The best AI prompts for HR professionals tell the tool who it is writing as, who will read the result, what the task is, which rules apply (UK law, your policy, your tone) and what format you want back. Below are 30 prompts you can copy, grouped by task, and the rules to follow before you use any of them.
This is the HR sister post to our AI prompts for payroll specialists cheat sheet. Same idea: AI drafts, a person decides.
Rules before you start
Using ChatGPT for HR, or any similar tool, is safe for drafting only if you set some ground rules first.
- Never paste personal data or employee records into a public AI tool. No names, addresses, salaries, sickness notes, disciplinary history or anything that identifies a person. Write the prompt with placeholders like
[Name]and fill them in afterwards, in your own systems. - Check your AI policy. If your organisation has one, it says which tools are approved and for what. If it does not have one yet, start there: see our AI policy for employees template.
- A person checks every output. AI tools can state out-of-date law with total confidence. Check anything legal against GOV.UK or Acas before it goes out.
- Put UK English and UK law in the prompt. Many tools default to US spelling and US employment law. Say “UK English” and “employment law in England and Wales” (or Scotland, or Northern Ireland) every time.
The ICO’s guidance on AI and data protection is the place to check if you are unsure what data you can use.
A prompt formula for HR managers
Most weak answers come from vague prompts. Use five parts:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Who the AI is writing as | “You are an HR adviser at a UK care home group.” |
| Audience | Who will read it | “Line managers with no HR training.” |
| Task | What you want | “Write a one-page guide to return-to-work meetings.” |
| Constraints | Rules it must follow | “UK English. Employment law in England and Wales. No legal advice. Under 400 words.” |
| Format | How it should look | “Headings, short bullet points, a checklist at the end.” |
Put together:
You are an HR adviser at a UK retail business with 120 staff. Write for line managers with no HR training. Write a one-page guide to holding a return-to-work meeting after sickness absence. Use UK English, follow employment law in England and Wales, and do not give legal advice. Under 400 words. Use headings, short bullet points and finish with a five-point checklist.Change the bracketed parts in the prompts below and keep the rest.
Policies and handbooks
1. First draft of a policy
You are an HR adviser at a UK [sector] business with [number] employees. Draft a [policy name] policy for our staff handbook. Follow employment law in England and Wales and Acas guidance. Use UK English and plain words. Include: purpose, who it applies to, the rules, how to raise a concern, and who owns the policy. Flag anything I must check with a legal adviser in [square brackets].2. Rewrite a policy in plain English
Rewrite the policy below so a new starter can understand it in one read. Keep every rule and every time limit exactly as written. Use UK English, short sentences and headings. List anything you think is unclear or contradictory at the end instead of changing it. [Paste policy text, with names and personal details removed]3. Compare a policy against Acas guidance
Compare our grievance policy below with the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures. List any steps in the Code that our policy does not cover, quote the section of our policy you are referring to, and do not rewrite the policy. [Paste policy]4. Handbook contents page
Suggest a contents page for an employee handbook for a UK [sector] business with [number] staff across [number] sites. Group the sections logically and mark which policies are a legal requirement and which are good practice. I will check each one against GOV.UK.5. Policy summary for a noticeboard
Summarise the policy below in five bullet points for a staff noticeboard. UK English, no jargon, under 100 words. End with where staff can read the full policy. [Paste policy]Letters and emails
Leave names and dates as placeholders and fill them in afterwards.
6. Invite to a probation review
Write a friendly, neutral letter inviting [Name] to a probation review meeting on [date] at [time] with [manager role]. Explain the purpose of the meeting, what will be discussed and that they can prepare questions. UK English, under 200 words. Do not say or imply what the outcome will be.7. Response to a flexible working request
Flexible working has a statutory process. Employees can ask from their first day, can make two statutory requests in any 12 months, and you must decide within two months and consult the employee before refusing. You can only refuse for one of eight business reasons listed in the Acas Code of Practice on flexible working requests. Read GOV.UK’s flexible working guide before you use this prompt. Acas says the Code is being updated for law changes expected in 2027, so check it is current.
Write a letter to an employee confirming the outcome of their statutory flexible working request. The outcome is [approved / approved with changes / refused]. The decision was reached after a consultation meeting on [date]. [If refused: the business reason is [one of the eight reasons in the Acas Code], because [specific facts].] Explain the right to appeal and how to do it. UK English, warm and clear, under 300 words. Do not add reasons I have not given you.8. Change to working hours
Draft an email to staff at [site] explaining that shift start times will change from [date]. Explain why, what stays the same and who to talk to with questions. UK English, under 200 words, friendly but not chatty.9. Invite to a return-to-work meeting
Write a short, supportive message inviting an employee to a return-to-work meeting after sickness absence. Explain it is a routine conversation, not a disciplinary meeting. UK English, under 120 words.10. Reply to a holiday question
Write a reply to an employee who asked how their holiday entitlement is worked out. Our policy says: [paste the relevant policy wording]. Explain it in plain English using only our policy. Do not add rules from elsewhere. UK English, under 150 words.Onboarding
11. First-week plan
Create a first-week plan for a new [job title] joining a UK [sector] business. Day by day, include who they meet, what they learn and what they should be able to do by Friday. Present it as a table.12. Welcome email
Write a welcome email for a new starter. Include: start time and place [details], what to bring, who will meet them, and what the first day looks like. UK English, warm, under 200 words.13. New starter checklist for managers
Write a checklist for line managers to complete before a new starter's first day, on the first day and in the first month. Keep each item to one line. Group it under those three headings.14. Buddy guide
Write a one-page guide for staff who volunteer to be a buddy for a new starter. Explain what a buddy does and does not do, and when to involve the manager or HR. UK English, plain words.Manager guidance
15. How to run a one-to-one
Write a guide for first-time managers on running a monthly one-to-one. Include a suggested agenda, five good questions to ask and three common mistakes. UK English, under 400 words.16. Before a difficult conversation
Give a line manager a preparation checklist for a conversation about [lateness / performance / conduct] with a team member. Remind them which situations need HR involved before the conversation. Use employment law in England and Wales and Acas guidance. No legal advice.17. Explaining a new process to managers
Explain the process below to line managers as a numbered list of steps, with who does what and by when. Then write three questions managers are likely to ask, with answers. [Paste process]18. Absence trigger points explained
Explain our absence policy's trigger points to managers in plain English, using the wording below. Add a short worked example with an invented employee. Make it clear that a trigger means a conversation, not an automatic sanction. [Paste policy section]Employee FAQs
19. FAQs from a policy
Read the policy below and write the ten questions employees are most likely to ask about it, with answers taken only from the policy. If the policy does not answer a question, say "Ask HR" instead of guessing. [Paste policy]20. FAQs about a change
We are changing [describe change] from [date]. Write eight short FAQs for employees: what is changing, why, when, what they need to do, and who to ask. UK English.21. Payday and payslip FAQs
Write FAQs for employees about reading a UK payslip: gross pay, tax code, National Insurance, pension contributions, net pay. Explain each in one or two sentences. Do not include any rates or thresholds; I will add those from GOV.UK.Training and comms
22. Training session outline
Create a 45-minute training outline for line managers on [topic]. Include learning outcomes, timings, one group exercise and a five-question quiz with answers. UK context.23. Scenario for training
Write three realistic workplace scenarios for training managers on [topic]. Use invented names. For each, add discussion questions and what a good response looks like.24. Internal newsletter item
Write a 150-word item for our staff newsletter announcing [news]. UK English, friendly, with a clear headline and one action for readers.25. Translate a message
Translate the message below into [language]. Keep the meaning exact and the tone friendly. Mark any phrase that does not translate cleanly. [Paste message, no personal data]Analysing anonymised survey comments
Remove names, team names that identify individuals, and any personal details before you paste comments in. If a group is small enough that a comment points to one person, leave it out.
26. Theme the comments
Below are anonymised comments from our staff survey. Group them into themes, count how many comments fall into each theme, and give two representative quotes per theme. Do not guess who wrote anything. [Paste comments]27. Turn themes into actions
Here are the themes from our anonymised staff survey: [paste themes]. Suggest three practical actions for each, with what we could do in the next month and the next six months.Job descriptions
Use AI to write and check wording, not to judge people.
28. Job description draft
Write a job description for a [job title] at a UK [sector] business. Include purpose, main responsibilities, essential and desirable skills, hours [details] and location. Use inclusive, gender-neutral language and avoid jargon. Only list requirements that are genuinely needed for the job.29. Inclusive wording check
Review the job advert below for wording that could put off some applicants, such as gendered words, unnecessary years of experience or age-coded phrases. Explain each issue and suggest an alternative. [Paste advert]30. Interview questions
Write eight interview questions for a [job title] role based on the essential skills below. For each, describe what a strong answer would include. Use the same questions for every candidate. [Paste skills]Prompts to avoid
Some prompts should never be used, however well they are written.
- Anything that decides about a person. “Rank these CVs”, “Which of these employees should we make redundant?”, “Should we dismiss this person?” Decisions about hiring, discipline, dismissal and pay need a person, and solely automated decisions with a significant effect on someone carry legal safeguards under UK GDPR. Read AI and employment law in the UK before using AI anywhere near a decision.
- Anything that contains personal data. “Summarise this grievance from Sarah in accounts”, “Here are our absence records, who is off most?” Even with good intentions, you have shared personal data with a third party.
- Anything that asks for legal certainty. “Is it legal to…” is a question for Acas or an employment lawyer. Ask AI to explain the topic and list what to check instead.
- Anything that profiles health, disability or other protected characteristics. That is special category data and an Equality Act risk.
For more on where AI helps and where it does not, see how to use AI in HR, with examples and will AI replace HR?
Where Givver fits
If you would rather draft policies inside your HR system than in a public chat tool, Givver’s AI policy creation (People Pro) lets admins draft policies to share with employees. Once a policy is assigned, the AI policy assistant answers employees’ questions about the policies assigned to them, in the Givver app and on the web. Customer data is not used to train AI models. Read more on policies and AI in Givver.
FAQs
What are the best AI prompts for HR?
The best ones give the tool a role, an audience, a task, constraints and a format. A prompt that says “UK English, employment law in England and Wales, under 300 words, headings and bullet points” will beat “write a policy” every time.
Is it safe to use ChatGPT for HR?
It is safe for drafting generic content, as long as you never paste personal data or employee records into it, follow your AI policy and check every output before it is used.
Can AI write an HR policy for me?
It can write a first draft. A person must check it against UK law, your contracts and how you actually work before it goes into the handbook.
Can I use AI to screen job applicants?
We would not. Screening and ranking candidates is a decision about people, with UK GDPR and Equality Act risks. Use AI to improve the job description and interview questions instead.
AI makes HR drafting faster, but the judgement stays with you. If you want policies and employee questions handled in one place, see how Givver handles this.