policy and a letter template.
Independent HR investigations and workplace resolution for employers dealing with complex, sensitive or high-risk people issues. Forensic in the detail, proportionate in the process.
Already know what needs to change? Explore the Rapid System Read™.
Not every difficult situation needs a formal investigation. And not every investigation, once complete, resolves the problem left behind. We work across two connected areas.
Establish the facts. Make informed decisions. Get the process right.
Independent workplace investigations and specialist HR support for grievances, disciplinary matters, misconduct, harassment, discrimination, sickness absence, performance concerns and other complex employee relations issues.
Explore HR investigations →When the facts aren’t the whole problem.
Where relationships have broken down, a dispute needs resolving or a team needs to recover after a difficult situation, we help create a workable way forward: mediation, settlement, repair and reset.
Explore workplace resolution →HR investigations
Some employee relations issues can be handled well by an experienced manager with the right support. Others need a different level of independence, scrutiny and specialist judgement: when the allegations are serious, the evidence is complicated, the people involved are close to the decision-makers, or the consequences of getting the process wrong are significant.
What we investigate
When an employee raises a formal grievance about their treatment, working conditions, management, colleagues or how a previous concern was handled. We establish the issues, gather relevant evidence, speak to the appropriate people and provide reasoned findings to inform your response.
When alleged conduct needs investigating before a decision on whether there is a case to answer: serious or gross misconduct, breaches of policy, dishonesty, inappropriate behaviour, conflicts of interest and disputes about what happened.
Sensitive allegations require particular care. We examine the specific allegations, the available evidence and the context, without prejudging the outcome: fair treatment, appropriate confidentiality, careful handling of evidence and clear reasoning behind findings.
Where allegations concern sexual harassment, inappropriate conduct or other serious behaviour, we bring independent scrutiny and a considered approach to gathering and assessing evidence, and consider any immediate risks that need addressing while the investigation is underway.
Where prolonged or repeated absence, ill health or capability concerns require a structured HR process, we help you understand the issues, follow a proportionate approach and identify the right next steps, including where medical or occupational-health input fits.
When performance concerns have become hard to resolve informally, we help establish what the issue is, whether expectations were clear and what support was provided. Not every performance problem is a disciplinary one; we help distinguish capability, conduct and unclear expectations before recommending a route.
Some cases don’t fit neatly into one category: several allegations, conflicting accounts, extensive documentary evidence, senior stakeholders, regulatory considerations or overlapping processes. This is where our forensic approach matters most.
A defensible investigation isn’t the longest one, or the one with the most interviews. It’s the one that asks the right questions, gathers the evidence needed to answer them, and explains how the findings were reached.
We scope the matter with you: what has happened, what is alleged, what is already known, who is involved and what the business needs the investigation to establish, flagging conflicts of interest, safeguarding, regulatory requirements or the need for legal advice.
Where allegations are unclear or overlapping, we may recommend a separate, fixed-fee scoping stage to develop the Terms of Reference first, so we don’t spend time and money investigating the wrong questions.
We identify the relevant evidence, review documents and records, conduct interviews and test accounts against the material, keeping a structured record of the reasoning behind the findings. Where evidence is missing or insufficient, we say so.
A written report sets out the scope, the work undertaken, the evidence considered, findings on the allegations and the reasoning. We can support subsequent meetings, outcome communications and appeals; the employer remains responsible for the decisions that follow.
Every engagement is scoped around what the case requires: a clear, reliable record of how the investigation was approached and what its findings support, not paperwork for its own sake.
Employers, particularly smaller businesses, need to know what an investigation is likely to cost before committing. Every investigation starts with a time estimate using a consistent calculation method, assessing the factors we can identify at the outset:
The estimate is a ceiling, not a fixed fee or a target to spend. We charge for the work undertaken, within the agreed estimate, and discuss any change with you before proceeding with additional work.
Mediation, workshops and inclusive-leadership interventions are delivered on a fixed fee, agreed in full before we start. Where allegations need clarifying first, a fixed-fee Terms of Reference stage is often the more cost-effective starting point.
We are not a substitute for an employment solicitor and we don’t provide legal advice or tribunal advocacy. Where legal advice is needed, we work alongside your solicitor or help you identify where specialist legal input should be obtained.
Workplace resolution
Sometimes the investigation is only one part of the work. A relationship may have broken down. A grievance may have left a team divided. A formal process may have reached an outcome, but the business still has to work the following Monday. Workplace resolution focuses on what happens next.
Where continuing the relationship may no longer be realistic, we facilitate settlement and exit discussions with preparation, discretion and a clear view of the intended outcome. Where protected conversations or without-prejudice discussions apply, we handle them properly, and work alongside an employment solicitor where a formal agreement or Acas COT3 is needed.
Where colleagues or leaders are struggling to work together, independent, voluntary mediation provides a structured opportunity to address the issues and agree how the working relationship can function from here. It isn’t a substitute for investigating serious allegations; we help you choose the right route.
Closing a process doesn’t automatically repair a team. We help address what remains: communications, responsibilities, rebuilt working arrangements, leadership behaviour and the changes needed to prevent the same problems recurring.
Our facilitated inclusive-leadership workshop, drawing on the principles of Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead and LEGO® Serious Play® methodology. Participants use facilitated model-building to surface perspectives, examine assumptions and make shared commitments, as a standalone day or part of a wider reset.
Where a team has been affected by conflict, change or a difficult process, a focused intervention to establish what needs to change and agree how the team will work together: facilitated conversations, clarified roles and expectations, agreed behaviours and a practical set of actions.
A senior, independent perspective on a specific, difficult situation: a live employee-relations issue, a compensation or terms question, or a leadership dynamic, scoped around the question to be resolved with a clear output and practical next steps.
We start by understanding the situation and what you need to achieve, then agree the appropriate route, the work involved and the basis on which it will be delivered. Some work is scoped as a defined, fixed-fee intervention; investigations are estimated against the likely work required, with the basis explained and additional work discussed before it proceeds.
If the issue points to a different or more proportionate way forward, we’ll tell you. We won’t insist on a formal process simply because that’s the service you first asked for.
An independent investigator may be appropriate where allegations are serious or contested, internal relationships create a potential conflict of interest, senior leaders are involved, or the employer needs an impartial investigation that can be clearly separated from the decision-making process. The right approach depends on the circumstances, which we can help you assess in an initial scoping conversation.
Yes. We investigate workplace grievances, disciplinary and misconduct allegations, bullying, harassment, discrimination, sexual misconduct and other complex employee relations matters. We can also support sickness absence, capability and performance processes where an independent or specialist HR approach is appropriate.
Complex and high-risk investigations are a particular strength, but we scope each case on its merits. The objective is to match the approach to the issues and evidence, rather than make every case more complicated than it needs to be.
Every investigation starts with a time estimate based on the number and complexity of allegations, the people involved, the likely evidence and any additional considerations. We explain the calculation and the assumptions behind it. The estimate is a ceiling, not a fixed fee or a spending target, and we discuss any proposed change before additional work proceeds. Where allegations need clarifying first, we may recommend a fixed-fee Terms of Reference stage.
Depending on the circumstances, an issue may be capable of informal resolution, mediation or facilitated settlement discussions. Some allegations or risks will still require formal investigation or other action. We help you understand the available routes and their implications rather than assuming one approach fits every situation.
We can facilitate discussions and support an agreed route towards resolution. Whether a solicitor is needed depends on the arrangement: a statutory settlement agreement requires the individual to receive independent advice from a relevant adviser, and an Acas COT3 is recorded through Acas conciliation. We identify when legal advice or Acas involvement is appropriate.
We can support the next stage, including outcome communications, appeal arrangements where agreed, and practical work to address the impact on the team. Depending on what has happened, that may involve mediation, a team reset, inclusive-leadership development or changes to the working arrangements that contributed to the issue.
You don’t need the allegations perfectly defined, or to know which service you need, before speaking to us. Tell us what has happened, what you’ve done so far and what you’re trying to resolve. We’ll help you establish the right next step. Confidential, no obligation.
Not sure whether the issue points to a wider problem with how the business operates? Start with a Rapid System Read™, or take the free Employer Exposure Review.
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