Question 1

What is the HR helpline?

Accepted Answer

The HR helpline is a dedicated phone line for UK employers that connects you directly with a CIPD-qualified HR advisor. It's designed for the day-to-day people issues that come up in every workplace, such as disciplinaries, absence, performance, family leave and policy questions, where you need a quick, practical answer from someone who understands UK employment law and knows what actually works in practice.

Question 2

Who can use the HR helpline?

Accepted Answer

The HR helpline is available to any UK employer, whether you're a founder with three staff, an office manager in a growing SME, or an HR lead in a business with several hundred employees. If you employ people in the UK and need HR advice, you can use the helpline. Callers range from directors handling their first ever disciplinary through to experienced HR managers sanity-checking a tricky redundancy.

Question 3

Is there a 24 hour HR helpline available?

Accepted Answer

A 24 hour HR helpline is available for retainer clients through the EmployerHQ out-of-hours service, covering evenings, weekends and public holidays for genuine emergencies such as workplace incidents, on-call suspensions or urgent tribunal deadlines. Standard advice line hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Non-retainer callers should book a consultation and we'll route urgent matters to the next available advisor.

Question 4

How much does the HR helpline cost?

Accepted Answer

The HR helpline consultation is free: you get a 15-minute call with a CIPD-qualified advisor at no cost and no obligation. Retainer clients have unlimited access to the HR helpline included in their package (from £199 per month). Pay-as-you-go advice is also available if you'd prefer not to commit to a retainer; we'll always agree fees in writing before doing any chargeable work.

Question 5

What kind of advice does the HR helpline give?

Accepted Answer

The HR helpline gives practical, actionable advice you can use straight away. That means telling you what the law requires, what best practice looks like, and what to actually say or write next. For live disciplinaries or grievances we can draft the invite letter, sit in on the hearing by phone, or take the process off your hands entirely. If a matter escalates to a legal issue we bring in employment solicitors from the same team, so nothing gets handed off.

Question 6

How is the HR helpline different from a solicitor?

Accepted Answer

The HR helpline is designed to prevent problems, not just react to them. HR advisors handle the everyday people issues that never quite get to court, such as coaching managers, drafting scripts and running procedures properly, and that stops most matters escalating in the first place. When something does need a solicitor (tribunal claim, settlement agreement, TUPE dispute), we escalate seamlessly to the in-house employment law team so you don't have to instruct anyone new.

Question 7

What is hr helpline under UK law?

Accepted Answer

Hr Helpline is a defined concept under UK employment law that affects how employers manage their workforce day-to-day. In plain English, hr helpline refers to the legal framework, rights and obligations that apply when an employer and employee deal with the matter at hand. Under UK law, getting hr helpline right means following the relevant statute (most commonly the Employment Rights Act 1996 or the Equality Act 2010), the ACAS Code of Practice where applicable, and any contractual terms that already apply between the parties. For UK employers, the practical importance of hr helpline is that mistakes are rarely about substance, they are almost always about process. Tribunals look at what you did, when you did it and whether you gave the employee a fair opportunity to respond. If you are unsure how hr helpline applies to your specific situation, speak to a qualified HR advisor before acting.

Question 8

How does hr helpline work for UK employers?

Accepted Answer

Hr Helpline works through a combination of statutory rights, the employment contract and reasonable employer behaviour. Under UK employment law, the employer typically carries the duty to act fairly, document decisions and consult with the employee before any change that materially affects their terms or status. In practice, employers should: (1) check whether the matter is covered by the contract or handbook; (2) confirm whether the Employment Rights Act 1996 or related legislation imposes a specific process; (3) follow the ACAS Code where it applies; and (4) record decisions in writing with a clear rationale. Failure to follow process is the single most common reason employers lose Employment Tribunal claims about hr helpline. Our HR advisors handle hr helpline for UK businesses every week, get in touch for guidance tailored to your situation.

Issue	First safe step	Escalate when
Short-term absence	Hold a return-to-work meeting and record the reason	A pattern emerges or a health condition may be a disability
Performance concerns	Set clear, measurable objectives with a review date	Improvement stalls, or the employee raises a grievance in response
Conduct allegations	Investigate before forming a view; keep the investigator separate from the decision maker	Dismissal is a realistic outcome
Grievances	Acknowledge quickly, hear it formally, give a written outcome	The complaint names a protected characteristic or a director
Flexible working requests	Meet, consider it properly, and reply within the statutory two-month decision period	Refusal is likely, since refusal needs one of the eight statutory grounds

HR Helpline for UK Employers

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Related helplines

Employer Helpline

Employment Law Helpline

Redundancy Helpline