Outsourced Employee Relations

When complex cases need more than HR, and more than a lawyer

Some situations demand more than policy adherence. They require judgment, composure, and deep practical experience. That’s where our outsourced employee relations service fits in.


This is not traditional outsourcing. We don’t take over your function. Instead, we integrate where needed, typically on your most sensitive, high-stakes or high-risk cases.

You get senior employment lawyers who understand not only the legal framework but the organisational pressures, political undercurrents and reputational risks involved.


We don’t advise from the sidelines. We step in and help you deliver.

The legal-HR crossover, handled intelligently

Our team is often embedded into HR or employee relations teams for specific cases or projects, especially where internal resources are stretched or complexity is unusually high.

This might involve:

• Managing complex disciplinary, grievance or performance processes

• Leading investigations into serious allegations or conduct concerns

• Supporting internal panels on sensitive appeals or hearings

• Drafting correspondence and outcome letters that stand up to legal scrutiny

• Advising throughout a process rather than simply reviewing decisions after the fact


We provide the hands-on casework that HR teams typically lead, but with the added value of legal acumen throughout. That means fewer handoffs, more cohesive processes, and a sharper focus on risk from the outset.

Why clients choose this model

Clients who work with us in this way tend to do so for one of three reasons:

• Complexity – The case involves difficult personalities, mental health concerns, whistleblowing, or legal nuances that standard HR frameworks don’t easily accommodate.

• Capacity – Internal teams are at full stretch and need trusted external input to keep momentum and standards high.
• Confidence – The stakes are high. The employer wants to ensure that process and substance are handled properly, often with the knowledge that litigation risk, reputational exposure, or senior stakeholder interest is significant.


In these cases, our ability to lead or co-deliver matters, not just advise, is often what makes the difference.

Better outcomes. Fewer regrets.

Too often, lawyers are brought in after the fact, to try to rationalise or defend a process that has already gone wrong. By that point, it’s often too late to fix the real issue.



Damage has been done, options are limited, and credibility is already eroded.

With our outsourced employee relations support, we shift the model. We’re there as the situation unfolds. We help shape the approach, guide conversations, structure correspondence and consider outcomes with legal robustness and human realism in mind.

Our work frequently prevents cases from reaching litigation, not through technicality, but by ensuring that the right actions are taken, at the right time, for the right reasons.

Legal advice without the lag

Unlike traditional law firms, we don’t delegate to juniors, work in slow cycles, or wait to be briefed in full before we begin. You won’t get a formal memo three days later.



You’ll get live, senior engagement, by phone, email or in person, within the tempo your situation requires.


That’s one reason many large organisations, including global brands and major UK employers, trust us with complex employee relations work. We act quickly, think clearly, and stay focused on outcome as much as process.

Discretion and professionalism

These cases often involve employees with influence, long service, or personal relationships within the business. They may involve allegations that, if mishandled, could damage reputations or relationships irreparably.


We operate with discretion, care and precision. Our role is not to escalate, it is to stabilise, clarify and resolve.

When to consider this model

This service may be right for your organisation if:

• You’re managing a case that feels unusually complex, sensitive or high-risk

• You want to ensure both legal rigour and practical deliverability in your process

• You lack the internal capacity to deliver a case with the consistency or pace required

• You want to avoid fragmented processes involving multiple advisers or functions

• You’re seeking a more embedded, efficient form of legal support

A smarter way to handle complex ER

Think of this not as outsourcing, but as intelligent resourcing. We give you legal capacity where it counts, inside the process, not just commenting on it. With Watershed, you don’t just get advice. You get delivery.