Expert Defense & Representation
Employment Law Expert
When in need of advice on workforce matters, you want to speak to someone who really knows what they’re talking about – you need an Employment Law expert. This is especially true when dealing with complex employee relations issues, where the scope for legal risk is higher.
What does an employment law expert do?
An employment law expert can support your organisation in the same way an in-house legal adviser would. They will get to know you, how you operate and the specific challenges you face so they can provide tailored, pragmatic advice with your best interests in mind.
hey will foster an ongoing relationship with key members of the team and keep you informed of any employment law changes that may affect how you operate. A good employment law expert will turn complex legislation into clear, practical advice, providing step-by step guidance through any employment obstacles you encounter, highlighting any potential pitfalls and helping you to avoid them.
How WorkNest protects you
At WorkNest, we offer a specialist UK business employment law team who offer essential support. Protect your organisation from financial and reputational damage with a free, no-obligation consultation.
The difference an employment law expert can make
From poor performance to misconduct issues, no organisation is immune to people problems. However, in many cases, employers simply aren’t sure about the correct process to follow, don’t understand the legal position, or simply don’t have the time to give these issues the attention they deserve. In truth, if you’re not an expert in employment law, the potential for missteps is significant, and situations can drag on for longer than is necessary.
According to estimates, 25% of organisations struggle to understand employment law. Without expert guidance, employers are at risk of falling foul of complicated employment regulations, which can lead to expensive disputes and legal challenges.
In the worst case scenario, missteps can lead to an Employment Tribunal claim. Unfortunately for employers, now that Tribunal fees have been scrapped, there’s nothing to stop litigious employees pursuing legal action. With the average award for unfair dismissal sitting at almost £14,000 and discrimination claims costing closer to £30,000, the cost of going it alone can be significant. Of course, as well as the impact on your bottom line, there’s also reputational damage to consider.
As well as protecting your organisation from the rising threat of Employment Tribunal claims, leaning on a professional can:
Dramatically reduce the time spent dealing with employment issues
Give you confidence in your decision making
Minimise disruption to your workforce
Enable you to achieve your preferred outcome quickly and compliantly
WorkNest: The fixed-fee Employment Law experts
In the hunt for sound employment law advice, most employers will turn to a law firm, believing this to be the only option available when professional support is required. However, hourly fees mean costs can mount up fast, and if you’re dealing with a particularly complex situation, you can expect to receive a significant bill.
At WorkNest, our personalised, fixed-fee service combines the quality of advice offered by a leading law firm with complete cost transparency, giving you access to qualified support whenever you need it, without having to watch the clock. Plus, no matter how much your organisation grows, your fees will remain the same.
Qualified experts you can trust
To guarantee the best possible advice, we only hire the best people, with the best qualifications and commercial acumen. In fact. Our Employment Law experts have a wealth of experience in handling all types of workplace legal issues.
Specialist knowledge
As well as broad expertise, we offer sector-specific knowledge of the particular challenges impacting organisations like yours. No matter how simple or complex the situation, with our unlimited, fixed-fee service, professional advice is just a phone call away.
Comprehensive support
Grievance, disciplinary and performance issues
Sickness absence and holiday entitlement
Redundancy, restructuring and more
Difficult employee issue?
Quick-fire Employment Law Guides
What constitutes workplace bullying?
There is no statutory definition or exhaustive list of bullying behaviours in the workplace. Unison describes bullying as “persistent offensive, intimidating, humiliating behaviour, which attempts to undermine an individual”, while Acas says bullying is “behaviour from a person or group that’s unwanted and makes you feel uncomfortable”. Like Unison, Acas qualifies “uncomfortable” as “intimidated”, “degraded”, “humiliated”, “insulted” or “offended”, so these are reasonable criteria to set. Most definitions recognise that bullying relates to repeated unwanted conduct rather than one-off instances.
It is important to distinguish actual bullying from behaviour that an individual simply doesn’t like. For example, a manager raising concerns over poor performance, provided it is done professionally, is unlikely to amount to bullying, while constant unfair criticism may.
What is the Good Work Plan?
The government’s Good Work Plan is an ambitious shake-up of employment law intended to improve the rights of employees and workers. The plan, which was published in 2018, will implement the recommendations arising from the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, including changes to contracts and holiday pay calculations.
These changes will come into effect from 6 April 2020, requiring employers to adapt their processes and documentation accordingly. In addition to the three changes happening in April, there are several more Good Work Plan changes in the pipeline that don’t yet have an implementation date.