We understand that businesses of all shapes and sizes need to have straightforward and pragmatic employment law advice. Whether you are a small business managing your own employment and staffing, a large business with an HR Department, or a multi-national company, we have the expertise and years of experience to help you.
In the same way, we know that Brexit has brought both concerns and opportunities for businesses and institutions across every area where there is any reliance on workers from other countries. Key issues around residency, sponsorship, permits, visas and a wide range of legal compliance have quickly moved up the employer and employee agenda. We have expertise in advising employers of all types. If you need advice on the steps you have to take to bring people into your business, then our expert team lead by Paul Brown can help.
Our clients range from global industrial companies such as Ineos Chemicals to ‘high street’ names such as Scotmid, Belhaven Brewery & Office. We have particular expertise in the growing Food & Drink Sector.
We also offer employment law services to a wide range of sectors and have developed our HR Plus service, which provides professional HR and employment support to businesses and organisations who don’t have their own HR team or need external HR support and advice.
We’re able to help you with any of the employment issues which come up, including:
- Absence and performance management
- Brexit
- Change management
- Contracts and policies
- Discipline and grievance
- Discrimination and equality
- Immigration
- Industrial disputes
- Mediation
- Pensions
- Tribunal and court representation
- TUPE
Awards
Our Employment Team won Employment Team of the Year at The Herald Law Awards of Scotland 2019, with the firm winning Scottish Law Firm of the Year.
Updates & Training
We provide regular updates in understandable language as well as training to educate and empower our clients’ management to deal with issues internally, leading to consistency and ultimately, helping productivity and saving money.
How can we help?
Early intervention
We recognise the importance of early intervention in preventing employment issues from becoming major disputes. Our clients have access to around the clock human resources support from our large, skilled, expert, award winning and specialist team so that we can nip any problems in the bud, saving disruption, management time and money.
From contracts and staff handbooks, immigration, consultation with unions, discrimination and equality to unfair dismissal and whistleblowing, to name but a few, we are regularly called upon to advise clients and to resolve issues before they turn into employment claims.
Start-ups/expansions
Starting up a business or expanding a small business are also areas where we can help. Small companies can be faced with exactly the same problems as very large companies and vice versa and therefore it is essential to have a team like ours, with experience in a wide variety of industries. Our clients benefit from the experience gained by us in dealing with these issues on a daily basis.
Mediation
Employment disputes whether they be grievances or disciplinary issues can often involve lengthy formal process, at the end of which, regardless of the outcome, the participants can feel bruised. Many clients and their advisers now recognise that alternative ways to resolve disputes are worth considering. Anderson Strathern’s mediation service led by Alun Thomas, an active member of the Scottish Mediation Network, provides parties in conflict a way to explore whether there are better ways to resolve issues.
Pensions
Our pensions practice advises trustees, employers, scheme members and trade unions on all aspects of pensions law and for both private and public sector schemes. We also have a considerable practice advising in relation to SSASs/SIPPs. We advise on matters including the winding up of final salary schemes, the amendment of existing schemes or the introduction of new pension arrangements, the legal issues concerning scheme deficits and the strategies to deal with these and the pension issues arising from corporate transactions and PFI/PPP deals. We also advise on pensions litigation cases, including complaints to the Pensions Ombudsman.
