Employment Law and HR
HR Consultancy
Entirely bespoke, based on sector experience and designed 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 dismissal.
Delivered by a growing network of experienced and qualified HR Consultants across the UK, our dedicated team will work closely with you to provide HR support from immediate hands-on support with managing day-to-day operational and ER requirements, to expert advice on organisational change and people strategies.
Our HR services can be seamlessly integrated with our Employment Law support to provide a comprehensive solution to your workforce challenges and identify opportunities for improvement and growth.
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Our HR Consultancy Services
Management Coaching
When dealing with complex, sensitive employee relations issues such as disciplinaries, grievances and redundancies, often line managers benefit from 1:1 coaching throughout, so they feel supported through each stage of the process, know they’re acting compliantly and ultimately achieve the best outcome.
From walking you through the correct procedure to supporting in meetings and hearings, a dedicated HR expert will be by your side each step of the way. We can even undertake independent investigation on your behalf or project manage a restructuring or redundancy process.
Outsourcing and Recruitment
If you don’t have a HR Manager or your team is overstretched, you can outsource your day-to-day HR administration tasks to us.
Your dedicated expert will support all types of activities, whether it be onboarding new starters, managing sickness absences or updating staff policies.
You can also lean on our highly-experienced team to drive your end-to-end recruitment process – saving you time while ensuring you find the right person for the job.
Organisational Design
Our experts can help you to craft an HR strategy focused on your business objectives while ensuring you’re operating efficiently and compliantly.
We often support organisations with the development of strategic HR projects from staff restructures, job evaluation and salary benchmarking to pay structures and employee engagement surveys.
Our team can also support other aspects of organisation development, such as appraisal schemes and competency and values frameworks.
Training and Team Development
Apply fresh thinking to a broad range of HR challenges through remote or in-person training courses which have been specially developed for business leaders and managers. Some of our most popular training courses include ‘HR and Employment Law Essentials’, ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work’, ‘Effective Recruitment’ and ‘Disciplinary & Grievances’.
We also offer team building facilitation, leadership development programmes and coaching.
There are a number of different ways you can work with our HR Consultancy Team
Flexible fee structures
- Retained support: As a retained client, you will receive an agreed amount of support each month, providing the reassurance of regular, hands-on HR expertise. Perfect for SMEs looking for hands-on, professional support, or any organisation in need of dedicated advice and assistance to truly deliver on your HR promises.
- Ad-hoc support: Pay-as-you-go HR consultancy for organisations that require additional capacity, specialist expertise, or independent external support. It is perfect for when you need urgent assistance with limited commitment required.
- Bank of hours support: For occasional HR help, you can purchase a bank of hours to cover a particular project or requirements, with flexibility to use the hours over a 12-month period.
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.
Employee relations
All organisations will be required to deal with Employee Relations matters from time to time; from disputes between staff, pay issues, disciplinaries and absence. These matters need to be managed effectively with the aim to building a positive work culture and improved performance.
Our skilled HR specialists can talk through and advise on any staffing issue that might arise and will be able to coach managers through the relevant processes ensuring the matter is dealt with compliantly, compassionately, respectfully and with the correct outcome.
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 (TUPE, Redundancy, Restructure)
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.
Employee engagement
Ensuring each and every employee is fully committed to an organisation’s mission, goals and values, so they can contribute to the overall success of the business, is key to good employee engagement. We can work with you to put in place mechanisms to improve how you engage with your staff to make them feel valued and motivated.
Our HR experts will work with you to design a strategic engagement plan which fits your organisation and culture. This plan might include communication plans, management coaching, staff surveys, focus groups or developing skills.
Training
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.
Organisation Development
In order to fully improve the effectiveness of your people, a holistic approach is necessary to look at the real issues impacting your people and things that can be improved on. This may include fine tuning existing processes or it may mean introducing a new initiative.
WorkNest can support you to identify the obstacles and develop HR systems to improve the effectiveness and productivity of your staff.
Welfare and Absence Management
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 coach and support you through the management of absence and help you to do the right thing by your people and your business.
Outsourcing and transactional HR support
Our dedicated HR experts are CIPD qualified and have a wealth of experience in HR, end-to-end HR administration, and HR systems.
Whether it’s support with employment contracts, onboarding, offboarding, payroll or recruitment, our pragmatic advice and support will enable employers to maintain productive, problem-free teams, saving management time and able to make informed business decisions.
HR Strategy
Is your HR strategy aligned to your business strategy? Do you have the right number of staff, with the right knowledge, skills and abilities, in the right place, at the right time and at the right cost to meet the needs of the organisation? Are your staff motivated and engaged with the organisation’s vision and values?
We can work with your to shape your workforce and unleash the full potential of your employees.
Pay and benefits
Are your remuneration packages in line with current market rates?
Do your exit interviews indicate that salary is a high reason for staff leaving? Are you looking for the most appropriate salary to pay for new posts?
We can support you by undertaking salary and benefit benchmarking reviews to help you make informed and effective remuneration decisions to increase employee engagement, reduce staff turnover and attract high quality talent.
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
Angela Carter
Director of Legal Services
Toyah Marshall
Head of Team
Toyah Marshall
Principal Employment Law Adviser
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
