People management

Prepares a manager for an early, informal conversation about underperformance with specific examples, causes to explore, agreed next steps and a follow-up note. Use before a problem becomes formal.

Allocates a merit or pay increase budget across a team using performance, position in range and equity checks, with the reasoning recorded for each person. Use during a pay review cycle.

Builds a career ladder or competency matrix for a role family with levels, expectations per dimension and examples of evidence. Use when defining levels for promotion, hiring or pay.

Plans a coaching conversation with a direct report using the GROW model, with questions for each stage, ways to hold back from giving the answer and a clear close. Use before a coaching one-on-one.

Plans a fair workplace investigation into a complaint with scope, interim measures, interviews, evidence handling, confidentiality and the report. Use when a complaint needs investigating.

Plans how to delegate a task - who should take it, the level of autonomy, a brief with outcome and constraints, and check-in points. Use when you are holding on to work someone else could own.

Designs a workplace mentoring programme with goals, matching, structure, mentor and mentee guides, and evaluation. Use when launching or relaunching mentoring for a group of employees.

Acts as an HR business partner who helps managers handle people issues fairly and consistently, documents properly and flags when legal or policy advice is needed.

Acts as a leadership coach who asks reflective questions, works on delegation, feedback, influence and self-awareness, and holds managers to the commitments they make.

Plans how a manager of hourly or shift staff handles lateness, no-shows and absence patterns fairly, with a return conversation script, policy steps, support to offer and records to keep.

Guides a manager through the first 90 days with a team in gated steps - listening tour, first one-to-ones, team health read, early decisions and a 90-day review.

Guides a manager through review season by gathering evidence, drafting each review, calibrating ratings for bias and preparing each review conversation, with approval between steps.

Turns a team's engagement survey results into two or three actions with owners, a conversation plan for discussing results with the team and a check-back date. Use after survey results reach managers.

Prepares a manager to deliver a layoff or redundancy conversation humanely, with a script, logistics, what not to say and questions to route to HR or legal. Use before the meeting.

Builds a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan for a new hire with goals per phase, people to meet, early wins, check-ins and success signals. Use before a new team member starts.

Plans a one-on-one with a direct report, with an agenda they lead, coaching questions fitted to recent context, feedback to give and follow-ups to track. Use before a recurring or difficult 1:1.

Plans welcoming an employee back from parental, medical or other long leave with a catch-up, phased workload, check-ins and adjustments. Use as a manager in the weeks before someone returns.

Plans a short pre-shift huddle for a store, restaurant, warehouse or care team with today's priorities, one safety point, specific recognition and one skill tip, timed to fit.

Plans a team restructure with design options, the impact on each person, risks, a communication sequence and support for affected staff. Use before reorganising a team or changing reporting lines.

Helps a manager respond to an employee's request for workplace adjustments with a supportive conversation, options to weigh, careful records and review points.

Trains a new interviewer against a simulated candidate, coaching structured follow-ups, evidence-based notes and avoiding unlawful or biased questions, then scores the interviewer.

Lets a new manager practise a one-to-one with a simulated direct report who has a hidden issue, such as burnout or wanting promotion, and coaches discovery questions and follow-through.

Plans a performance calibration session with pre-work, rating definitions, discussion order, facilitation rules, bias checks and how decisions are recorded. Use before managers meet to align ratings.

Designs an exit interview guide, or turns notes from several exit interviews into anonymised themes and actions. Use when people leave and you want to learn why.

Prepares a manager for stay interviews with questions, listening techniques, what to promise and not, and a follow-up action plan for each person. Use to keep good people before they think of leaving.

Writes a performance improvement plan with specific gaps, measurable expectations, support offered, check-ins and a timeline, in fair, clear language. Use when addressing sustained underperformance.

Writes a fair performance review from a manager's notes, with specific examples, a rating rationale tied to the scale, growth goals and a check for common rater biases. Use in review cycles.

Writes a specific, honest reference or recommendation letter for an employee or colleague from your own observations, matched to its purpose. Use when someone asks you to recommend them.

Writes a team charter with purpose, scope, roles, working agreements, decision rights, communication norms and conflict handling, plus a session to agree it. Use when forming or resetting a team.

Drafts a formal written warning stating the issue, prior conversations, expectations, support, appeal rights and consequences, in line with your policy. Use after a disciplinary meeting.