Employment Law and HR
HR Consultancy
Entirely bespoke, based on sector experience and tailored to your exact needs, our HR Consultancy services range from one-off projects to a fully outsourced HR department. We can support you across the entire employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to learning and development, retention and termination.
Delivered by a growing network of experienced and qualified HR Consultants across the UK, these hands-on HR services can be seamlessly integrated with our Employment Law support to provide comprehensive solutions to your workforce challenges and identify opportunities for improvement and growth.
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There are a number of different ways you can work with our HR Consultancy Team
Ad-hoc support
Pay-as-you-go HR help, as and when you need it. Perfect for when you require urgent assistance, specialist expertise, or independent external support – with limited commitment required.
Working alongside our professionally-qualified consultants, our ad-hoc service can be used to supplement your existing HR provision, provide extra support with a small piece of work, and for those one-off issues that you don’t have the resources or confidence to tackle alone. You’ll be assigned the most suitable member of our team to assist you, either at your premises or remotely, and will only pay for what you use.
Bank of hours support
Don’t want to commit to a contract but like the idea of fixing your costs at a discounted rate? If you just require occasional HR help, our one-off support allows you to buy a bank of hours to get that investigation concluded, appraisal process implemented, or disciplinary hearing dealt with.
Hours can be used for any HR requirement you have – and with flexibility to use them over a 12-month period, you can start with a disciplinary project and use any remaining hours for a contract and policy review or training! Ideal for one-off and project-based support.
Retained HR partner support
Prefer consistent support from a single source who knows you inside out? Our retained solution enables our HR Consultants to build a long-term partnership with your team, become embedded in your culture, and develop a deep understanding of your business.
You’ll be appointed your own HR expert, supported by a wider team, who will help formulate your HR strategy, execute day-to-day activities with staff, and conduct and manage your HR needs. Perfect for SMEs with no HR team looking for hands-on, professional support, or any organisation in need of dedicated advice and assistance to truly deliver on your HR promises.
Transactional HR admin support
Fed up of finding incomplete files? Spending too much time on contract creation, reference checking and the day-to-day administration of new hires? An endless stream of annual leave requests dragging you down?
Our transactional HR service enables you to save time and money and provides peace of mind that nothing is slipping through the cracks. With your own HR Administrator to assist with everything from recruitment to issuing letters, managing your inbox and HR system, and offboarding staff, our admin support spans the entire employee lifecycle and delivers complete compliance without the pain.
Explore our HR Consultancy services
Available to WorkNest clients and those who don't subscribe to our core service
Consultation support
Looking to make changes within your organisation? If it will have a fundamental impact on the employment relationship, you have a duty to inform and consult with your employees first.
Whether you’re embarking on large-scale redundancies, considering making changes to employees’ terms and conditions or going through a transfer of ownership, our skilled HR specialists can conduct productive consultations with those affected to help you make informed, commercial decisions.
Dispute resolution
If alternative forms of dispute resolution fail, settlement agreements may be the only viable solution. However, negotiating one can be daunting – that’s why we’re here to make the process as painless as possible, as well as help you avoid legal pitfalls along the way.
Whether you have an employee who’s consistently underperforming or who isn’t suitable for your team, causing disruption and impacting negatively on team output, we can steer you through the legal requirements and iterative processes that need to be followed to deliver the settlement so that you can sever ties and move forward positively.
HR audits
Want to ensure your organisation is compliant with HR best practice and latest employment law developments? Keen to understand your strengths and weaknesses, protect your organisation, and improve the efficiency of your HR system? Then you need a HR audit.
Policies, procedures, practices. Get a systematic health check of how you’re performing from a people management perspective and take your HR function to the next level with support from WorkNest.
Investigations, hearings and appeals
There are many components to a fair disciplinary or grievance process. If you’re not comfortable conducting investigations, hearings and appeals yourself, or are simply strapped for time, our seasoned HR specialists can offer on-site support to take the pressure off.
We can conduct the meetings for you or, if you prefer, attend them with you to provide expert guidance and reassurance. This is invaluable when experienced, independent HR support is needed.
Mediation and facilitation
Resolving a workplace dispute or repairing a working relationship that has gone sour isn’t always easy. At WorkNest, we can provide mediation or facilitation services to help two or more individuals or groups reach a solution that is acceptable to everyone.
We can help those involved understand each other’s perspectives, clarify potential options, and develop an appropriate action plan for the parties to follow – allowing you to move forward positively.
Organisational change
Got big plans for your organisation over the next 12 months to three years? Then you might need to rethink and right-size your organisation to make sure your structure and skillset aligns with your aims.
If you’re not sure where to start with a task of this scale, our skilled HR Consultants can support you through the reorganisation process and ensure your workforce is set up for future success.
Recruitment
Hiring the right people can measurably propel your organisation towards success. Using proven methods, we can maximise your chances of attracting, sourcing, selecting and retaining the most talented personnel.
If you’re spending too much time and money on your recruitment, or struggling to get quality candidates through the process expediently, our outsourced recruitment offerings are suitable for one-off senior-level hires or even for us managing all your annual vacancies in one place.
WorkNest is currently recruiting on behalf of our clients. View vacancies or call our recruitment team on 01403 240205.
Staff surveys
There’s only one way to truly evaluate your workforce’s feelings towards your organisation as a place of work, and that’s by asking them. Our staff surveys provide an effective and transparent measure of employee engagement.
After identifying your objectives, we can help you design, implement and analyse your survey. Done effectively, this can enhance your relationship with your employees, address critical issues and direct organisational growth.
Training and organisation development
Equipping your staff with the right skills fortifies your organisation and maximises its success.
Our trainers will apply fresh thinking to your operational and strategic challenges and offer innovative solutions to address your training requirements. Sharing their skills and knowledge, they will facilitate productive and insightful events to enhance your business’s management and leadership capability.
Welfare and medical capability meetings
When dealing long-term absence or persistent short-term absences, care must be taken to avoid being found liable for unlawful discrimination.
If you have concerns about an employee’s ability to undertake their role effectively, our seasoned HR Consultants can take care of all formal meetings for you and help you to do the right thing by your people and your business.
99.2% Client happiness rating
97% Client retention rating
Why choose us?
Experts in HR
At WorkNest HR, we’re known for our bespoke service and the quality of our support. Not only is our expertise unmatched, but we take the time to know you so that we can function as a true extension of your team.
- 40 employed HR Consultants, many of whom are CIPD qualified, chartered and fellows
- A dedicated Organisational Development Team of specialist trainers and consultants
- Cradle-to-grave HR service for new start-ups and growing businesses – everything from managing your HR administration through to defining your HR strategy
- Specialists in managing projects such as pay and reward, recruitment, HR systems, onboarding, redundancy and restructuring
- HR Consultants based in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Chester, Horsham and London, working remotely and in your premises
Who you’ll be working with
Client stories
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Gus Hosein
Executive Director, Privacy International
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WorkNest supports our 280 staff members with Employment Law and Health & Safety and has provided quality management training too.”
Lisa Best
Head of Service Delivery, Catalyst Choice
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We get a great deal of comfort and satisfaction knowing that we have support as and when we need it, in a decisive and responsive way.”
Richard Berry
Group HR Director, Culina Group
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We moved our legal support to WorkNest (formerly Law at Work) having previously used a time and line law firm. It was important, though, that an all-inclusive fee structure did not come at the expense of quality. Thankfully we’ve been delighted with the service we’ve received from WorkNest.”
Chief Executive
Waverley Care
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What we recognised in WorkNest is the background that they have. They are able to supply knowledge and experience in a number of disciplines, which enables us to develop our business in a way that’s safe, to do it on time and with a quality to it.”
Debbie Rainbow
Director of Human Resources and Health & Safety,
Bluestone National Park Resort
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Celia McKeon
Chief Executive, The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT)
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As the company started to get larger, we knew we had to protect our employees and our contractors both onsite and in the offices. WorkNest is exactly what we needed to move the company forward.”
Joanne Beaver
Operations Director, Beaverfit
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Pineapple have worked with the team at WorkNest (formerly Law at Work) since 2003, and we have built a trusted partnership together. We particularly like WorkNest’s concise and practical advice concerning employment law/HR issues and also appreciate their totally supportive approach in all areas of health and safety.”
General Manager
Pineapple Dance Studios
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I’ve taken WorkNest into every organisation that I’ve worked with. I’ve introduced them to many teams and many colleagues and referred them with absolute pleasure because I genuinely trust in the service that we get.”
People Director, The Works
