Citizens Advice help with work problems

Which work problems Citizens Advice covers

The online work section covers pay and the minimum wage, sick pay, working hours, holidays, maternity and parental rights, flexible working, agency work, the right to work, grievance and disciplinary procedures, dismissal, redundancy, resignation, discrimination and employment tribunals. Each topic links to a more detailed guide.

For healthcare staff, common reasons to contact Citizens Advice include unpaid hours on a pharmacy rota, a dispute over sick pay after stress leave, a change of contract by a GP practice, and money problems after losing shifts. Our guides on contract changes, zero-hours contracts and money worries cover these situations.

Get the right national service

Citizens Advice runs separate services in each nation, and the law differs in places. Always pick the right version of the website before you read a guide.

• England: citizensadvice.org.uk, plus local Citizens Advice offices and Adviceline.
• Wales: the Wales version of the website and Advicelink Cymru, which covers employment, benefits, debt, housing, education and discrimination. Advicelink Cymru is funded by the Welsh Government.
• Scotland: Citizens Advice Scotland, a separate Scottish charity, with online advice at citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland and a bureau finder at cas.org.uk.
• Northern Ireland: employment law is separate. The Labour Relations Agency runs a Workplace Information Service, and Law Centre NI gives free specialist employment advice, subject to capacity. See our Northern Ireland page.

What an adviser can and cannot do

An adviser explains your rights, helps you plan next steps and helps with letters or forms. Some local offices give more detailed casework, but capacity varies and representation at a tribunal is not guaranteed. For complex disputes, ask the adviser about a law centre, a solicitor or your union.

Citizens Advice is independent and impartial. Acas gives a different kind of help: official guidance on employment law and early conciliation before a tribunal claim. Many people use both.

How to prepare

1. Gather your contract, payslips, rota and any letters or emails about the problem.
2. Write a dated timeline of what happened.
3. Check your deadline. Tribunal claims have strict time limits, and our guide to tribunal deadlines explains the basics.
4. Note what outcome you want: back pay, a changed rota, a reference, or to leave on fair terms.
5. Ask the adviser to confirm the next step in writing or note the advice yourself.

Our guide to preparing for legal advice has a longer checklist.

Specialist help for healthcare workers

Citizens Advice suits general employment and money questions. For profession-specific help, pharmacists can contact the Pharmacists' Defence Association or Pharmacist Support, nurses can contact RCN member support, and anyone raising a patient safety concern can call Protect. The support directory compares services side by side.

Prepare for the conversation

• Your rights at work
• Contracts in healthcare work
• Settlement agreements