Legally privileged employee relations support
Vision Express is one of the UK’s leading high-street opticians, established in 1988 and operating over 550 stores across the UK and Ireland.
Case study
The need
Vision Express operates in a complex, multi-site environment, creating high volumes of employee relations activity. With cost, consistency and scalability key priorities, they wanted to drive efficiencies, reduce case durations and free up HR capacity to focus on strategic priorities.
The requirement
Vision Express needed an employee relations advisory partner that could provide consistent and commercial advice at volume, improve the speed of case closure and reduce pressure on HR by empowering managers to handle difficult situations with confidence. This included:
Monthly reporting – detailed reports on new cases, total cases, case volume by store or function, case types and time to close cases, enabling data-driven decisions and greater transparency.
An insight-led approach to efficiency – streamlined ER processes, improved case turnaround times and better data and insight to move from reactive case handling towards a more proactive, risk-aware and value-adding ER model.
Drafting and documentation support – comprehensive drafting assistance for letters, investigation reports and outcome documentation, helping maintain consistency and compliance across all cases.
Legal privilege and risk management – by embedding legal privilege into ER processes, Halborns safeguarded sensitive cases and reduced organisational risk, giving Vision Express confidence and confidentiality when handling complex situations.
”We now have clear data alongside a monthly deep dive into tribunal and conciliation cases, with our HR team involved to ensure risk appetite and priorities are aligned.
Head of HR Business PartneringVision Express
The outcome
Improved efficiency and faster ER case resolution – ER cases are now resolved, on average, 49% faster than the internal benchmark. The majority of cases are closed within 11 days, with over 70% concluded within a month.
Boosting manager capability and confidence – dedicated support gives managers the confidence to handle complex and emotive situations effectively, enabling quicker, fairer outcomes for colleagues while strengthening capability across the business.
Significant reduction in long-term absence rates – long-term absence cases reduced by 27% year on year, and now represent 40% less of overall ER activity, significantly reducing the cost, risk and operational impact of a complex ER challenge.
Improved employee experiences – despite operating across 550 stores, the majority of cases are now resolved within 11 days, ensuring cases progress efficiently and improving the employee experience through quicker case outcomes.
Greater visibility of employee relations trends – regular reporting and insight provide greater visibility of ER activity, trends and risk, enabling proactive, data-led intervention and governance while freeing HR to focus on strategic priorities.
Legally robust and faster documentation – dedicated drafting support ensures documentation is clear, consistent and legally robust. Managers no longer spend hours drafting complex letters, improving the quality and tone of documentation while ensuring documents are produced and delivered more quickly.
Want to know more about how our Outsourced ER solution could work for you?
Our legally privileged solution keeps your ER case load on track – removing bottlenecks, reducing risk, and giving your HR team the space to focus on impactful and strategic priorities.