Our Employment team works side-by-side with several professional services firms, both companies and LLPs, in a sector where there is a large amount of consolidation.
Our breadth of experience in this area means we are well placed to advise these firms no matter what stage in the business lifecycle they are at. When it comes to corporate transactions, we advise on all aspects of employment including reviewing and assessing what is being acquired and any potential liabilities, along with seeking appropriate protection around these. On a day-to-day basis, we advise on any changes to terms and conditions, removal of specific individuals or ongoing day to day advice.
However, our work with professional services HR teams goes far beyond employment law advice.
Consolidation often means there is a need to maximise and boost lean margins, have only the ’right people on the bus’ and to ensure there is adequate protection in the form of restrictive covenants so that high performers don’t leave and cause financial and reputational damage.
We help those in the sector ensure that the right people remain incentivised to stay, and if problems arise or the business is not quite as expected on purchase, support necessary changes in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Laying the foundations
Consolidation presents various opportunities; however it can also create cultural issues that can often mean personalities clash, people become disgruntled, or worse still, disenfranchised altogether, all of which can have a damaging effect on the high performers.
Our first step is helping clients to get the basics right. This includes aligning HR policies with current employment law, standardising these where possible, ensuring employment contracts and staff handbooks are fit for purpose, and identifying legal risks.
We focus on areas that could lead to future liabilities such as bonus or other incentive schemes that are described as ’discretionary’ when, in reality, they are contractual schemes, either expressly (notwithstanding the use of the word ’discretionary’) or impliedly via custom and practice.
Others inherit businesses that have not been culturally or operationally integrated, leading to poor engagement, high attrition and HR confusion.
By identifying these liabilities and ensuring HR teams have the fundamentals in place, we help them to operate more efficiently, effectively and compliantly.
Empowering managers with practical people management skills
While managers are often promoted internally based on operational performance, they may lack the tools to handle people issues effectively. This can lead to serious grievances being raised, people suffering from burn out and high cases of workplace absence due to stress and depression.
To tackle this, we offer a suite of online training through our “manager’s driving licence”, covering everything from absence management and conduct issues to performance reviews and difficult conversations.
This cost-effective digital solution allows those in the professional services sector to train large numbers of managers quickly and consistently, reducing turnover and improving compliance. This training can also be done in their own time as they are given an online link to log onto. They have the freedom to do it around their own diary commitments.
We also assist clients to design internal career paths and succession plans. In many successful professional services firms, there is often a well-defined career path. However, with lots of opportunities for people externally, ensuring people have ’skin in the game’ to remain and grow internally will reduce dependency on external recruitment and improve retention.
Unfortunately, comments of a sexual nature are also rife in this sector, with question marks over what is ’banter’ and appropriate generally. This can be extremely costly and we are working with several firms to roll out training on the new sexual harassment provisions to safeguard organisations from legal claims.
Empowering HR for long-term impact
Our work with professional services providers goes far beyond one-off advice. Our unlimited advice retainer model enables us to support HR teams and managers in real time, helping them address issues as they arise and build their own internal expertise but with cost certainty.
This collaborative, hands-on approach means clients are not simply outsourcing problems but investing in sustainable capability. We have seen the results first-hand with improved staff retention, morale, and career progressions, turning HR teams into trusted voices in business planning and growth.
As some professional services firms are bought by those who wish to expand their geographical or business footprint, it’s important to maximise the areas that will integrate well, and deal with the issues that don’t, including those people who shouldn’t be there. HR teams have so much potential to drive change and support growth but often need the right support to help achieve this. Training managers to manage performance or culture effectively is critical and avoids a much more serious situation from developing. Often (and sadly) HR is still seen as a blocker, not a business partner. That’s where we come in. We help HR teams become a proactive and strategic asset that plays a long-term and crucial role in a business’ growth. When HR is empowered and equipped, it becomes one of the most valuable drivers of commercial success.Glenn Hayes
Employment Law Partner
Glenn and his team advise us regularly on employment matters. They provide logical, commercial advice, with the business’ interests in mind and Glenn cuts to the nub of matters quickly to obtain resolution where possible. They advise us on a range of employment scenarios from deals, to day-to-day advice. I would wholeheartedly recommend any professional services firm to use them as they understand the challenges we face and help us navigate them.Neil Ballard
Company Secretary at Xeinadin
