Case Studies

Real examples of how NeuroHR has helped businesses with employee relations, workplace issues and neurodiversity.

Burnley - Workplace Needs Assessment

When a Performance Issue Turns Out to Be Something Else

An employer contacted me because they were considering starting a formal performance management process with an employee who was struggling at work.

There were genuine concerns about their performance, so this wasn't a case of simply saying, “They're neurodivergent, therefore we shouldn't manage their performance.”

But there was a question about whether the employer fully understood what was behind the difficulties.

Rather than moving straight into a formal process, the employer decided to pause and commissioned me to carry out a Workplace Needs Assessment.

I spent time understanding the employee's role, their strengths, what they were good at, where they were experiencing difficulties and what barriers were getting in the way.

I also considered the manager's perspective, because a Workplace Needs Assessment isn't just about asking the employee what they want. It needs to look at the actual job and what is happening from both sides.

The assessment identified a number of practical adjustments that could help the employee work more effectively.

These were specific to the individual and their role rather than a generic list of things that might help a neurodivergent employee.

The result was that the employer had a much better understanding of what was happening and could put appropriate support in place before escalating the situation through a formal performance process.

It also meant they weren't unnecessarily risking the loss of a talented employee because of a problem that may have been partly caused by barriers that hadn't previously been understood.

For me, that's one of the most important parts of this work.

A Workplace Needs Assessment isn't about lowering standards.

It's about asking whether someone has the right conditions and support to meet those standards in the first place.

If you're facing a similar situation and you're unsure how to support a neurodivergent employee, book a free discovery call.

Sometimes the best time to look at that isn't after the performance process has started.

It's before.

Accrington – Independent Grievance Investigation

An Independent Grievance Investigation: a Neurodivergent Employee

I was asked by an employer to independently investigate a formal grievance raised by an autistic employee.

The grievance raised concerns that the employee's neurodivergence wasn't properly understood or supported within the workplace.

Because of the nature of the allegations, the employer wanted someone independent to investigate the facts rather than asking an internal manager who was already involved in the situation.

Before starting the investigation, I arranged a pre-investigation meeting with the employee.

Part of that was simply about introducing myself, explaining my role and making the process a little less unknown.

But I also wanted to understand whether there were any reasonable adjustments that could help the employee participate in the investigation more effectively.

This is something I think is often missed.

It's very easy to ask:

“Do you have any reasonable adjustment requests?”

and leave it there.

But that assumes the person knows what they need, knows what adjustments are available and feels comfortable asking for them.

Sometimes you need to have a proper conversation about what might make the process easier.

When I then interviewed the employee about their grievance, I used a clear structure to work through each allegation.

We looked at what had happened, when it happened, who was involved, what had been said or done, what evidence might exist and what the impact had been.

I was particularly careful to separate what the employee had personally experienced or witnessed from information they had been told by someone else.

That isn't about challenging someone's account because they're autistic.

It's simply good investigation practice, and a clear structure can make it easier for someone to give their evidence.

I then interviewed the other people involved and considered the available evidence before reaching findings on each allegation.

The investigation ultimately contributed to a successful resolution.

The employer retained a very good employee and reduced the risk of the situation escalating further.

Just as importantly, the employee could see that their concerns had been taken seriously and that the organisation was willing to put appropriate support in place.

For me, this is what good employee relations should look like.

You can investigate something properly, challenge evidence where you need to and still treat the people involved with dignity.

It doesn't have to be one or the other.

If a grievance has landed on your desk and you're weighing up how to tackle it, book a free discovery call. Getting the process right the first time is what stops one complaint turning into a crisis.

Preston – Putting the Right HR Foundations in Place

When a Growing Business Needs Some HR Structure

A small business in Preston came to me without any formal HR policies or processes in place. They were also using self-employed workers, so there were a number of areas that needed looking at to make sure their arrangements were appropriate and that the business understood its responsibilities as it grew.

Rather than giving them a huge list of things they needed to fix immediately, I started by reviewing what they already had, how the business operated and where the biggest risks and priorities were.

From there, we agreed a staged approach based on priority, risk and affordability. For a small business, I think this is important. You don't always need to do everything at once, and trying to introduce a whole HR system overnight can be just as overwhelming as having no system at all.

I supported the business with the transition from self-employed arrangements to appropriate contracts of employment where required, and put the basic HR foundations in place. This included bespoke documentation tailored to how the business actually operates, including contracts of employment, HR policies and a staff handbook.

I don't believe in handing a small business a folder full of generic HR documents and saying, "There you go."

The documents need to make sense for the business, be practical for managers to use and reflect how the organisation actually works.

The business is now on a monthly HR retainer with NeuroHR, which means they also have someone they can come to when something crops up.

That might be a question about an employee, a tricky conversation, a new starter, a policy question or simply, "Can we actually do this?"

They don't need to become HR experts themselves. They have me on hand to help them work through things before they become bigger problems.

The result is the business now has stronger HR foundations, appropriate employment documentation and ongoing access to practical HR support, without having to employ a full-time HR person.

If you're running a small business and HR has become a bit of a "we'll sort that when we need to" situation, book a free discovery call. I'll help you work out what needs attention, what can wait and where to start, without throwing a load of unnecessary paperwork at you.

Blackburn - Employee Relations & Settlement Support

When Frustrations Build Up Before Anyone Deals With Them

A small business in Blackburn came to me after a situation with an employee had started to escalate.

The management team had been frustrated for some time about what they saw as a negative approach from the employee. He regularly questioned business decisions and processes and was seen as challenging by members of the management team.

The difficulty was that, although these concerns had been discussed amongst managers, they had never really been addressed with the employee.

There had been no clear conversation about the concerns, no opportunity for the employee to understand how his behaviour was being perceived and no real attempt to resolve things informally.

Then an incident happened where the employee failed to fulfil a commitment. The business responded by inviting him straight to an investigation meeting.

The employee questioned the approach. His view was that he had not been given an opportunity to understand or resolve the concerns informally before the business moved into a formal investigation process.

The business sought advice and decided that, before taking things further, a protected conversation would be appropriate.

That conversation opened up a much wider discussion. Historic performance concerns were raised with the employee, which then resulted in him raising a grievance about the way the situation had been handled.

At that point, the business needed to step back and work out how best to move forward rather than continuing to add more layers to an already difficult situation.

I advised the business throughout the process, helping them understand their options, the risks involved and how to approach the situation fairly and proportionately.

Ultimately, we were able to facilitate an agreed exit between the business and the employee, with a reasonable settlement reached by both parties.

For me, the learning from this case isn't simply about how to manage an employee who is seen as negative or challenging.

It's about dealing with concerns when they arise.

If a manager is repeatedly frustrated by someone's behaviour, quietly complaining about it within the management team isn't going to resolve it. The employee needs to know what the concern is, have an opportunity to respond and, where appropriate, be given the chance to change things.

Sometimes a difficult employee situation can be resolved with a straightforward conversation much earlier on. Leaving things until the frustration has built up, and then moving straight into a formal process, can make the situation much more complicated than it needed to be.

If you're finding yourself getting increasingly frustrated with an employee but aren't sure what to do next, book a free discovery call. I'll help you work out the best way forward, whether that's having a difficult conversation, managing a formal process or, if the relationship has reached the end of the road, supporting you with an agreed exit or settlement agreement.