AI can help organise and compare a workplace record, but evidence and human judgement still determine what it means. AI-assisted editorial illustration created for The Workplace Compass.

A grievance can be closed on paper while the worker remains trapped inside the problem. This fictional, evidence-led article examines what happens when an outcome provides a decision, but not enough explanation, remedy or confidence to move forward.

Cost-cutting is therefore not automatically unlawful, and recruiting someone on a lower salary later does not by itself prove a false redundancy. Yet timing, role similarity and the destination of the work can be relevant evidence.

A responsible employer should be able to explain the business rationale, the proposed pool and selection criteria, the consultation undertaken, and the alternatives considered. ACAS guidance stresses meaningful consultation and consideration of ways to avoid or reduce redundancies.