Construction group thanks Hampshire lawyers for 20 years of workplace support
A specialist construction contractor has praised a Southampton legal firm for its help with resolving skills gaps, managing staff welfare and enabling rapid growth here and overseas.
Laurence Dunn, Director of DC Employment Solicitors, and his team have been advising and acting on workplace issues for the Winchester-headquartered Lakesmere Group for 20 years.
Lakesmere, which designs, manufactures and installs exterior features such as glazing, cladding and roofing, has grown to employ 550 people in the UK and another 350 in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and China.
Projects here include the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, the London Aquatics Centre, the O2 Arena, the Aintree racecourse grandstand and the new Cambridge head office of software giant ARM.
Lakesmere’s latest pre-tax profit was £3.5 million on an annual turnover of £118.5 million.
Despite the expertise of its team, which includes many apprentices and graduates, Lakesmere recently faced a time-critical need for hard-to-find, specialist engineering skills for UK projects.
After market testing in this country failed to solve the skills shortage, the company was forced to source employees from abroad.
Managers turned to DC Employment to help them comply with the myriad of fast-changing business immigration rules.
Now, 20 skilled façade engineers from India and the Philippines are working from Lakesmere offices in Northern Ireland, Reading and Cannock, enabling projects to happen on the ground with onward employability for UK colleagues and the supply chain.
Gill Dredge, Lakesmere’s Head of Group HR, said: “All of our applications to employ foreign nationals have been successful with the advice and support of DC Employment. Their input has been really important. If freedom of movement in the EU stops because of Brexit, all overseas labour will need a certificate of sponsorship to work in the UK. That’s something DC Employment advised on for our Indian and Philippines labour and we would look for similar help within the EU if required.”
DC Employment also helps Lakesmere in its drive to improve welfare in the workplace by developing strategies to enhance employee wellbeing. These include helping it to manage the most challenging causes of absence such as mental health issues.
This support has helped Lakesmere reduce its overall level of absence due to sickness to less than half the national average for the construction industry.
According to the latest survey by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), the equivalent of 6.9 days a year are lost to sickness for each employee nationally. At Lakesmere it is an industry-leading three days.
Gill, who manages a 13-strong team of HR and Learning and Development staff, added: “Legal advice informs our employment documentation, work patterns, team training, mental health strategies and liaison with medical and counselling services such as occupational health consultants. As and when an issue involving employment law does occur, it can often be complex and urgent, and DC Employment is always available to provide immediate and reliable expertise. On at least one occasion we’ve had a need for help over a Christmas period and they haven’t let us down. The fact that we have the relationship with them is fundamental to us. We have more confidence to set our strategies and deal with individual cases thanks to them.”
Laurence Dunn said: “Investing in the welfare of your workforce is absolutely vital for a forward-thinking company such as Lakesmere, as it should be for all employers whatever their sector. Mental health issues, for example, don’t just affect the individual – they can seriously affect colleagues too. We’re proud that our advice and support has helped with Lakesmere’s strong growth over the past 20 years and continues to do so.”
DC Employment Solicitors was this year recognised as the south east’s top human resources law practice in an awards initiative run by the industry body Legal 500.
