One partner for your people, risk and compliance challenges

A charity’s challenges rarely sit neatly within one area. Managing people, meeting legal responsibilities, protecting health and safety, developing capable leaders and strengthening cyber resilience are all closely connected.

WorkNest brings together specialist expertise across Employment Law, HR, Health & Safety, Learning & Development and Cyber Security. Through one trusted partner, charities can access practical advice, experienced consultants and solutions shaped around their organisation.

Whether you need help with an immediate issue or longer-term support, WorkNest can help you:

• Reduce legal, operational and reputational risk
• Build confident and capable managers
• Manage organisational change effectively
• Protect your people, information and services
• Strengthen compliance and organisational resilience
• Stay focused on delivering your charitable purpose

WorkNest is trusted by more than 50,000 organisations across the UK.

Employment law

Make confident employment decisions and reduce legal risk

Charities often need to make difficult employment decisions while balancing limited resources, organisational values and responsibilities to employees, beneficiaries and trustees.

Whether you are managing organisational change, addressing performance concerns, resolving a workplace dispute or responding to an Employment Tribunal claim, access to timely legal advice can prevent issues from becoming more complex and costly.

WorkNest provides charities and social enterprises with practical Employment Law support for a fixed annual fee. This offers a cost-effective alternative to relying on traditional solicitors for each individual matter or building specialist legal expertise in-house.

How WorkNest can help

Depending on the support package selected, you can access:

• A named, highly qualified Employment Law adviser
• Unlimited advice on day-to-day and complex employment matters
• Support with disciplinary, grievance, absence and performance issues
• Guidance through restructures, redundancies and organisational change
• A comprehensive review of employment contracts and handbooks
• Access to employment policies, letters and other essential documents
• Support responding to Employment Tribunal claims
• Legal Expenses Insurance, subject to the policy terms and eligibility
• Regular employment law updates and practical guidance

The advice is clear, commercially aware and grounded in an understanding of the charity and social enterprise sector.

“Our dedicated adviser has made a substantial contribution and offers excellent and timely advice that meets our expectations and covers every detail.”

CEO, Barnwood Trust

Health and safety

Protect your people and meet your responsibilities with confidence

Charities have a duty to protect employees, volunteers, service users and visitors. This can become particularly complex when services are delivered across several locations, within community settings or by employees and volunteers working independently.

WorkNest helps charities understand their responsibilities, identify practical gaps and put proportionate arrangements in place. The focus is not simply on producing documents, but on making health and safety work across your organisation.

How WorkNest can help

Depending on the support package selected, WorkNest can provide:

• A named health & safety consultant
• Unlimited access to practical advice
• A general risk assessment of your organisation
• Support from WorkNest acting as your competent person
• Health and safety policies and handbook documentation
• Help creating and reviewing risk assessments
• Guidance on incident management and reporting
• Support with fire safety and workplace inspections
• Assistance preparing for regulatory scrutiny
• Secure storage for essential documentation
• Legal expenses insurance, subject to the policy terms and eligibility
• Regular updates on legal developments and good practice

WorkNest’s consultants take a practical, hands-on approach, helping you reduce risk while putting workable arrangements in place for employees, volunteers and managers.

Exclusive benefits for ACEVO members

Full ACEVO members can access:

• One free telephone advice session through the Employment Law Helpline/Health and safety helplines
• Significant discounts on WorkNest’s comprehensive support packages

To use your free session of telephone advice on Employment Law and Health & Safety: please email acevohr@worknest.com or acevohs@worknest.com

For more information about WorkNest’s additional services, call 0345 226 8393 and quote ACEVO.

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Explore WorkNest’s HR support for practical help managing your workforce, or Learning & Development services to strengthen manager capability and reduce people-related risk.