Most legal websites answer the same questions in the same order, because everyone is working from the same list. We wanted to know what people actually ask when they are facing a settlement agreement, in their own words, before they have spoken to anyone.
So we analysed 473 real discussions. We have published the method in enough detail that anyone can repeat it and check our numbers. We think that is the minimum standard for anyone publishing research, and it is unusual enough in our industry to be worth saying out loud.
What we analysed
Public discussions on Reddit, in three UK communities where people describe workplace problems and ask what to do: r/LegalAdviceUK, r/UKPersonalFinance and r/AskUK.
| Discussions retrieved | 784 |
| Retained after filtering | 473 |
| Date range | 19 June 2017 to 23 August 2026 |
| Replies across the retained set | 5,225 |
| Analysis run | 25 August 2026 |
How we found them
We searched those communities for eight terms, using the Arctic Shift public archive:
- settlement agreement
- compromise agreement
- protected conversation
- without prejudice
- performance improvement plan
- exit package
- constructive dismissal settlement
- redundancy settlement
That returned 784 unique discussions.
How we filtered them
We kept a discussion only if it related to employment and workplace exits, and removed anything about divorce, child arrangements, landlord and tenant, deposits, vehicles, personal injury or probate, where the same words appear in a completely different context. That took 784 down to 473.
How we classified them
Each discussion was read for keywords indicating a theme. A discussion can carry more than one theme, so the percentages do not add up to 100. The rules, in full:
| Theme | Counted if the discussion mentioned |
|---|---|
| Redundancy context | redundancy, redundant |
| Without prejudice / protected conversation | without prejudice, protected conversation, off the record, section 111A |
| PIP / managed out | PIP, performance improvement, managed out, capability process, capability procedure |
| Discrimination / whistleblowing | discrimination, whistleblowing, protected disclosure, maternity, pregnancy, disability, menopause, autism, ADHD, neurodiversity |
| Sick leave / mental health | sick leave, signed off, off sick, long-term sick, occupational health, stress leave, mental health |
| Tribunal | tribunal, ACAS early conciliation |
| Refusing an offer | refuse, say no, reject the offer, decline the offer, don't sign |
| New job / garden leave | new job, another job, clawback, garden leave |
| Deadline / pressure | 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, deadline, pressure, sign it today |
| Tax | £30k, £30,000, tax-free, PENP, ex gratia |
| Reference wording | reference |
| Solicitor fees | who pays, £500, legal fees, contribution |
| Confidentiality / NDA | NDA, non-disclosure, confidentiality clause, gagging |
| Universal Credit | Universal Credit, jobseeker, JSA |
What we found
Theme frequency across all 473 discussions:
| Theme | Discussions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Redundancy context | 186 | 39.3% |
| Without prejudice / protected conversation | 131 | 27.7% |
| PIP / managed out | 129 | 27.3% |
| Discrimination / whistleblowing | 127 | 26.8% |
| Sick leave / mental health | 115 | 24.3% |
| Tribunal | 81 | 17.1% |
| Refusing an offer | 67 | 14.2% |
| New job / garden leave | 67 | 14.2% |
| Deadline / pressure | 64 | 13.5% |
| Tax | 58 | 12.3% |
| Reference wording | 49 | 10.4% |
| Solicitor fees | 46 | 9.7% |
| Confidentiality / NDA | 10 | 2.1% |
| Universal Credit | 4 | 0.8% |
Two relationships stood out, both far above what chance would produce.
Of the 115 discussions describing sick leave or mental health, 61 (53.0%) also described a performance or capability process. Across the whole set, 27.3% mentioned such a process. That is 1.94 times the base rate.
Of the same 115, 60 (52.2%) also mentioned discrimination or whistleblowing. The base rate was 26.8%. Again 1.94 times.
We also found that mentions of performance improvement plans were higher in the most recent 24 months (28.9% of 394 discussions) than before (19.0% of 79). We report that as a possible trend rather than a finding, because the earlier sample is small.
What this research cannot tell you
This matters as much as the findings.
These are people with problems. Nobody posts to ask why work is going well. The frequencies describe what people worry about enough to ask strangers, not how often these things happen across UK workplaces. They are not a survey.
We counted words, not legal merits. When we say a discussion mentioned discrimination, we mean the words appeared. We are not saying discrimination occurred. No solicitor assessed any individual case, and none of these people were our clients.
We do not quote or link to individual posts. Publishing the method instead means the research can still be checked, which was the only reason to publish sources in the first place. Every question on this site is written by us, in the ordinary language people use, representing patterns across many discussions rather than any one person's words.
Citing this research
Deen & Co Solicitors (2026). What UK employees ask before signing a settlement agreement: analysis of 473 employment discussions, 2017 to 2026. Available at: deenandco.co.uk/research/what-people-ask-before-signing
Journalists and researchers are welcome to use these figures with attribution. If you would like the underlying counts for a specific theme, or want to discuss the method, contact us.
Where the findings are written up
- What people actually ask before they sign, the full findings and what they mean.
- Answers, the questions themselves, answered by a solicitor.
- Settlement agreement advice, if this is happening to you now.
Published 25 August 2026. Next review: February 2027.