The Role of Outsourced Teams in Navigating the Employment Rights Bill

Introduction

The introduction of the new Employment Rights Bill is set to significantly change how businesses, particularly in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, manage their workforce. The bill will place additional responsibility on employers, with increased obligations surrounding employee rights, compliance, and risk management.

For companies navigating these shifts, outsourcing employment services to a trusted partner like CHASE, the UK's leading independent outsourcing provider for healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, offers a smart, strategic solution. Here's how outsourcing can help create efficiencies, reduce risk, and adapt to the evolving employment landscape.

Key Changes in the Employment Rights Bill That Impact Employers

Before we explore the benefits of outsourcing, it’s important to understand some key provisions in the new Employment Rights Bill, which will become law in October 2026, that could transform HR practices and compliance requirements. Highlights include:

• Day-one rights for protection from unfair dismissal: Removes the time requirement for ordinary unfair dismissal from two years to day one.

• Strengthened redundancy rights: Lower redundancy consultation thresholds will apply to broader sections of the workforce.

• Flexible working default: Employees have greater rights to request flexible working, making business and operational planning more complex.

• Zero-hour contract restrictions: New rules mandate that guaranteed hours reflect historical usage, with remuneration required for late cancellations of shifts.

• Family-friendly leave changes: Day-one rights to carer’s leave, extended parental leave, and stronger pregnancy-related dismissal protections.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The increased complexity of employment law heightens the potential risks and administrative burdens for businesses, particularly those navigating multi-layered industries like pharmaceuticals and the NHS.

Why Outsourcing Is a Smarter Solution

Outsourcing employment services offers a tailored way to address the challenges presented by the Employment Rights Bill. It allows businesses to focus on core operations while an expert partner handles compliance, HR, and employee management.

1. Reduced Risk and Burden of Compliance

Navigating complex legislative changes: The new rules on dismissals, redundancies, and flexible working requirements introduce legal risks. Failure to comply could lead to tribunals and penalties. Outsourcing employment to a company like CHASE shifts these responsibilities to a provider with expertise in compliance and employment law.

Employer of record services: CHASE acts as the employer of record, managing payroll, employee benefits, and adherence to the latest regulations. This significantly reduces administrative burdens and mitigates risk for client organisations.

Streamlined probation and redundancy handling: Outsourced providers can manage the new statutory probation periods and collective redundancy consultations, which have more stringent standards under the bill.

2. Expertise and Best Practices in Employment Law

Staying ahead of the law: CHASE’s dedicated compliance team ensures that employment policies are continually updated to reflect legislative changes. This proactive approach means your organisation remains compliant without dedicating in-house resources to monitor laws.

Training tailored to your needs: CHASE offers advisory services and workshops to clients, helping teams understand specific legislative impacts and how to adapt their practices. This expert guidance can prevent costly missteps during periods of change.

Integrated human resource solutions: Experienced HR professionals at CHASE implement industry-leading practices, far exceeding what many in-house teams may be able to deliver independently.

3. Cost Savings Without Sacrificing Quality

Lower operational costs: Outsourcing employment functions can reduce expenses associated with maintaining internal HR teams or additional infrastructure. From payroll management to compliance handling, CHASE covers core employment responsibilities.

Avoiding legal and compliance costs: Non-compliance risks, such as tribunal penalties, are significantly reduced. This protection provides measurable ROI and peace of mind.

Efficient recruitment processes: CHASE handles the entire recruitment and onboarding cycle, ensuring cost-effective access to talent without the long-term commitment.

4. Focus on Core Business Objectives

Streamlining operational energy: By outsourcing employment administration, pharmaceutical and NHS managers can dedicate more time to critical strategic priorities, such as patient care, research, and innovation.

Operational simplicity: CHASE removes the stress of managing flexible working requests, leave arrangements and probation, creating operational efficiency across HR departments.

Supporting sustainable growth: Rather than addressing the complexities of employment law internally, your team is free to scale operations and sharpen its focus on delivering impactful healthcare solutions.

5. Flexibility and Scalability

Workforce agility: Outsourcing allows businesses to quickly adapt workforce sizes based on project needs or temporary growth shifts. This flexibility is vital for industries where workloads vary or outcomes are uncertain.

Access to diverse talent pools: CHASE taps into vast talent networks, providing professionals tailored to industries such as pharmaceuticals or healthcare. These resources allow organisations to find the right individuals for their needs in record time.

6. Elevating the Employee Experience

Attract and retain top talent: Outsourced teams often come with competitive benefits packages, professional development programmes and a supportive working environment ‘out of the box’. This can give your organisation a competitive edge when vying for talented staff in an increasingly tight job market.

Optimising team performance: By maintaining high employee engagement standards, CHASE ensures that workforces are motivated, satisfied, and performing at their best—a big advantage that our clients directly benefit from.

 

Why CHASE is a partner you can trust

When partnering with an employment outsourcing provider, it's crucial to choose a proven performer with a strong track record in compliance and client collaboration. For decades, CHASE has been a reliable partner for pharmaceutical and NHS professionals, handling employment complexities while enabling clients to focus on high-impact initiatives.

With CHASE, you’ll benefit from:

• Bespoke employment solutions tailored specifically to pharmaceutical and healthcare needs.

• Transparent and ethical practices ensuring smooth communication and collaboration.

• A commitment to excellence that aligns closely with your organisation’s values.

Outsourced Teams Are More Than a Safety Net—they’re a Strategic Advantage

For organisations grappling with the impact of evolving employment law, outsourcing employment services is more than a quick fix—it’s a proactive strategy for staying ahead. The Employment Rights Bill has raised the stakes for compliance, administration, and risk handling, but businesses can confidently meet these challenges with the right partner.

With CHASE, you’re not just mitigating risks—you’re investing in expertise, efficiency, and competitive advantage. Whether you’re tackling a pilot project with uncertain outcomes or weighing long-term staffing needs for your organisation, outsourcing reduces the risk while enhancing operational impact.

Why not explore how CHASE can transform challenges into opportunities? Get in touch to find out how outsourcing can work for you in 2025.