The Strangest Workplace Situations I've Dealt With

I had a call last week. A client asked if they could fire an employee for faking a sick note. It’s a standard question, but it reminded me of a case from a few years ago that still makes me shake my head.

An employee was off sick for three weeks with a bad back. He claimed he couldn't sit or stand. The doctor's note looked real, and the employer was sympathetic. They even rearranged his workload and told him to take his time.

Then someone saw him on Facebook. He was jet skiing in Spain.

The photos showed action shots and a huge grin. The employer was furious when they called me. Honestly, I didn't blame them.

People are complex and sometimes spectacularly dishonest. My job is to navigate that without losing my cool.

When Lies Get Out of Hand

I see a specific pattern often. People panic, they lie, and the lie becomes bigger than the original problem.

One strange situation involved an employee who announced she was pregnant just as redundancy consultations started. The timing was convenient. The employer paused the redundancy to be supportive. When there was no sign of a pregnancy later, she admitted she had never been pregnant.

She panicked about losing her job and thought the lie would protect her. It didn't.

If she had been honest from the start, we could have avoided the mess.

The Impulse to Cover Up

Fear makes people do ridiculous things. The cover-up is often worse than what they were trying to avoid.

I once handled a case where an employee faked his own death. He was facing a disciplinary hearing for serious misconduct. The day before the meeting, a woman claiming to be his sister called to say he had died suddenly.

The employer was horrified. They sent flowers and cancelled the hearing. Two weeks later, someone spotted him in the local Tesco, very much alive.

He thought if he "died," the disciplinary problem would go away. Instead, he was dismissed for gross misconduct and lost his reference.

What I Keep to Myself

There are thoughts I have daily that never leave my head.

I see employees claim they can't attend meetings due to anxiety, but I see them organising complex social nights out with no issues. I want to say, "I know anxiety is real, but I need you to work with me".

I see managers call employees lazy when the manager has never trained them. I want to say, "This is your mess, not theirs".

But I don't say these things. I stay calm and professional. Losing patience solves nothing.

HR is Not About Catching You

Many people think HR exists to catch people out. That isn't true. My job is to help businesses manage the messy reality of people.

People make mistakes. They lie, panic, or even bring an axe to a meeting. (Yes, that actually happened. I stayed calm, and we all survived).

Unpredictable behaviour keeps this job interesting. If it were just ticking boxes, anyone could do it.

Almost every situation can be resolved if you stay professional and don't let the tricky situations throw you off course.

Need Help with a Tricky Situation?

We work with businesses across North Wales on a pay-as-you-go basis. We don't use contracts or retainers.

Whether it is a suspicious sick note or a tricky dismissal, give us a shout. We provide straightforward advice when you need it.