Managing people raises questions that do not always look like HR questions.
Here, the starting point is what is actually happening: recognise the situation, give it a name and understand the next step.
HR questions often arise as concrete, day-to-day situations. This library grew out of questions that have emerged throughout our work: from business owners and managers, team members and HR professionals. We translate each situation into clear language, add useful context and show when it may make sense to act.
First, recognise the situation. Then give it a name.
When a business starts building a team, decisions arise that do not always look like HR matters: hiring, welcoming a new person, dealing with a departure, organising holidays, giving feedback, setting pay, distributing responsibilities or understanding what must legally be kept in order. This is often how day-to-day HR questions begin.
For people who do not work in HR, problems do not arrive with a label. They arrive as phrases such as: “I receive lots of CVs and none of them fit”, “this person is not meeting expectations”, “everyone wants holidays at the same time”, “I need them to take on other tasks” or “I do not know whether I am required to have this”.
VAGAR was born in the Alentejo and starts precisely from situations like these. First, we understand what is happening. Then we give it a name, help separate what matters from what does not, and define what kind of support may make sense.
Which of these situations is closest to what you are experiencing?
You do not need to know the name of the service. Start with the situation you recognise. HR questions can have different causes, and we help identify the right area.
I need to hire
Find, choose and onboard a new person.
02Something has changed in the team
Departures, conflict, managers, engagement and experience.
03I need to develop people
Training, new responsibilities, leadership and AI.
04I need to assess, reward or recognise
Performance, pay, salary increases, benefits and recognition.
05The business has grown or changed
Roles, responsibilities, dependencies and reorganisation.
06I have day-to-day questions
Holidays, absences, documentation and ongoing HR support.
Better hiring starts before the vacancy is published.
Many difficulties attributed to the labour market begin earlier: in how the role is defined, the job advert, the selection criteria or the way the organisation prepares for a new person’s arrival.
This is addressed through Talent — Recruitment & Attraction →Select a question on the left to see the answer.
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I receive many applications, but hardly any seem suitable. What could be going wrong?
When there are many applications but little fit, it is not enough to conclude that “the market does not have the right people”. Often there is a mismatch between the actual work, how the role was defined, what the advert communicates, the channels chosen and the criteria used for the initial screening.
Example: you need to replace the receptionist. Before writing “good communication, dynamic and organised”, list the actual work: answering calls, receiving suppliers, managing meeting rooms, using a specific system, working a particular schedule and speaking English. Then separate what is essential from what can be learned. That list becomes the basis of the role description and should guide the advert and initial screening.
We can turn the need into a clearly defined role, test the profile against the market, review the advert and channels, create selection criteria and structure a process the organisation can reuse internally.
Do I always need to use a recruitment company when I want to hire?
No. Some recruitment processes can be managed internally with a simple method, while others justify external support because of limited time, access to the market, the critical nature of the role or the difficulty of assessing candidates.
Example: you hire two or three times a year for similar roles. Instead of always using a full recruitment process, you can create an internal role profile, a base job advert, three or four screening criteria, an interview guide and a decision matrix. External support can then be used when the role is hard to fill, confidential or requires active search in the market.
VAGAR can run the first process with you while also building the structure so that future recruitment can be managed internally with greater autonomy.
How do I know I am choosing the right person rather than simply the one I liked most in the interview?
A pleasant interview is not evidence of fit. The risk increases when each candidate is asked different questions and the final decision becomes “I liked this one more”. Selection improves when everyone is compared against the same criteria linked to the actual work.
Example: if the role involves handling complaints, do not simply ask whether the person “deals well with customers”. Ask them to describe a difficult situation, what they did and what the outcome was. If organisation is important, use a short exercise with competing priorities. At the end, compare candidates using the same criteria before discussing who made the best impression.
VAGAR can structure the criteria, interviews, exercises and a decision matrix suited to the role.
I have hired someone new. How should I organise the first few days so they understand the organisation and get off to a good start?
The first few days are not just about introducing colleagues and providing access. Good onboarding reduces three uncertainties: “what is expected of me?”, “how do things work here?” and “who do I turn to when I do not know?”.
Example: instead of four hours of presentations on day one, spread the information out. Day 1: people, context, tools and essential rules. First week: role, priorities, examples of good work and key contacts. During the first 30 days: short check-ins with the manager. You do not need a 60-page manual; you need a well-designed sequence.
We can design the onboarding journey, materials, managers’ responsibilities and check-in points at 30, 60 and 90 days, adapted to the organisation’s reality.
I hired someone and, after only a few weeks, I already have doubts. Should I wait or speak to them now?
The initial period should not be a silent test. If there are doubts, the most useful approach is to make them transparent early: explain what is being observed, hear how the person is experiencing the role and clarify what needs to change. Late feedback removes the person’s opportunity to adjust their behaviour.
Example: you expected more autonomy, but the new employee asks the manager about everything. Before concluding that they “lack initiative”, check whether they know which decisions they can make independently, whether they have seen examples, whether they have access to the information they need and whether autonomy in that role was clearly explained. Agree a check-in to follow progress.
VAGAR can help structure these early feedback moments, clarify expectations and understand whether the issue lies in onboarding, the role or the work context.
Before calling it “lack of motivation”, it is worth understanding what has changed.
Departures, conflict, complaints or falling engagement are signals. The aim is not to find someone to blame; it is to understand what is producing the situation and what change could improve the work.
This is addressed through Organisational Context, Culture & Change →Select a question on the left to see the answer.
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We increased the salary of an important employee and they still decided to leave. Why?
There is no single answer, and a pay rise is not a definitive retention test. Pay, management, career progression, schedules, workload, job content, relationships, trust in the organisation and external opportunities can combine. The work is to ask enough questions to understand what would genuinely have made a difference.
Example: someone accepts another offer after receiving a pay rise. Instead of assuming “it was only about money” or “they already wanted to leave”, ask what weighed most in the decision, what had been bothering them before the external offer and what would have needed to change for them to consider staying for another two years. Then compare this with other departures: are they concentrated in the same role, under the same manager or at the same career stage?
We can conduct exit interviews, combine data on turnover, pay, management and work organisation, and turn scattered signals into concrete retention priorities.
People seem to do only the minimum. How do I know whether it is lack of willingness or something else?
Low energy is not proof of low motivation. There may be conflicting priorities, little autonomy, tasks that feel meaningless, excessive workload, inconsistent management or a sense that extra effort changes nothing.
Example: in one team, everyone does the minimum and leaves every decision to the manager. Before introducing bonuses, look at a real week of work: How many decisions require authorisation? How many urgent requests interrupt priorities? Is there rework? Do people receive feedback on outcomes? Sometimes the system itself is consuming the team’s energy.
VAGAR can diagnose the context and work on work organisation, management practices, communication and the practices that are draining energy.
Two people in the team do not get along. When does this stop being just a problem between them?
Not every disagreement requires intervention: people need room to self-regulate and resolve differences. Management should intervene when that self-regulation is no longer working and the conflict begins to affect the work of those involved, the wider team, customers, decisions, cooperation, information flow or psychological safety.
Example: two people have stopped speaking directly and everything goes through messages or a third person. Deadlines begin to slip and the team adapts to avoid the conflict. It is no longer just a personal incompatibility. Intervention can begin by listening to each person, reconstructing the facts and impact, and agreeing minimum working rules without deciding in advance who is “right”.
We can make an initial assessment of the conflict, facilitate conversations, rebuild working agreements and identify whether a role, leadership or process issue is fuelling the tension.
There is a team where people complain a lot about the manager. How do I know whether the manager is really the problem?
One complaint does not prove a pattern; several similar complaints should not simply be dismissed as “difficult personalities” either. The focus should be on observable behaviours and their impact.
Example: three different people say the manager “does not communicate”. Instead of stopping at the label, look for concrete examples: Do priorities change without explanation? Does feedback only appear when something goes wrong? Are decisions contradictory? Are people treated differently without a clear criterion? Cross-check reports, results, departures, absences and the manager’s own account before drawing conclusions.
VAGAR can conduct a leadership diagnosis, interviews, structured feedback and development plans.
How can I understand what a customer actually experiences during service, without relying only on complaints?
Complaints reveal only part of the experience. In customer service, sales or reception roles, observing the experience from the customer’s point of view can reveal differences between the written procedure and what actually happens in practice.
Example: management receives few complaints and assumes service is good, but fewer customers return. A mystery customer can observe waiting times, approach, command of information, problem resolution and how the interaction is closed, using defined criteria. The aim is not to “catch anyone out”; it is to observe the experience as it happens and use that information to improve it.
We can design a mystery customer assessment, define criteria, carry out or coordinate observations and turn the results into improvements in customer service, training and processes.
“We increased the salary and they still decided to leave.”
A useful answer starts by not assuming a single cause.
Training is one answer. It is not always the first.
There are legal training obligations, but value comes from distinguishing what can be learned through training from what requires practice, follow-up, better processes or a change in the way people are managed.
This is addressed through Organisational Development & Training →Select a question on the left to see the answer.
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Do I really have to provide 40 hours of training to every team member?
As a general rule, yes: the Portuguese Labour Code provides for a minimum of 40 hours of continuous training per employee each year. For fixed-term contracts lasting at least three months, the number of hours is proportional to the length of the contract in that year.
There is a financial detail many organisations only discover when someone leaves. If the training hours are not provided by the end of the two years following the year in which they became due, they are converted into a credit of hours. On termination, the employee is entitled to payment corresponding to training hours not provided or to the training credit they hold. So it is not enough to “provide a course from time to time”: it is useful to know, for each person, how many hours have been completed and recorded.
VAGAR can organise the diagnosis, plan, records and training. For the legal interpretation of a specific case, we coordinate with labour-law support where necessary.
How do I know what training my team genuinely needs?
Asking “what course would you like to take?” measures preference, not need. Training should arise from the gap between what the work requires and what people can currently do consistently.
Take one role and ask: Which errors keep recurring? Which tasks take too long? What new responsibilities are coming? What issues do managers repeatedly need to correct? Then separate four possible causes: lack of knowledge; lack of opportunity to practise; an unsuitable process; or a lack of decisions or resources. Only the first is clearly a training need.
We can assess training needs and turn work problems into development priorities.
My best technical specialist has moved into a management role, but managing people is not going well. What should I do?
Being technically excellent does not automatically prepare someone to delegate, give feedback, set priorities or manage conflict. Promotion changes the work, yet many organisations explain only the new title.
Define managers’ people-management responsibilities: meetings, follow-up, decisions, escalation of problems, feedback, holidays and performance. Then work on real situations, not only theory. One difficult conversation that is prepared and reviewed is more valuable than a list of ten “leadership competencies”.
VAGAR can structure the manager’s role and create a development plan applied to the real organisational context.
How do I know whether training actually made a difference?
Satisfaction questionnaires tell you whether the session was well received; they do not tell you whether the work changed. The useful test is to define, before the training, which behaviour, decision or result should improve.
If the training is about customer service, choose two observable behaviours and observe them again a few weeks later. If it is about leadership, agree one concrete practice to apply and follow up on it. If nothing in the work context allows people to apply what they learned, the problem may not lie with the training.
We can design training with practical application, follow-up and evaluation criteria linked to the work.
I do not have an HR team. Can I use AI to help with these tasks?
Yes, AI can support a range of tasks, such as organising information, preparing first drafts, creating checklists, comparing options or structuring questions. But using AI to support a decision is not the same as handing the decision over to AI.
You can use it to help prepare a job advert, an interview guide or an onboarding plan. You should not enter personal or confidential data without knowing where it is stored, or automatically accept recommendations on hiring, appraisal or dismissal. Define what AI may do, what data must not be entered and who validates the outputs.
VAGAR can help identify use cases, create internal rules and equip teams to use AI with sound judgement.
Decisions become difficult when the criteria exist only in management’s head.
Performance, pay rises, bonuses and benefits do not require heavy systems. They require criteria that are clear enough to be applied and explained.
This is addressed through Performance & Recognition →Select a question on the left to see the answer.
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I have an employee who is not meeting expectations. How should I approach the situation?
Before concluding that “this person is not right for the job”, separate capability, behaviour, expectations and context. Different problems require different responses.
Choose three concrete examples, not adjectives. Instead of saying “you lack initiative”, say “in the last three situations, X, Y and Z, we expected you to move forward without asking for approval, and that did not happen”. Check whether the expectation was known, listen to the explanation and define what needs to change, by when and how progress will be followed. If the situation moves into disciplinary action or termination, seek legal advice.
VAGAR can help clarify expectations, prepare the conversation and build a follow-up plan.
Do I really need performance appraisal in a small business?
You do not need a form with 40 competencies. You need to be able to answer three questions with some consistency: what did we expect from this person, what happened and what do we do next?
Example: in a business with 12 people, you do not need a platform or twenty competencies. You can start with four questions for each role: What was expected? What was delivered? What is working well? What needs to change or be developed? Two structured conversations a year, supported by shorter check-ins, may be more useful than a heavy form.
We can design a simple model, train managers and connect appraisal to decisions without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Can I pay different amounts to two people who have the same role?
Differences may be justified when they are based on objective, non-discriminatory factors. The problem begins when the organisation cannot explain why those differences exist.
Run a simple test: without using names, write down the reasons for the difference: relevant experience, actual responsibility, competencies, sustained performance and market conditions at the time of hire. Would those criteria be applied in the same way to someone else? If the answer is “it depends on who asks for more”, there is a weakness in the criterion.
VAGAR can help clarify roles, pay criteria and internal consistency; specific legal questions should be validated where necessary.
People want more take-home pay, but every salary increase adds significantly to the company’s cost. Are there other options?
There may be alternatives in how total compensation is structured, including benefits, insurance, childcare support, flexibility or other components, but the value to the employee and the tax treatment are not the same across all options. The decision should begin with what the team values and be validated from an accounting and tax perspective.
Example: before buying a benefits package, ask which needs have real value for the team. For some people it may be health insurance; for others, childcare support, flexibility or other benefits. Then compare the cost to the organisation, perceived value and tax treatment with whoever advises on accounting.
VAGAR can design the compensation and benefits proposition and coordinate the necessary tax and accounting validation.
How do I decide whose salary to increase without making everything feel arbitrary?
When there are no criteria, every pay rise creates a precedent that is difficult to explain. The starting point is to separate three things many organisations mix together: market adjustment, equity correction and performance recognition.
Before the review, create a simple grid for each person: current pay position, changes in responsibility, sustained performance, internal consistency and any available market reference. Management still makes the decision, but it no longer begins with “who asked” or “who is threatening to leave”.
VAGAR can structure the criteria and prepare salary-review cycles proportionate to the size of the organisation.
“Training is one answer. It is not always the first.”
Some problems require practice, process, follow-up or a different way of managing.
What worked with five people may stop working with twenty.
When everything still goes through management, roles overlap or one person holds critical knowledge, the problem is no longer only operational. It is structural.
This is addressed through HR Structure →Select a question on the left to see the answer.
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The business has grown and almost everything still comes through me. What should I organise first?
Do not start by drawing an attractive organisation chart. Start by identifying which decisions and tasks still depend on you and ask which of them genuinely require management involvement.
For one week, note every situation in which someone asks for your approval. Then separate them into three groups: only I can decide; someone else could decide using clear criteria; this should not require approval at all. That list shows where responsibilities, limits and information need to be clarified.
VAGAR can map roles, decisions and processes to reduce dependence on management without creating unnecessary layers.
I need a team member to take on more responsibilities than those they were originally hired for. What can I do?
Not every change in tasks requires a new role, but it is equally unhelpful to assume that everything “is part of the job”. You need to understand what was agreed, whether the new tasks are connected to the activity, whether they are temporary or permanent, and whether they change responsibility, occupational category, conditions or risk.
Example: an employee in an administrative role begins taking on purchasing, supplier contact and stock control because the team has changed. Before simply adding tasks, list what they will stop doing, what they will start doing, which decisions they will take, what training they need and whether the change is temporary. Then validate the employment-law framework where necessary.
VAGAR can help redesign roles and responsibilities; contractual changes or legally sensitive matters should be validated with labour-law support.
I have two people doing similar things and other tasks that nobody owns. How should I organise this?
When roles have evolved through the accumulation of tasks, duplication and gaps are common. The purpose of a job description is not to create a bureaucratic document; it is to clarify contribution, responsibilities and interfaces.
Run a simple session: list the 10 to 15 main responsibilities in the area and identify who is accountable for each one. Where two or three people appear as owners, clarify. Where nobody appears, there is a gap. Only then turn the result into defined roles.
VAGAR can facilitate the mapping and create simple, usable job descriptions.
I need to reduce the team. When does this qualify as collective redundancy?
In Portugal, collective redundancy is legally defined. In general terms, it covers termination initiated by the employer, within a three-month period, of at least two employees in a micro or small enterprise or five employees in a medium-sized or large enterprise, for certain market, structural or technological reasons.
Counting people is not enough. There are legal grounds, communications, information, negotiation, deadlines and compensation to consider. The structural decision — which work ceases to exist, how the operation will function and which roles remain — should be addressed in parallel, with labour-law support from the outset.
VAGAR can support organisational analysis, scenarios, roles, communication and reorganisation; the legal conduct of the process should be handled by a lawyer.
One person knows how to do everything in a particular area. How do I avoid becoming dependent on them?
The risk is not that one person knows a great deal; it is that the organisation cannot continue if that person is on holiday, becomes ill or leaves. The solution is to make critical knowledge visible and create enough redundancy without removing autonomy from the person who developed that knowledge.
Choose one critical role and ask: If this person were absent for three weeks, which work would be compromised? What information do only they hold? Who could cover 50% of the work? Then document the minimum, create a cover plan and share the knowledge. You do not need to duplicate the entire role.
VAGAR can map critical roles, dependency risks and continuity and succession plans.
Not having an internal HR function does not make people decisions disappear.
Holidays, absences, contracts, documentation, managers’ questions and sensitive decisions still reach management. The question is where to obtain support and sound criteria without creating a complete internal HR team.
This is addressed through Ongoing HR Support →Select a question on the left to see the answer.
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My accountant handles payroll. What is still left to manage?
Running payroll and managing people are different, complementary activities. The accountant may handle administrative and tax components; decisions still remain around hiring, roles, pay, performance, training, managers, conflict, onboarding and departures.
Try a simple test: when an employee is not meeting expectations, when you need to review salaries or when a manager has a problem with the team, who do you call? If the answer is “I try to work it out as I go”, there is a management need that does not disappear just because payroll is processed correctly.
VAGAR can work as a partner to management and coordinate with the accountant, lawyer, occupational safety and health services and other specialists.
My organisation is not large enough to have an internal HR team. Can someone support me with these decisions?
Yes. An organisation can have external HR support without hiring someone full time. The value lies in having someone who understands the context, follows priorities and is available when a decision arises, instead of starting from zero with every new problem.
Example: one month you need to review a recruitment process; the next, a question about holidays arises; later you want to prepare a performance conversation and organise the training plan. Instead of commissioning four isolated services, you can have regular support with agreed priorities, available hours and coordination with the accountant, lawyer or occupational safety and health services when another specialism is required.
This is precisely what VAGAR’s Ongoing HR Support is designed for: to provide external support to management on recruitment, onboarding, performance, training, organisation, policies and day-to-day questions, within a defined scope.
A team member requested holidays at a time when I need them in the business. Can I refuse the proposed dates?
As a general rule, holiday dates are set by agreement. If there is no agreement, the law allows the employer to schedule the holidays, but rules apply regarding periods, consultation and specific situations. So both “the employee always chooses” and “the company always decides” are incorrect simplifications.
Before answering “no”, check operational needs, the requests of other team members and the holiday schedule. Try to reach agreement and record the decision. If there is no agreement, validate the rules applicable to your sector and organisation size before imposing dates.
VAGAR can help organise the process and criteria for scheduling holidays; disputed situations or specific legal interpretations should be legally validated.
I have an employee who is frequently absent. What can I do?
First, you need to know which absences occurred, whether they were justified and whether there is a pattern. “They are absent a lot” mixes situations that are legally and operationally different.
Do not start with a sanction. Keep a simple record by date and type of absence, confirm the documentation and look for the pattern: Particular days? After certain shifts? Recurring family situations? The response may be administrative, related to work organisation, health, management or disciplinary matters, and each possibility requires a different route.
VAGAR can help organise the information, process and management conversation; disciplinary matters require appropriate labour-law validation.
I employ people in my organisation. Which HR obligations, documents or information might I be overlooking?
Some obligations do not arise only when payroll is processed. Examples include keeping employment records up to date, displaying the working-time schedule, preparing and displaying the holiday schedule within the legal periods, organising occupational safety and health, assessing risks, ensuring health surveillance and — from seven employees onwards — adopting a code of good conduct for the prevention and combating of harassment.
Run a simple check: can you show the working-time schedule today in a visible place? Was the holiday schedule prepared by 15 April and is it displayed until 31 October? Is there a workplace risk assessment and are measures defined? Are occupational health examinations up to date? Are employees consulted on occupational safety and health at least once a year? If you have seven or more employees, is there a code of good conduct on harassment? This list is not exhaustive, but it often reveals quickly what is worth confirming.
VAGAR can carry out an initial review of the organisation’s HR arrangements, identify gaps in processes and documentation, and create a list of priorities. Where the matter is legal, accounting-related or concerns occupational safety and health, VAGAR coordinates with the responsible professional rather than going beyond its remit.
For some questions, the detail changes the decision.
Some HR questions combine management and legislation. Here we present the essentials and indicate the limits. Rules can change, and a specific case may require legal, accounting, tax, occupational safety and health or data-protection validation.
Do I have to include the salary in a job advert?
As of this answer (August 2026), there is no general rule currently in force in Portugal requiring all organisations to publish the salary range in the job advert itself. Portugal did not transpose Directive (EU) 2023/970 by the 7 June deadline; a proposal is being prepared. The Directive requires information on the initial pay or its range at a point that allows an informed negotiation, but that does not necessarily mean publication in the job advert.
I have seven or more employees. Do I need a code of conduct on harassment?
Yes. The Portuguese Labour Code requires organisations with seven or more employees to adopt a code of good conduct for the prevention and combating of harassment.
Can ACT inspect without warning? What should I have organised?
An organisation should not wait for an inspection to discover where it keeps contracts, working-time records, holiday schedules, training records, occupational safety and health documentation and employee information. The best starting point is to know what exists, who updates it and where it is kept.
Other HR questions we can help with.
Not all of these questions have the same answer for every organisation. If one is relevant to your context, select it to go directly to the form and talk to us with no obligation.
Tell us what is happening.
You do not need to know the technical name of the problem or choose a service. If you have an HR question, briefly explain the situation and we will contact you to understand whether VAGAR can help and, if so, how.
You do not need to know the technical name of the problem before speaking to us.
Tell us what is happening. HR questions do not always arrive with a clear name. The first conversation is designed to clarify the situation, understand where the problem lies and tell you clearly whether VAGAR is the right support.
Official reference source: Consolidated Portuguese Labour Code in the Diário da República.