About us
Trusted by over 40,000 UK employers to advance the way people work.
Our personalised services blend speedy, pragmatic advice with innovative technology, all delivered with integrity as standard.
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The where and why of WorkNest
WorkNest is a powerhouse of employment law, HR and health and safety support services, weaving pragmatic advice with powerful technology platforms.
We work closely with organisations nationwide to provide high-quality, pragmatic, and professional advice and support. Our services, whether working alongside internal teams or providing a fully outsourced solution, help employers proactively solve their employment, safety, and wellbeing challenges, ensure compliance, and achieve their strategic objectives. In fact, over 40,000 UK employers across 45 vertical sectors now seek our help on some of their most sensitive issues.
We have a national presence, with main offices in Chester and Glasgow. Our 400-strong team – which includes more than 75 qualified Employment Law Solicitors, 45 qualified HR Consultants and over 50 qualified Health & Safety Consultants – strive to be the organisation of excellence that employers turn to for nurture and protection.
Above all, we stay true to our core values of integrity, excellence, teamwork, and inclusion. They run through everything we do.
Part of something greater
WorkNest is part of The GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) Group owned by Inflexion.
Our roots go back to 2001, when Malcolm MacKay founded Law At Work, providing the employment law expertise of a legal firm, but without the prohibitive pricing. Three years later, Mark Ellis founded Ellis Whittam with a similar mission: to provide high-quality Employment Law, HR, and Health & Safety services for businesses that add value not cost, and are based on fair, fixed fees.
In 2019/20, both entities became part of Marlowe PLC, the leaders in business-critical services and software. Since then, we have experienced exceptional growth, fuelled by the acquisition of several leading, like-minded business services groups, including Cater Leydon Millard, CQC Compliance, esphr, HR Solutions, HRSP, Vista and Youmanage.
In May 2024, the GRC division of Marlowe PLC was acquired by Inflexion, a leading mid-market private equity firm, with the objective of accelerating the growth of the business through the development of product and services that will further meet the needs of our clients.
Collective expertise
As part of The GRC Group, we bring together the most gifted practitioners in people management, health, safety and wellbeing, employment law, professional training, and business technology. We are proud to offer a broader range of services to help protect and nurture organisations of every size.
What’s more, because we’re part of something greater, WorkNest clients benefit from direct access to a spectrum of additional services delivered within The GRC Group, from eLearning by Vinci to ISO accreditation from IMSM, as well as specialist services from trusted third parties, including Occupational Health and Employee Assistance Programmes, specialist fire and security solutions, and various testing and inspection services.
Ambitious vision
Our ambition is clear: to be the most highly valued provider of advice, technology, and services in these fields. With unwavering commitment to excellence, a growing cohort of extremely capable and engaged colleagues, and with the support of Inflexion, we are well on our way to realising this vision and continuing to exceed the expectations of our valued clients across the UK.
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
Meet the team
Our people are the most important part of our service.
From our highly-qualified advisory teams that deliver dedicated support to our clients, to our back-office teams that ensure a smooth service, we’re exceptionally proud of the team we have.
A secure and trusted partner
We understand that you’re trusting us with important and sometimes sensitive information. Your data privacy and software security is hugely important to us.
- TLS data encryption and web firewalls
- ISO 27001 certified protection
- Advanced software security
Partner with us
Unlike mass-market providers, we build genuine, trusted relationships with our membership organisation and trade association clients, managed by our strong, experienced Partnerships Team.
- Work in partnership to understand your long-term objectives
- Create compelling services propositions with add value to your members
- Proactively support your membership retention and recruitment initiatives
Careers at WorkNest
- Generous benefits package
- Flexible working potential
- Disability Confident Committed Workplace
Our locations
We have hundreds of experts located across the length and breadth of the UK, meaning we can assign named professionals local to you.
Some are office-based, others work remotely, but all have the knowledge, experience and expertise to support you with your people management and compliance challenges.
Check out our physical locations below.
