Employment Law & HR

Taking care of employment law issues in any organisation, large or small, can be a time-consuming and difficult task.

If you don’t employ an in-house team, or your team don’t have the necessary expertise to deal with more complex matters, our pragmatic Employment Law & HR support takes the hassle out of managing employee issues and minimises your risk of an Employment Tribunal claim.

Get your FREE consultation

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

COVID-19 | FREE expert guidance for employers, including sample policies, template risk assessments and more

Fixed-Fee Service

Unlimited advice from dedicated experts, bespoke document drafting and all the tools you need to manage people problems quickly and compliantly.

HR Training

Created and delivered by experienced consultants, our interactive HR training workshops are designed to upskill your team and develop manager confidence.

HR Consultancy

Facing a difficult employee dilemma that you don’t want to deal with alone? Our range of HR Consultancy services give you hands-on support from seasoned HR specialists.

Google Rating

4.9

Based on 140 reviews

WorkNest

4.9

iain fleming

22:34 16 May 22

Paul Wetherfield

09:08 11 May 22

Lisa Parry

08:09 09 May 22

What a productive meeting with Kelvin. Very knowledgeable and a big help. A pleasure to work with

Nikki Knapp

14:19 29 Mar 22

Wojtek Z

17:58 15 Mar 22

Really rustic place. I love it.

Peter Trenholme

10:05 03 Mar 22

Great service and very thorough. The Worknest team are quick to respond and make our day to day so much more efficient. Thoroughly recomend.

Sigita Guzyte

10:07 04 Feb 22

Steve Brooks

21:24 30 Jan 22

WorkNest have done more than it said on the can. They have been very responsive and provided outstanding specialist advice in relation to our school H&S policy review and legionella action plan,

David Johnston

19:10 28 Jan 22

Thank you Helen - 5.55pm you took my call on a Friday and gave over and above - you all work such long hours!

Bridget MacPherson

13:23 28 Jan 22

A relatively new customer to WorkNest, but very soon became invaluable for support in both HR and H&S. We receive fantastic, personalised help at point of contact. Never a delay on our request for information and help. The online resource centre and live access to the HR and H&S portals have made our work lives so much easier and gives us the confidence in our day to day. WorkNest our 'trusted' go-to!

nigel Simmons

11:38 27 Jan 22

A very easy site to navigate and very informative

John Delahunty

09:06 27 Jan 22

Very timely and progressed without fuss.

Craig Rushworth

15:18 26 Jan 22

As always Simon demonstrated excellent knowledge and provided us with excellent service & professional standards.

Kevin Bowers

14:31 26 Jan 22

Great service & attention to detail

Beverley Trow

13:03 26 Jan 22

WorkNest is a professional company, a good work ethic, with friendly and knowledgeable staff

Helen Hampton Trust

13:00 26 Jan 22

Michelle is very helpful and always happy to share new ways to maximise health and safety within our Charity. A safe pair of hands to assist us. Thank you.

St Winefrides

11:21 26 Jan 22

Robert west

11:18 26 Jan 22

Ref. Jan Hallas Excellent, helpful, patient, friendly etc. etc. Always has time to hear the full extent of the issue and then offer pragmatic and sensible solutions. Thanks, Rob West, MD - Benchmark Scaffolding Ltd

ST WX

10:29 26 Jan 22

Prompt and helpful response

Nicol Nightingale

10:28 26 Jan 22

Really helpful staff and always able to find the information and answers we need with their help and support.

Anna Shaw

10:26 26 Jan 22

Lisa Brewer

10:25 26 Jan 22

I have worked with WorkNest for a number of years and consider them an extension to our own People Services team; providing supportive, detailed and expert advice on all employment law matters and would highly recommend their services to both small and large businesses.

Gary Carvosso

10:19 26 Jan 22

David's guidance has been essential in bringing resolution to complex HR issues and ultimately peace of mind.

Stephen Brooks

10:08 21 May 21

We have received a very professional service , in a timely manner. The personal consultant assigned to our school has given great support and detailed responses to Health and Safety/Compliant issues.

CityStore Self Storage

11:11 19 May 21

We have used Ellis Whitham for well over 20+ years, 12 years with "CityStore Self Storage" as well as many years before with our previous business "KeepSafe Self Storage". Primarily we use Ellis Whittam for our HR support as well as our annual H&S compliance reviews at each of our self storage sites. We have recommended them to many others and they are widely known and used within the Self Storage industry. Their online portals makes accessing, updating or sharing any reports or data very easy. The HR teams are especially good at what they do and really do help and offer great advice.

Josh B

06:46 19 May 21

Rob was professional but friendly during his visit and was able to point me in the right directions about certain health and safety matters that I was not sure about. Compared with another H&S Auditor from a different company, Rob took a more relaxed approach which works better for me personally. Recommended.

Elisabeth Greensmith

14:52 18 May 21

Very helpful and always explain information well .

Alison John

12:20 18 May 21

Excellent service; would certainly recommend.

bezz555

12:18 18 May 21

Call answered quickly even in these challenging times. Advice from Nick was clear and he was also quick to provide further details via email.

Laura Walker

12:13 18 May 21

Visibility Scotland always receive 100% excellent services from Ellis Whittam. We cannot praise this service enough. Our staff have also enjoyed the on-line training, too.

Boatlane Court

11:17 18 May 21

Stuart was helpful and supportive during his visit. This helps the Court and myself make continual improvements.

Ashley Morris

10:19 18 May 21

Ellis Whittam looks after our Employment Law, HR and our Health & Safety Support.We continue to be impressed with their professional service, knowledge of the changes in the UK law and the accuracy in the information supplied.

Mr. T Windsor

10:08 18 May 21

Very good service and always someone on the end of the phone if you need any help

Ian Roper

09:49 18 May 21

Helen Cleary

09:33 18 May 21

Good quality advice and service. Friendly and Helpful assistance covering HR and H & S issues. The response to emailed enquiries is timely and it is unusual for there not to be anyone available to talk through issues on the telephone. In comparison to previous HR support, though this is not a cheap option it is a huge improvement.

Alastair King

09:20 18 May 21

Michelle has been very efficient in working with me as a new customer. Her attention to detail and her professionalism has been perfect and I have confidence in her as my point of contact. I look forward to working with Michelle closely to sort out any questions or queries I may have.

duncanfergusson mcneil

11:49 01 Feb 21

Very efficent and advice excellent. Return calls and 'e' mail response exceptional.

Anita Crossley

11:07 01 Feb 21

Phil Barr

22:48 21 Jan 21

Excellent support always.

Boston Mwense

12:40 21 Jan 21

Excellent service!

Tina Howard

12:30 21 Jan 21

Great service. Very prompt to respond to client requests.

Annette Bird

12:24 21 Jan 21

professional and experienced.

John Davey

12:14 21 Jan 21

Great Team, friendly, supportive, effective and will hold your hand through what is a stressful and difficult process in your business

School Office

12:13 21 Jan 21

Simon's support has been invaluable in dealing with this matter, he has guided and advised us, and has responded to all our concerns and queries on the matter, both efficiently and promptly.

Kate Bell

20:59 23 Nov 20

Ellis Whittam are an asset to this one-man team and have won the trust of the wider organisation. We work with Jim Stowe who has a great approach and is a trusted partner.

Flip Edwards

08:52 23 Nov 20

Our contact is always at the end of the phone, easy to talk to and fast response to problems. He is our "go to" as soon as we have an employment problem. Thank you Richard

IAN HABBEN

17:20 22 Nov 20

Great service, help and advice fro Helen Woodward. Thank you Helen

Monica Hardman

10:28 21 Nov 20

Great service as always when I recently rang in with a problem.....

Kate Voyce

17:31 19 Nov 20

Supreme are an excellent IT support company providing up to date and reliable IT back up services.

ADONIS FARANTOURIS

12:51 19 Nov 20

Age UK Redbridge, Barking & Havering

12:49 19 Nov 20

Deinmar has been very supportive and got back to me straight away with the guidance I asked for. We now feel confident that we have a secure centre to allow our clients to return.

Sylvia Simpson

11:44 19 Nov 20

Angela Cholet

11:37 19 Nov 20

Responded promptly and identified what was needed

Sarah Hashmi

11:28 19 Nov 20

Ross Macdonald

11:21 19 Nov 20

We use the services of Ellis Whittam for our HR issues and find the service to be excellent. During the current pandemic it has been crucial to keep abreast of employment requirements and for us David Eastwood has been critical in our attempts to steer a path through the legal minefield that has developed.

Lorraine Bremner

11:20 19 Nov 20

Professional, helpful and so quick to get back to queries. Would highly recommend for HR and H&S requirements whatever the size of business. Gail was excellent and a great ambassador for EW.

chris c

11:18 19 Nov 20

I can recommend Ellis Whittam for all HR related needs, always great to work with, responce times are exceptionally fast with expert advise.They are certainely professional in all aspects

Care Afloat

11:17 19 Nov 20

We have used Ellis Whittam for legal and H&S advice for some considerable time now. We have always found them to be extremely helpful, understanding of our business needs as well as very personal and responsive and consistent. We highly recommend them to other companies in need of such services.

Barry Fox

11:17 19 Nov 20

As always Gary Stoker is so supportive, even in these difficult times...thanks Gary appreciate it. lets not forget the other level of superb services offered by Ellis Whittam.

Mat Mellor

11:11 19 Nov 20

Celia Yeates

11:07 19 Nov 20

Helen went above and beyond to call me back after her shift should have finished, your assistance and dedication is much appreciated.

Adrian France

11:06 19 Nov 20

Very helpful, thanks Luke!

Nadiya Karp

11:03 19 Nov 20

Absolutely happy with Lee Edwards service . H&S support level simply outstanding . Look forward to our follow up meeting

Richard Szymanski

11:02 19 Nov 20

Ellis Whittam have provided us with solid HR and Health and Safety support for many years. Their service is outstanding and very professional. They work closely with us ensuring the services they offer are tailor made to suit our business.Richard Szymanski,Operations manager,Metcalfe Catering Equipment Ltd.

David Evans

11:01 19 Nov 20

Excellent, professional service

Lauren Whigham

11:05 13 Nov 20

Fantastic service really supportive and throughout the Coronavirus pandemic they have provided lots of really useful documents that can apply to all businesses. Rarely have to use them but when I do, just the support you need.

James Walley

16:27 15 Oct 20

Josie Winchcombe

09:51 02 Apr 20

We have used the services of Ellis Whittam for over 4 years. They provide a number of online resources but it is the personal touch which is proving invaluable particularly at the moment. I know that Toyah is there to assist and guide me in the decisions I have to make.

Aylia Atherley

08:53 02 Apr 20

During these difficult times Ellis Whittam continues to deliver a fast-reliable service, being very supportive and providing sound advice when needed.

Frog Diamond Drilling

13:56 31 Mar 20

Peter Lorimer

09:46 31 Mar 20

Thanks for calm conversation on what must be a very busy day for you.

MUK Quality

15:07 30 Mar 20

prompt and clear reponses

sarah young

14:59 30 Mar 20

Great advice. Easy to talk to.

Bernard Starkmann

14:01 30 Mar 20

Toyah was very helpful and surprisingly energetic and enthusiastic considering what you all must be going through with a massive spike in furlough and other enquiries. Many thanks! Your service and staff commitment is massively appreciated, not only now, but always! Bernard Starkmann

hilary evans

13:57 27 Mar 20

Most professional and very helpful. Thankyou

Deb kemp

13:00 27 Mar 20

Jack was Very helpful - Thank you

Paul Wicks

11:49 27 Mar 20

a very professional introduction from a new account manager.

tanya tickle

23:12 23 Mar 20

Liana Wiltshire

12:17 20 Mar 20

Sarah was sympathetic to our situation and although I'm sure she is really busy, took her time to answer all my questions and has sent me a list of links for more info. This service is a lifeline to small businesses.

Vicky Ling

12:13 20 Mar 20

Laura Chalkely is going out of her way to offer support and guidance in a difficult situation. It is very much appreciated.

Scot Cash

09:58 16 Mar 20

Derick is always professional, helpful and it gives me a huge amount of reassurance he is on hand to help with any questions I have.

Maxine Leech

17:13 13 Mar 20

“Alice always gives support and advice and is very helpful at all times”

LLOYDS TRANSPORT

12:23 11 Mar 20

“Excellent advice. Great communication and speedy response to all emails from Julie.”

ernieo66 O

22:13 04 Mar 20

Katie is wholly accommodating, professional and truly efficient. A pleasure to work with!!

Tony Davies

16:11 04 Mar 20

“Kimberley gave me just what i needed to know in a prompt fashion. Thank you” Tony Davies GMCT

Melanie Johnston

11:03 04 Mar 20

“A big thank you to Laurie Anderson for responding so quickly to our query and then sending through a letter so promptly.”

Marilyn Preston

09:56 04 Mar 20

Prompt response, helped towards issue.

Sharon Mccabe

22:10 03 Mar 20

“Danielle is one of the best advisers I've worked with, she is friendly, helpful and supports all aspects of my queries. 10/10”

Zeenat Rahim

16:57 27 Feb 20

I use Ellis Whittam in my role as HR Advisor and find our representative to be timely, detailed and receptive in her responses to us. I send her things on short notice and she always gets back to me promptly, covering the full remit of what we need discussed. Would recommend EW to others.

Iain dunlop

12:40 27 Feb 20

Whenever i have a query, Lorna is always on hand with great advice and guidance

Alex Clark

18:45 26 Feb 20

Good analytical skills and clear direction

Simon Myers

15:54 26 Feb 20

We received a speedy and professional response to our queries

allison cockcroft

12:51 26 Feb 20

Comprehensive support and advice. Great commitment and quality of service from Stuart once again.Can and will highly recommend his services through Ellis Whittam and their fantastic support TeamAllison CockcroftOffice ManagerUnicorn Precision Engineering

Steven Harrup

10:27 25 Feb 20

“Lorna has always provided us with excellent knowledge and works extremely hard with us to ensure that we remain compliant across our organisation.”

Mark Goodier

09:11 25 Feb 20

Thank you for sorting out my problem with my Zeus account”

EDDIE GAMING

13:19 24 Feb 20

Considered, clear and helpful advice every time from our dedicated advisor

Robert Dowty

11:04 24 Feb 20

“Gail was very courteous & efficient,she identified where we needed to improve and offered a helpful solution to expedite the resolution!

Joanna Colby

13:49 21 Feb 20

“Victoria was super helpful - she responded really quickly to my query and sent me a detailed reply with step by step instructions!Thank you!”

Alessandro Ercolani

09:17 21 Feb 20

Kate did a really good job supporting us throughout the whole process, always clear in the descriptions and very accurate in every aspect of the discussions

Mathew George

08:55 21 Feb 20

“Addressed all the concerns that I had. The reply was very clear and precise.”

David Horner

07:39 21 Feb 20

“Lauren always provides quick efficient service.”

Thorpe Willoughby Pharmacy

13:26 20 Feb 20

“good service”

Stephen Brown

13:23 20 Feb 20

Very clear and helpful

Ahmed Al-Liabi (RB Healthcare Ltd)

11:41 20 Feb 20

Alice went above and beyond for me to try and solve the original issue I had and also provided me with extra information that I was unsure about. Highly recommended

Jenny Barnett

10:30 20 Feb 20

Pete Sewell was extremely knowledgeable and helpful with all issues discussed. I am far better informed and have already out some actions in place

Skevi Kyriacou

09:47 20 Feb 20

Thank you for an excellent & professional service.

NANA DUKER

09:12 20 Feb 20

“Lucy Hallet, Absolutely very professional. She has a clear understanding of her role and understands the law. She gives very excellent advise and feedback and is always very prompt with her responses. it is always a pleasure liaising with her, she is a good asset to Ellis Whittam.”

Kevin Hill

12:41 18 Feb 20

“Very helpful and provided exactly what I needed to move forward”

Jamie Gardiner

11:51 18 Feb 20

Paul always goes above and beyond in his work, helping myself and our company immensely. I thoroughly enjoy working with Paul and although our correspondences are on serious topics, he still manages to make it an enjoyable experience!

Charlotte Walker

10:39 18 Feb 20

Hussain always give sound advice with the needs of the organisation at the forefront. He is a pleasure to work with.

Andy Kuszczak

10:20 18 Feb 20

Richard Rose is extremely professional, a pleasure to work with

Nicholas Payne

15:41 17 Feb 20

Precise, Efficient and to the point. Helpful at all stages with a minimum of fuss. 🙂

Janet Durose

15:27 17 Feb 20

We are very grateful for the efficient, clear support we receive from Ellis Whittam.

Nichola Hall

15:08 17 Feb 20

Always excellent service

deryn parker

14:33 17 Feb 20

“Mark Robert has always been so very helpful and supports me to the upmost always calls back and always prompt in his replies. Fantastic job Mark”

Danro Coatings Ltd

12:59 17 Feb 20

Whenever I need help with health and safety or HR issues, I know I will get a speedy, thorough, detailed and helpful response from Ellis Whittam. For a small company like us, their on-tap knowledge and experience can make all the difference to us on a daily operational level and help us to keep moving forward being in sync at all times with current employment and health and safety practices in place. We feel that they are truly a working partner with us and wouldn't want to be without them. Thanks Ellis Whittam! Georgina Clarke, Administration Supervisor, Renner Coatings UK Ltd.

Quarry Plant Surfacing

12:39 17 Feb 20

First class personable service from start to finish. We have both Health & Safety and Employment Lay and HR support and always feel they listen to our needs and understand our business, directing the best advice. We would highly recommend Ellis Whittam

David Smith

12:18 17 Feb 20

“The benefit I gain is Charles can fully understand the nuances of operating a large school”

Diane Malone

11:55 17 Feb 20

“I am very impressed how Sarah picked up all the detail with the case so quickly and gave me very clear guidelines on how to amend my letters to give the detail that was needed.”

Graham Palethorpe

11:34 17 Feb 20

Our EW representative Michelle Mitcham is highly committed and responsive and has quickly learned that a church environment has its quirks and foibles. She is highly respectful and gets on well with all she meets. Her reports are completed quickly and her advice appreciated.

Dawn Hutchings Hughes

09:51 17 Feb 20

Alice was amazing xx

Robert Gibson

16:40 16 Feb 20

Victoria has been brilliant, thank you for all your help

Philp Edwards

18:46 14 Feb 20

Lyndsey was extremely helpful and knowledgeable this morning.”

Diana Ellis

16:37 14 Feb 20

“Adele's thoughtful and professional service so far has been outstanding, even though we've not officially commissioned work yet. Many, many thanks!”

Yanli Wang

15:46 14 Feb 20

“Alice is very helpful. She makes our work much easier.thanks a lot!”

Emma Taylor

15:37 14 Feb 20

Really liked the commercially rounded view from Adele with all options thoroughly covered. Also appreciated the help with getting the right tone! Many thanks

Lyndsay Gourlay

12:22 13 Feb 20

Claire Foulkes

14:00 25 Jan 20

A fabulous place to work! Great team spirit and an abundance of benefits.Working together to create a great client experience.

c e

05:16 14 Dec 19

Alec

15:18 16 Oct 19

louise capewell

13:43 19 Sep 19

A great place to work with a genuine belief that we provide a brilliant service to all of our clients.

A C

10:07 20 May 19

Never replied to my application or signing up. Got no acknowledgement

J Williams

21:28 14 May 19

ed kelsing

14:50 31 Jan 19

Don't make it clear that you are going to be tied in for 5 years on this product. You get sold the dream that they will take all HR off your hands but wont help amend contracts on an on going basis. We are a small business and this is not really working for us like we expected.

Oliver Williams

05:49 04 Oct 18

We Are TMG Limited

11:02 09 Feb 18

We've worked with Ellis Whittam since day one and we've continuously been impressed with every level of service and their outstanding attention to detail. Nothing is ever too much trouble and our named advisor, Lucy, is always on hand to answer any queries or concerns we may have. The fixed-fee unlimited support allows our HR team to contact them with any and every need. A great company to work with - highly recommended!

Kerry Hiscock

09:14 03 Apr 17

Very efficient and effective service provided by all staff.

Matthew Poole

17:35 02 Dec 15

Very disappointed as a potential candidate for a job with the company as a business executive.considering they work in employment law they have no idea on how to conduct the interview process eg: emails from the recruitment manager stating all was well and to meet with the sales director with a view to start on Monday. This is not acceptable when a company is still conducting the interview process.I would recommend anyone interested to think twice before applying for a position with this company.

Stephen Bailey

19:53 20 Nov 15

Martin Woodfield

17:02 09 Nov 15

Really nice people to work with. They have a wide range of high quality services in Health & Safety and Employment Law.

See all reviews Write a review

95% Client satisfaction rate - 97% Client retention rate

Experts in Employment Law & HR

Why choose us?

At Ellis Whittam, 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.

Your own small team of dedicated experts
Commercial, pragmatic advice tailored to you
Bespoke contracts, policies and handbooks
Trusted by over 35,000 organisations
Recognised as a leading firm by the Legal 500

Who you'll be working with

James Tamm

Director of Legal Services

Colleague Spotlight

Kim Clarke

Head of Team

Colleague Spotlight

David Eastwood

Head of Team

Colleague Spotlight

Laura Chalkley

Head of Team

Toyah Marshall

Principal Employment Law Adviser

Colleague Spotlight

Adele Blinkhorn

HR Consultancy Manager

Hussain Kayani

Principal Employment Law Adviser

Colleague Spotlight

Ange Carter

Head of Team

Client stories

“

Our relationship with WorkNest is more like a supportive partnership. They treat us like peers, and yet provide extraordinary support whenever we need it. Whether it is about the challenges of working through a pandemic or building a new HR strategy, the people at WorkNest have been kind, holding our hand when that was needed (and it was!) and skilled experts, providing guidance as we required it. We would not have managed through this last period without them, and I look forward to more of this cooperation ahead.”

Gus Hosein
Executive Director, Privacy International

“

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

“

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

“

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

“

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

“

WorkNest (formerly HRSP) provided fantastic support with our recent staffing review. Christian sought to really understand our organisation, and offered clear advice throughout. He was consistently responsive and flexible, and provided a valuable sounding board in respect of some of the more challenging parts of the process. I look forward to continuing to work with WorkNest in the future.”

Celia McKeon
Chief Executive, The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT)

“

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

“

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

“

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.”

Debbie Jamieson
People Director, The Works

Better with EW

Owing to our unrivalled support and expertise, we’re consistently high achievers when it comes to protecting organisations and achieving results.

6x

More solicitors

We have six times the number of qualified solicitors, practising for over five years, than any of our larger competitors. We’re also recognised by the Legal 500.

82%

Tribunal win rate

With a dedicated adviser in your corner to guide you through the process, you’re over eight times more likely to defeat a Tribunal claim if advised by Ellis Whittam.

300 Years' experience

Our Legal Team has a combined total of over 300 years’ experience of resolving problems, so you can be sure you’re receiving the best possible advice.

45%

Cheaper than a law firm

When we work out our fixed fees, we assume a charge rate that is typically 45% less than the hourly cost of a law firm, meaning you get exceptionally good value for money.