Boston College Testimonial

November saw a great example of dedication and hard work from Employer Services Advocate Hannah Fisher.

Hannah prepared and represented Boston College with an Employment Tribunal;

Boston College have been a NorthgateArinso Employer Services (NAES) client for almost three years. Before coming on board with Employer Services, they paid for legal services on a ‘pay as you go’ style structure with their local solicitor but decided to review their strategy after a costly discrimination case. “Although the charges were thrown out the legal fees still cost in the region of £20,000,” explains Keith Tharby, HR Director. “The price of winning seems almost as bad as losing when you have to incur costs of this level.”

Keith decided to research the option of Indemnity Insurance and met with us and found our service was far superior to that of his local solicitor as it included much more than just legal expenses. One of the extra services covered within the contract included 24 hour access to the HR Advice Line.

Keith has only had to call on our legal services on one occasion and believes this is due to following the advice given by the Advice Line team. “I’m confident that’s the reason why we haven’t had many claims,” says Keith. “The nature of the advice we receive is not just legally accurate but practical too. It’s a pragmatic approach with good solid advice on what we need to do.”

Back in November, Hannah assisted Boston College with a multi faceted claim from a part time teacher claiming race discrimination. The teacher argued she was paid less due to race discrimination and was being bullied and harassed by colleagues and her line manager. Later she put an additional claim in of victimisation in which she believed she was being treated less favourably as a result of the grievances she had raised. The case was eventually thrown out and cleared on all counts thanks to the hard work and dedication of Hannah and the team at NAES.

“You never know when these things can crop up and it’s extremely reassuring to know that you are covered,” says Keith. “Despite the case being thrown out, if we weren’t with NAES we would have still had to incur horrendous legal costs and find the money from somewhere which would have a massive effect on our budget. Now we pay a manageable monthly fee and have the peace of mind that we are covered with no nasty shocks around the corner.”

When asked what he would say to another company considering moving from ‘pay as you go’ style services to Indemnity Insurance cover with NAES, Keith says: “My recommendation based on my experience is that it’s a real benefit and I would urge you to give it serious consideration.”