What Should Managers Be Able to Handle Without HR Input?

One of the harder things for a growing business to get right is deciding how much responsibility managers should have for people issues.

If managers contact HR every time they need to give feedback or deal with a straightforward problem, relatively simple management issues can take longer than they need to, to resolve. But the answer isn’t to leave managers to deal with everything themselves. Some situations need specialist input because of the process involved, the potential consequences or the nature of the concern.

For SME owners, the important point is where that line should sit in your business. What should a manager reasonably be able to handle themselves and when should they involve HR?

This post is for: SME owners and managers who want managers to take appropriate responsibility for their teams without leaving them unsupported.

You’ll leave with: a practical way to decide what managers should handle themselves, when they should ask for advice and when HR needs to be involved.

This post is not: a guide to running disciplinary, grievance or other formal HR procedures.

If you want something more specific, these may help:

Difficult Conversations at Work: A UK Guide for Employers and Managers

Managing Underperformance in the UK: What to Do Before It Escalates

How Thorough Does a Workplace Investigation Need to Be?

What should managers usually be able to handle themselves?

Most day-to-day people management belongs with the manager. That includes setting expectations, giving feedback, dealing with relatively minor concerns when they first arise and having routine conversations about attendance, behaviour, workload or how somebody is getting on in their role.

For example, if an employee has missed two deadlines, the manager shouldn’t necessarily need HR to tell them how to address it. They will normally be able to speak to the employee, explain what they’ve noticed, ask what’s happening, agree what needs to change and follow up afterwards, without additional support or guidance.

The same applies when somebody regularly arrives late for a team meeting, a new employee isn’t yet meeting the expected standard or there’s been a misunderstanding between two members of the team. These are usually management conversations before they need to become more formal HR processes.

At this stage managers should also be noting enough of the important facts, what was discussed and anything that was agreed so that there’s a reliable record if the issue continues.

Ultimately, handling these situations well and as early as possible can often prevent them becoming more difficult or challenging situations further down the line.

When does HR need to be involved?

There are, however, situations where the manager shouldn’t be left to work out the approach on their own. This isn’t simply when an issue sounds serious though. HR involvement can be important because the business needs to follow the right process, consider employment-law implications, make sure similar situations are treated consistently or bring some independence to a difficult situation.

Formal disciplinary and grievance matters are obvious examples. Employers are expected to follow a fair procedure in disciplinary and grievance cases and investigation may be needed before decisions are made. A complaint involving bullying, discrimination or harassment may also need more careful handling, particularly where the allegation is serious or could lead to action against another employee. Acas recommends formal handling in a number of these circumstances and states the person investigating should be neutral and not involved in the complaint – this could be someone from HR.

Additionally, whistleblowing raises different considerations. Workers who make qualifying disclosures have specific legal protections and current guidance recommends that employers have processes which help managers understand how to respond.

In any of these situations HR input can be important before decisions are made about dismissal, redundancy, significant contractual changes or other action that could have a substantial impact on an employee. But HR involvement doesn’t necessarily remove the issue from the manager. Typically the manager knows the employee and the business situation best, so HR value is in ensuring the proposed approach is appropriate, the process is handled properly and decisions are broadly considered and balanced.

Ask for input before you’re committed to a course of action

The point at which a manager should involve HR isn’t always obvious, particularly while an issue is still being handled informally. Often there’s a stage though, when the manager could still deal with the issue themselves but would benefit from checking their approach before they act.

A performance problem may have been discussed a couple of times without improving. An employee’s explanation may raise questions the manager hadn’t expected. Two people may give quite different accounts of the same incident. A manager may be considering changing somebody’s responsibilities or working arrangements but be unsure what can reasonably be agreed. These are all fairly common situations when asking HR for input doesn’t automatically turn the issue into a formal process but can be helpful.

It gives the manager the chance to talk through what has happened, what action they’re considering and whether there’s anything they need to take into account before they proceed. Sometimes the answer will be to continue managing the situation informally as they are and on others it might be time to make things more formal.

The key is to avoid waiting until the manager has already promised an outcome, sent a pointed email or told the employee what the business has decided before getting some guidance.

What does a capable people manager need to be able to do?

Clearly, managers don’t need the same depth of knowledge as an HR professional, but they do need enough knowledge and judgement to carry out the people responsibilities that come with their role. A capable manager should be able to explain expectations, ask questions before reaching a conclusion, listen properly to the employee’s response and address a concern constructively.

They need to know the relevant company policies and understand the decisions they’re authorised to make. They should be able to keep appropriate records where needed and follow up rather than assuming one conversation will resolve an issue. Most importantly, they also need to recognise when something has gone beyond their own experience or authority. Knowing when to check before acting is part of making sound management decisions.

Why do some managers rely on HR more than they need to?

If managers regularly pass routine issues to HR, it’s worth looking at why before deciding they simply need to take more responsibility.

Sometimes no one has properly explained where their authority begins and ends. It’s quite common that these matters are left to assumption. So a manager may realise they’re responsible for performance, for example, but not know whether they’re expected to have the first conversation themselves or speak to HR before saying anything. Some managers have been promoted because they were good at their technical role and have had very little support in learning how to manage people. Others may have previous experience where a conversation went badly and have become understandably cautious.

The way HR and business owners respond can also shape how managers deal with their responsibilities. If HR automatically takes over whenever a manager raises a problem the manager has little opportunity to learn how to deal with a similar situation next time. If an owner regularly takes control and makes decisions for their managers, they can create the same dependency.

Repeated requests for help can therefore tell you something quite interesting. They may show that a manager needs some coaching and development, but they can also indicate that responsibilities are unclear or that managers aren’t being given the opportunity to grow in their role through guided experience.

Set the boundary for your own business

There’s no one size fits all answer to these situations so it can help to agree three broad levels rather than expecting managers to judge every situation from scratch.

For example:

The examples won’t cover every situation and some will depend on the circumstances. The value in defining boundaries like this is that it gives managers a starting point for deciding whether they should manage the issue, ask for advice or involve HR more directly, without worrying that they’ll be judged.

A simple check for SME owners

The aim is to have managers who can deal confidently with the normal people responsibilities of their role and who know when they need support.

If you’re reviewing how this works in your business, look at a few recent people issues and ask who dealt with them, when HR became involved and whether that was the right point. Where managers are escalating straightforward issues immediately, look at whether they have the knowledge, authority and confidence to handle more themselves. Where HR is being consulted only after decisions have effectively been made, check whether managers understand the situations where advice is needed earlier.

And where the same manager needs the same support each time, consider whether simply answering the next question is enough or whether some focused development would help them handle similar situations more confidently in future.

FAQs

Should managers speak to HR before every difficult conversation?

Usually not. Managers should generally be able to deal with normal feedback, expectations and everyday concerns themselves. HR input becomes more important where the circumstances are unusual, the manager is considering a significant next step or there may be procedural or legal implications.

Does asking HR for advice make an issue formal?

No. Managers can ask HR for advice while an issue is still being dealt with informally. Many workplace problems can be dealt with informally and when done well this can avoid the need for a formal process.

Should HR attend every disciplinary or grievance meeting?

Not necessarily. Who attends will depend on the business, the situation and the people involved. What matters is that the employer follows a fair process and that the people carrying out the relevant roles are able to do so appropriately. For live cases, check the applicable procedure and take advice where needed.

What if a manager keeps asking HR about routine issues?

Look at why. They may need more knowledge or confidence but they may also be unclear about their authority or have become used to HR or the business stepping in for them. Repeated questions are useful evidence of where more guidance or development may be needed.

Need help deciding where the line should be drawn?

If your managers either refer almost everything to HR or tend to ask for help only once an issue has become difficult, it may be worth reviewing how responsibilities are divided. PeopleWise Solutions can help you look at the situations your managers are dealing with, where they need more support and where they could reasonably take greater ownership.

Disclaimer

This article provides general guidance for UK employers. Individual circumstances can affect the right approach, particularly where you’re dealing with a live employee issue, formal process or potential legal risk.