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HR challenges is tough to deal with but can be avoided. When I first started working with care providers, one thing became clear very quickly: running a care service isn’t just about delivering outstanding care, it’s about managing people. And that’s no easy feat. You’re juggling compliance, staff wellbeing, recruitment struggles, and the very human emotions that come with the job.
I’ve sat with managers who felt paralysed by sickness absences, unsure if they could even ask questions without risking a tribunal claim. I’ve listened to carers who felt ignored when raising grievances, and I’ve seen first-hand the damage poor policies can do to team morale.
So, when Caine shared his insights in a recent Access Skills webinar, it hit home. His advice wasn’t theoretical. It was real, practical, and rooted in years of helping care providers navigate HR minefields.
What I’m sharing here is a blend of his strategies, real-world stats, and my own reflections. If you’re a care home manager, HR lead, or provider, these six approaches can help you take control of your HR challenges, and maybe even sleep a little better at night.
1. Tackle Sickness Absence: Key HR Challenges
If you’ve ever had a staff member repeatedly off sick, you’ll know the frustration. Do you push for their return and risk seeming unsympathetic? Or do you wait it out, while the rest of your team carries the extra workload?
Sickness absence is one of the most pressing HR challenges in the care sector. The impact goes beyond inconvenience: every absence directly affects residents’ wellbeing, compliance, and team morale.
And dismissing someone who’s unwell? That’s legally complex. If their illness is classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, mishandling the situation could lead to discrimination claims.
Expert recommendations:
- Hold wellbeing meetings supportive conversations, not interrogations.
- Engage occupational health early, especially in cases of long-term absence
- Apply a clear trigger system (e.g., three absences in six months) to maintain consistency.
- Offer reasonable adjustments flexible shifts, phased returns, or lighter duties
The truth is, managers often panic when staff go off sick, fearing they can’t act. But a structured process helps smoothen things out. With the right framework, you can manage sickness absence fairly, support your employees, and reduce one of the most stressful HR challenges in care.
2. Build Strong Grievance Policies to deal with HR Challenges
If a staff member raises a concern, or worse, stays silent because they don’t believe anything will happen, that’s one of the biggest HR challenges. in a care setting. Grievances, when handled poorly, eat away at trust and can escalate into legal trouble or tribunals.
Clear grievance and disciplinary policies aren’t optional. They’re a legal requirement and foundational to meeting the standards of good HR practice in care. These documents should clearly explain how someone can report a grievance, how investigations are carried out, and what appeal processes look like. It’s about being fair and being able to show your fairness if questioned.
Training managers is also crucial, especially for serious grievances like harassment or abuse. A policy is only as good as the people who deliver it. If managers don’t know how to follow the policy or are inconsistent, the policy loses its value.
The Acas guide Discipline and Grievance at Work offers good practice guidelines; many tribunal cases hinge on failure to follow a clear policy. For example, Acas emphasises that grievance procedures must be written, easily accessible, and followed in line with the Acas Code of Practice.
Actionable Tip:
- Include a well-defined grievance process in your employee handbook: who to report to, timescales, what happens at each stage.
- Train all managers in handling grievances informally and formally to ensure consistency.
- Make sure your grievance policy reflects legal standards (e.g. Acas Code) and is easy for staff to find.
3. Address Phone Usage to Avoid HR Challenges
Take for instance, a family member visits and sees a carer distracted by their phone, that can feel so damaging not only to service quality but to trust.
When carers are constantly checking messages or scrolling during care tasks, it undermines both safety and the standards you work so hard to uphold.
Clear policies whether standalone mobile phone policies or sections within broader conduct codes are essential. Spell out when phone use is acceptable, what counts as misuse, and what disciplinary action follows. Doing so sets expectations and ensures fairness when issues must be addressed.
From my experience, nothing frustrates families more than seeing carers look out of touch. A phone policy doesn’t need to be harsh more a gentle nudge that says: care first. When this policy is enforced fairly, everyone knows where they stand, and standards tighten up.
A recent review on healthcare workers’ informal mobile phone use noted that while phones can help with communication, misuse is linked to distraction and risks to patient safety.
Research on “Smartphone distraction during nursing care” shows the relationship between device distractions and lowered attention to essential caregiving tasks.
Actionable Tip:
- Develop a mobile phone policy that clearly bans use during care tasks (unless it’s part of the job, e.g. to access care apps or during emergencies).
- Communicate the policy to every team member, ideally during onboarding and in your staff handbook.
- Treat violations as misconduct via a fair disciplinary process, consistent enforcement is key.
4. . Ensure Fair Dismissals: Key HR Challenges
If you’ve ever wondered whether letting someone go for ongoing performance or behavioural issues is fair or if you’ll be risking a tribunal this is one of the biggest HR challenges in care.
Dismissing someone can’t just be reactive; it needs to be careful, consistent, and legally sound.
Caine hghlighed the five legally recognised fair reasons for dismissal under UK law: conduct, capability, redundancy, statutory ban, or some other substantial reason (SOSR). But the reason alone isn’t enough. What often trips up employers is how they apply those reasons: if similar issues are treated differently among employees, or if someone is disciplined while another isn’t under the same circumstances, that inconsistency can lead to claims of unfair dismissal or discrimination.
I remember working with a manager who avoided documenting verbal warnings and just hoped things would improve. When one person finally raised a grievance, the organisation ended up in dispute because others hadn’t had the same opportunity for improvement.
The Acas “Unfair Dismissal” guidance makes it clear that employers must follow a fair reason and a fair procedure for dismissal.
Consistency of treatment is a major factor tribunals assess; treating similar misconduct differently can be seen as unfair. This is described in case law and in Acas’s Code of Practice.
Actionable Tip:
- Train managers thoroughly in the disciplinary process, ensuring they understand what constitutes misconduct, capability issues, etc.
- Make your policies explicit: define what counts as misconduct or performance failures, spell out the warning stages, timeframes for improvement, and appeals.
- Always follow the procedure you publish document every stage. Consistency is your shield against unfair dismissal claims in the face of one of the most demanding HR challenges in care.
5. Address Theft and Fraud: Critical HR Challenges in Care
When you suspect theft or fraud in your care setting, it’s one of the trickiest HR challenges you’ll face. On one hand, you need to act decisively; on the other, proceed carefully you’re dealing not just with rules but with fairness, trust, and legal exposure.
Caine recommends treating theft as gross misconduct. That means suspending the staff member while you carry out a proper investigation. Contractual clauses like a “right to search” provision and a CCTV/investigative policy can strengthen your position, especially in situations where it’s their word against yours.
Fraud cases are even more delicate. That’s where whistleblowing protections come in. Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA), employees (and workers) who report wrongdoing or fraud can be protected from reprisals. If your policy is clear, and staff know how to raise concerns safely, you’re far more likely to build a defensible, fair process.
Whistleblowers are protected by UK law from detrimental treatment or dismissal for exposing fraud, misuse of money, safety risks, or other wrongdoing in the public interest.
Actionable Tip:
- Include a “right to search” clause in employment contracts or staff handbooks. For example: lockers, property brought into work, or personal property in certain situations. Make sure it’s lawful and doesn’t infringe employee rights.
- Have a CCTV policy clearly stating when footage may be used in investigations.
- Upon suspicion of theft or fraud: suspend (on full pay pending investigation), gather evidence, interview involved parties, and follow your disciplinary procedure always with fairness and documented steps.
- Ensure staff know how to report wrongdoing safely under your whistleblowing policy.
6. Prepare Foundations to Avoid HR Challenges
Launching a care home or domiciliary care service comes with unique HR challenges. It’s of utmost importance to build strong HR foundations early to avoid costly mistakes.
Policies covering sickness, conduct, and staff retention not only reduce legal risks but also create a workplace where employees feel valued and supported.
Many new care providers treat HR as secondary to care delivery. But effective HR isn’t a distraction, it’s the backbone of a sustainable business. Ensure you put HR policies in place before opening your doors.
The Future of Care Sector HR – Handling HR Challenges
Change is coming, and it will reshape several of the biggest HR challenges care providers face.
Government consultations on care regulation show regulators are actively reviewing the regulatory framework for providers which will also require many organisations to review and update policies and procedures.
What to do now:
- Review and document your dismissal, grievance, sickness, and flexible-working procedures now make sure they are fair, practical and consistently applied.
- Train managers on updated procedures and record-keeping, consistency is your best defence against tribunal risk.
- Run a policy impact check against expected regulatory changes and prioritise the updates that carry the greatest legal or operational risk.
Your Path to Navigating Care Sector HR Challenges
Mastering care sector HR challenges isn’t about reacting to problems — it’s about staying prepared, fair, and people-focused.
Always remember “Documentation is power.” Start small, whether it’s a clear grievance process or a mobile phone policy and build layer by layer.
Ready to strengthen your HR approach?
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