Employee benefits work hardest when they solve a problem staff keep putting off. Most employees know they should have a will, yet most have never got around to it. Wills at work lets you offer your people convenient, professional access to wills and lasting powers of attorney as part of your benefits or wellbeing programme, while giving your own business owners and directors the personal protection their success deserves.
Wills at work is a workplace benefit you arrange for your employees, giving them convenient access to professionally drafted wills and related legal services through Davenport Solicitors. You choose how it is funded and promoted, we handle the legal delivery, and your staff get a straightforward, guided route to putting essential protection in place.
The result is a benefit that looks and feels effortless to your employees, while sitting behind the scenes with very little for your team to manage.
Forward thinking employers recognise that employee wellbeing extends beyond the workplace. Offering wills at work demonstrates a genuine commitment to supporting your people and their families, and it gives you a distinctive, low cost addition to your benefits package that competitors are less likely to offer.
It is a rare benefit that costs relatively little to offer, yet is remembered by the people who take it up for a long time afterwards.
The programme is flexible and can be tailored to organisations of any size. You may choose to:
We work with your HR team to agree the right funding model, provide clear guidance materials for staff, and support employees through the process from initial questionnaire to a signed, valid document.
A professionally drafted will ensures an employee’s estate is distributed according to their wishes, lets them appoint trusted executors and guardians, and reduces uncertainty for their family at an already difficult time. We advise each employee on the most appropriate option for their circumstances, whether that is straightforward or more complex.
Designed for individual employees, a single will gives them certainty that their wishes are clearly documented and legally recognised. It lets them:
For most employees, a single will is the simplest and most cost effective way to put essential protection in place.
Mirror wills suit employees who are married or in a civil partnership and want to leave their estate to one another before benefiting their children or other chosen beneficiaries.
Each partner has their own will, but the provisions typically reflect shared wishes, giving a straightforward and cost effective way to plan together while retaining individual legal documents.
Some employees need additional protection. Trust wills give greater control over how assets are managed after death and can suit:
We advise each employee individually on whether a trust will is the right fit for them.
Future planning is not only about what happens after someone’s lifetime. A lasting power of attorney lets an employee appoint someone they trust to make decisions on their behalf if they ever lose the capacity to do so.
Offering this alongside wills at work means both financial affairs and personal welfare can be managed by people your employees have chosen, whenever the need arises.
Business owners and directors often spend years building a successful company but overlook their own personal protection.
Having an up to date will helps ensure a director’s personal affairs are properly organised, giving clarity for their family and supporting the smooth administration of their estate. Our solicitors take the time to understand each individual’s circumstances and provide practical advice tailored to their needs.
Without a valid will, an estate is distributed under the rules of intestacy, which may not reflect the individual’s actual wishes or family circumstances.
For employers, an employee death without a will in place often means a longer, more distressing process for the family your HR and management team are also supporting, and can leave unresolved questions that add to an already difficult situation.
Financial and legal wellbeing is an increasingly important part of a genuinely supportive benefits package.
Wills at work gives your employees a straightforward, guided route to putting essential legal protection in place, often at a preferential rate, without having to research and source a solicitor independently. For you as the employer, it is a low cost, high value addition to an existing benefits or wellbeing programme.
Introducing wills at work in your organisation is straightforward.
We support employees through the will writing process from initial questionnaire to a signed, valid document, so the benefit runs smoothly from day one.
We understand that planning for the future is about more than preparing legal documents, it is about protecting the people and achievements that matter most to your business.
Whether you are an employer looking to enhance your employee benefits, a business owner planning for the future, or both, our experienced solicitors provide clear, practical and personalised legal advice you can trust.
What is wills at work?
Wills at work is a workplace benefit that gives your employees access to professional will writing services, arranged and often subsidised through you as the employer, as part of a wider benefits or wellbeing programme, delivered directly by our solicitors.
Do we need to fund the benefit for every employee, or can we offer it selectively?
You can offer wills at work to your whole workforce or target it at a particular group, such as senior staff or long serving employees, and you choose whether to fund it in full, offer a preferential rate, or simply arrange access to the service.
What happens if one of our employees dies without a will?
Their estate is distributed under the rules of intestacy, a fixed set of legal rules that may not reflect their actual wishes, particularly for unmarried partners or blended families. This can also create a longer, more difficult process for their family and for your HR team to manage.
Is this benefit only useful for older employees?
No. Employees of any age with savings, property or dependants benefit from having a will, and a lasting power of attorney can be needed at any age, for example following an accident or serious illness, not only close to retirement.
Can our directors and business owners use wills at work as well?
Yes. Many business owners have spent years building their company but have not put their own will or lasting power of attorney in place. Wills at work is well suited to protecting their personal interests alongside your wider employee benefit.
How much administration does wills at work create for our HR team?
Very little. We agree the funding model and provide guidance materials for staff, then manage the will writing process directly with each employee, keeping your HR team updated without adding to their workload.
What is the difference between a single will and a trust will?
A single will sets out who inherits an employee’s estate and who administers it. A trust will adds a layer of control over how assets are managed after death, and tends to suit business owners, blended families or anyone with a vulnerable beneficiary to consider.
How long does it take an employee to get a will in place through the scheme?
Once an employee starts the process, a straightforward will can usually be completed within a few weeks. More complex circumstances, such as a trust will or overseas assets, may take longer, and we advise the employee on realistic timing from the outset.
Can employees use the service to set up a lasting power of attorney at the same time as their will?
Yes. Many employees choose to put both in place together, since a will covers what happens after death while a lasting power of attorney covers decisions during their lifetime if they lose capacity.
Speak to our team. Whether you want to introduce wills at work within your organisation, or arrange a will or lasting power of attorney for a director or business owner, we are here to help. Call Davenport Solicitors on 020 7903 6888 or email contact@davenportsolicitors.com to discuss how we can support your business and your people.
Disclaimer
The material contained on this website contains general information only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. While every care has been taken in the preparation of the information on this site, readers are advised to seek specific advice in relation to any decision or course of action.
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