A huge weight was lifted from our shoulders after signing up to Peninsula

De-Luxe Office Cleaners is a family-run business in Aberdeen, who provide cleaning, industrial, and commercial services to offices across the city.

First launched by their mother Elizabeth in 1980, George and Lisa now take over the day-to-day operations.

Here’s how Peninsula supported them through a troubling tribunal claim…

A cleaner at De-Luxe Office Cleaners said that she would be leaving in the next six months, as she was expecting twins.

The employee was on a part-time contract – two hours per night, five nights per week – which meant she was not eligible for statutory maternity pay.

As the employee had said they wanted to leave, Lisa administrated all accrued holiday pay, along with a P45. She wished her well for the future and told her she was welcome to return at any point.

However, three months later De-Luxe Office Cleaners received a scathing letter, and an unfair dismissal claim for nearly £20,000…

The employee had hired a solicitor, who sent De-Luxe Office Cleaners threatening letters.

Accusing them of unfairly dismissing the employee, the letters summoned De-Luxe Office Cleaners to a tribunal hearing.

A £20,000 fine would cause a huge damage to the business. Shocked and stressed, George and Lisa made plans to defend the family-run business by themselves.

Before the tribunal hearing, George and Lisa were invited to attend a mediation hearing with the employee, her solicitor, and a judge.

At this time, George and Lisa were representing their company without support.  

After hearing from both parties, the judge agreed that George & Lisa were acting within the employee’s best interests. He recommended paying out a small, conciliatory fee to end the matter.  

However, the employee and solicitor rejected the offer – and decided to proceed with the claim at the upcoming tribunal.

Realising that the employee was determined to get the £20,000 – and just two days to prepare for the hearing – George & Lisa knew they needed extra support.

It was then that Peninsula got in touch to offer tribunal support.

While seeking advice from a solicitor would be too costly, Peninsula provides legal defence as part of an affordable, fixed monthly fee – along with a suite of other HR tools and services. So, George & Lisa decided to partner with Peninsula instead…

With just two days to go until the tribunal, George and Lisa signed up to Peninsula.

Along with unlimited 24-hour HR advice, software, and documentation services, Peninsula provides tribunal representation and support.

This kicked in as soon as they signed up to Peninsula. One of Peninsula’s tribunal experts stepped in to take over the case.

Peninsula’s consultant sent an email to the employee's solicitor, which included a clause saying that, if the employee lost the case, they would need to cover legal expenses.

Upon hearing that Peninsula was representing De-Luxe Office Cleaners, the employee’s solicitor withdrew from the case, two days before the tribunal. George and Lisa guessed that this was because, with Peninsula on their side, the solicitor was unsure if they could win the case.

This meant that the employee no longer had the same aggressive defence, putting George and Lisa in a much stronger position already.

George and Lisa attended the hearing – this time, backed by Peninsula’s employment law solicitor.

Peninsula’s solicitor successfully struck off the biggest part of the claim (unfair dismissal) and proved that George and Lisa had not breached any laws.  

Thanks to Peninsula’s letter before the hearing, the employee did not have robust legal defence. This made the hearing much quicker, and easier to prove De-Luxe Office Cleaner’s innocence.

This reduced the total cost of the claim to over £18,500 less than the original claim.

This meant that it was no longer a matter for a tribunal hearing, and another solicitor from Peninsula consultant stepped in to swiftly resolve the matter at a small claims court instead.  

De-Luxe Office Cleaners avoided paying out thousands of pounds.

As they are not a limited company, it meant the family did not suffer from digging into their personal funds.

Now that stressful episode is behind them, George and Lisa regularly reach out to their advisers at Peninsula.

It means that they have assurance that they’ve always meeting the right requirements with any HR case. For every HR procedure, George and Lisa know they are following every step correctly and preventing legal risk going forwards.