Managing People With No HR Background: A UK Guide

Most founders who end up managing people never intended to be in HR. They hired someone to do a job, then discovered that the managing part is complicated, legally specific, and nothing like the rest of running a business. This guide covers what you actually need to know.

The Mindset Shift

Technical expertise and management expertise are different skills. The best engineer, designer, or salesperson does not automatically become a good manager when promoted. The skills that made them excellent as individual contributors - depth of focus, high personal standards, independent judgment - can actively work against them when managing others.

The fundamental shift: as a manager, your job is to make your team effective, not to be the most effective person on the team.

In practice, this means:

• Your value is in clarity, support, and decision-making - not personal output
• You succeed when your team succeeds, even if you are not directly involved
• Hard conversations are part of the job, not a failure of relationship
• Consistency matters more than being liked

None of this is natural. It is a set of skills that can be learned.

What the Law Actually Requires

You do not need to know every employment law. You need to know the following:

Fair dismissal. After two years of service, employees have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. Fair dismissal requires a fair reason (capability, conduct, redundancy, legal restriction, or SOSR) and a fair process. Skipping the process makes the dismissal unfair regardless of the reason.

Discrimination law. You cannot treat someone less favourably because of a protected characteristic: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. This applies not just to dismissal but to every management decision.

ACAS Code of Practice. The ACAS Code sets out the required process for disciplinary and grievance cases. Employment tribunals take it into account when deciding cases. Following it protects you; ignoring it costs you.

Documentation. Employment law disputes are resolved on evidence. If a conversation happened but there is no record of it, it is very difficult to prove it happened. Conversely, if you document a performance conversation fairly and the employee later disputes it, your record is your defence.

Common Mistakes Non-HR Managers Make

Avoiding the Conversation Until It Is Too Late

This is the single most common management error in small businesses. A manager notices a performance problem in month three. They hope it will improve. They mention it informally once. Six months later the problem is worse. Twelve months in they decide action is required. By this point, the employee has no idea why they are suddenly in a formal process, the manager has twelve months of avoided conversations to navigate, and the legal process is longer and more expensive than it needed to be.

The rule: Address performance and conduct concerns early, directly, and with documentation. A brief, honest conversation in week three is almost always better than a formal process in month twelve.

Treating Friendly as Fair

In small teams, managers and employees often develop genuine friendships. This is a feature of small business culture. It becomes a problem when the friendship makes honest management impossible.

Fair management does not mean unfriendly management. It means applying the same standards to everyone, regardless of how much you like them, and being honest when something is not working even when that honesty is uncomfortable.

Inconsistency

One of the most common grounds for discrimination and unfair dismissal claims is inconsistent treatment. If one employee is dismissed for something that another employee did without consequence, that inconsistency is legally and ethically problematic.

The fix is straightforward: apply the same standards to everyone. Before any significant management decision, ask: would I make the same decision in the same circumstances for any employee?

Bypassing Process

When a manager decides they want to exit someone - for legitimate reasons - the temptation is to move quickly. Shortcuts look efficient. They are legally dangerous.

The process exists for a reason: to ensure the decision is fair and defensible, and to give the employee a genuine opportunity to respond, improve, or challenge the decision. An employment tribunal will look at whether you followed the right process regardless of whether the underlying decision was justified.

Practical Skills for Non-HR Managers

Having the Direct Performance Conversation

Structure for a direct performance conversation:

1. Specific observation: "In the last two client meetings, the proposals were submitted after the deadline we agreed."

2. Impact: "This has affected client relationships and put the team under last-minute pressure."

3. Expectation: "The expectation is that proposals are submitted at least 24 hours before the client meeting."

4. Response: "I want to understand what has been getting in the way of that."

5. Plan: "Let's agree on how we will address this and check in again in two weeks."

6. Written record: Send a brief follow-up email the same day: "Following our conversation today, I wanted to confirm the key points discussed..."

This structure is fair, direct, specific, and documented. It gives the employee a genuine chance to understand the concern and improve. It is also the basis of a fair formal process if the informal approach does not resolve the issue.

Running a Fair Disciplinary Process

When an informal approach has not resolved a conduct or performance issue, or when the issue is serious enough to require formal action:

1. Invite to a meeting in writing. Give reasonable notice (usually a few days). State that it is a formal disciplinary meeting and what the concern is. Remind them of their right to be accompanied (by a colleague or trade union representative).

2. Hold the meeting. Explain the concern. Give the employee an opportunity to respond fully. Do not decide the outcome during the meeting.

3. Adjourn and decide. Consider the employee's response. Decide the outcome (no action, first written warning, final written warning, or dismissal). Apply the same standard you would to any employee in the same situation.

4. Communicate in writing. Confirm the outcome in writing, including the right of appeal and the appeal process.

5. Right of appeal. Give the employee the right to appeal the decision to someone not involved in the original decision where possible.

This process follows the ACAS Code. Deviating from it creates tribunal risk.

When to Get Help

You do not need to handle every people situation alone. Know when to get external support:

• Before any formal disciplinary or grievance process involving potential dismissal
• When someone raises a complaint involving discrimination or harassment
• When an employee goes off sick during a disciplinary process
• When you receive a letter from a solicitor or trade union representative
• When you are not sure whether what you want to do is lawful

ACAS has a free helpline (0300 123 1100) that is genuinely useful for straightforward questions. For complex or high-stakes situations, an employment solicitor or HR consultant is worth the cost.

Documentation: What to Record and How

Keep a record of:

• Significant performance conversations (date, what was discussed, agreed actions)
• Any formal meetings (invite letter, meeting notes, outcome letter)
• Attendance and absence records
• Any complaints raised by or about an employee
• Any agreed changes to terms or working arrangements

The standard to aim for: if this situation ended up at a tribunal in 18 months, would your records clearly show what happened, when, and what the employee was told?

You do not need formal HR software for this. A well-organised personnel file (paper or digital) and the habit of following up significant conversations in writing is sufficient for most small businesses.

This is guidance, not legal advice. For specific employment law queries, consult an employment solicitor or ACAS on 0300 123 1100.