Outsourcing employee relations
Powered by legal privilege
Your trusted partner for employee relations. Straight-talking, solutions-focused support that protects your organisation, improves people outcomes, and delivers real ROI. Find out more below.
Why protect your organisation
with legally privileged ER support?
UK employers are facing a 40% surge in employee relations (ER) cases. HR teams are already stretched and facing ever-increasing ER complexities. And our research predicts that the Employment Rights Act 2025 could see a 230% increase in probation-related tasks alone.
Need more reasons? Our track record speaks for itself…
Not a single successful tribunal claim
How much we can cut the costs of handling ER cases
Closing ER cases than internal HR teams
At resolving short-term absences than internal teams
In performance cases for one client (Q2 vs Q1)
In a client's short-term absence over six months
Consistent service standards, even at peak times
To deliver outcome letters and reports to managers
”The quality of support and service levels are always exceptional. Halborns always deliver and feel just like an extension of our in-house team. It is very much a partnership.
Vision ExpressHead of HR
Our outsourced employee relations solution includes…
Unlimited legally privileged advice – straight-talking, practical advice for your managers without needing to expand your internal team. We handle your case load with confidence, speed, and zero fuss.
Unlimited templates and drafting support* – outcome letters to investigations, we provide the documents and drafting help to progress cases quickly. Cut the admin, create efficiency, and maintain control.
Contract and handbook review – a deep-dive into compliance, commerciality, and tone. We amend what’s outdated and add what’s missing, giving you a solid, up-to-date foundation we know inside out, so our advice is faster, sharper, and in tune with your documents from day one.
Quarterly reporting and reviews – we don’t just track the numbers, we identify trends, flag risk, and help you take action before problems escalate. We include opportunities to discuss new laws, people trends, and ensure you’re ahead in respect of people plans and have an answer for future challenges.
Proactive onboarding – we hit the ground running so you feel the benefits from day one. No waiting, no lag time. Just proactive, effective ER support from the off.
*Drafting support available at certain service levels.
The value of legally privileged
ER support…
We get what you’re up against. 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.
Anticipate and adapt – employment law is moving fast. We keep you one step ahead with proactive, practical guidance – so your team and managers are never caught off guard.
Keep it confidential – with legal privilege, your ER advice stays protected, and out of tribunal evidence!
Empower managers – we deliver clear advice and timely supporting documents so your managers can progress with ER cases quickly and confidently.
Avoid HR burnout – we provide a scalable solution to reduce and manage ER volume, simplify complexity, and stop burnout in its tracks.
End-to-end support – from first call to final letter, we guide your managers through every step with clear advice, user-friendly drafting, and zero ambiguity.
Not ready to fully outsource your ER?
Our ‘Outsourced ER – Flex’ solution gives you support when and where you need it most. Whether that’s working through a build up of cases, supporting holiday season, helping cover sickness absences or something else, we’re here to help. Here are the options…
Overflow ER support
Clear a bottleneck, manage peak demand or provide cover…
- When your ER case load spikes, we’re here for you and provide support from a highly experienced, straight-talking employment lawyer
- On a temporary or retained basis when you need it most
- Working with your policies and procedures to ensure consistency
- A flexible solution to quickly shift to meet your team’s changing demands.
Issue-specific support
Tackle repeat issues and deliver consistent outcomes…
- For when you find short-term sickness absence is becoming a problem, driving performance isn’t working, or there’s another issue that keeps cropping up
- We provide an experienced employment lawyer to support specifically in ‘problem areas’ and slot into your team where you need us most
- No limits on the time taken to resolve each case.
Complex case support
Additional expertise to help resolve complex cases…
- Whether it’s complex grievances, discrimination cases or anything else – you define where support is needed
- Agreed triggers provide clear parameters for your team to involve our expert employment lawyers
- Helps free up senior ER capacity so they can focus on delivering the HR strategy
- No limits on the time taken to resolve each case.
Frequently asked questions
What is "legal privilege" in the context of HR and employee relations cases?
Legal privilege is a crucial legal protection that allows you to have confidential discussions with your legal advisors without fear that those communications will later be disclosed in tribunal proceedings.
Why is legal privilege important for sensitive HR discussions and ER case management?
It’s vital because it enables frank and strategic conversations about high-stakes issues like potential dismissals, complex grievances, or discrimination claims. Without legal privilege, these discussions could be used in evidence against your organisation if a tribunal claim arises. Privilege allows you to:
- Openly assess risks and explore all your options without creating evidence that could be used against you;
- Strategically plan your approach to employee relations cases;
- Protect your organisation from adverse legal outcomes and reputational damage.
What's the risk if my outsourced HR discussions aren't privileged?
If your discussions and the advice you receive are not legally privileged, they could be disclosed in evidence in an employment tribunal claim. This means your internal deliberations, risk assessments, and strategic plans could be used against your organisation, potentially weakening your position or even leading to adverse judgments.
Employment Rights Act 2025 Summary and Tracker
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is set to increase the burden on already stretched HR teams – our research anticipates a 230% increase in probation-related tasks alone!
Our handy ERA Summary and Tracker is a great way to stay on top of the Act, implementation dates, and what you’ll need to consider for your contracts, policies and processes. It’ll help you prepare for what’s already confirmed and what’s still evolving. When there are further developments we’ll update the tracker and send you the latest version, without you lifting a finger! Bookmark it, pin it and download it today.
