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Taking on your first employees
Contracts, right-to-work checks, a simple handbook and the records you're expected to keep, set up properly from the start.
HR consulting · Southampton & Hampshire
An HR consultant for small businesses that don't have an HR department.
Our HR consulting is led by co-founder Jessica Williams, an Associate Member of the CIPD, working with small businesses in Southampton, across Hampshire and further afield. We get your contracts, policies and people processes right before you need them, and we're on hand with a second opinion when something comes up.
Who it's for
Outsourced HR for teams of a handful to a few dozen.
Most small businesses don't need a full-time HR manager. They still need contracts that hold up, a handbook people actually read, and a fair, consistent way to handle absence, performance and problems.
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Growing teams
When word-of-mouth rules stop working: consistent policies, managers who know the process, and documents that match how you really operate.
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Something has come up
A long-term absence, a grievance or a performance issue you aren't sure how to handle. You get a calm, practical plan and help to follow it.
What we cover
HR consultancy in Southampton and Hampshire, from contracts to change.
Everything is written for your business in plain English. You won't get a generic template pack with your logo on it.
Contracts & documentation
Employment contracts, offer letters and the written statement of particulars every employee and worker is entitled to from day one. We also cover variations when hours, pay or roles change, and job descriptions that reflect the real job.
Staff handbooks & policies
A handbook and the policies a small business really needs: holiday, absence, flexible working, family leave, conduct, equality, data protection and disciplinary and grievance procedures. They're kept short enough that people will read them.
Recruitment & onboarding
Job adverts and descriptions, a fair and consistent interview process, and right-to-work checks done and recorded correctly before anyone starts. Then an induction plan, so new starters know what's expected in their first weeks.
Absence & statutory sick pay
Clear rules for reporting and recording absence, how statutory sick pay works for your team, return-to-work conversations, and how to support someone through long-term sickness fairly. We also help you spot short-term patterns early.
Performance management
Objectives, one-to-ones and reviews that suit the size of your team. We help managers raise concerns early and constructively, and set up an improvement process that is documented and fair if things don't get better.
Disciplinary & grievance
Procedures that follow the Acas Code of Practice, plus practical support with investigations, invitation letters, meetings, outcomes and appeals. Issues get handled fairly, consistently and on record.
Change & restructuring
Planning changes to roles, hours, locations or team structure, and how to consult with the people affected. Where redundancies or contested changes are involved, we'll tell you when it's time to bring in an employment solicitor.
Employment Rights Act 2025
The Act brings in its changes in stages, so we help you understand what affects your business and when. That includes updating contracts, policies and processes as each change takes effect, rather than all at once in a panic.
How we work
Practical, personal and on the record.
Good HR in a small business is mostly about doing the simple things consistently and writing them down. We keep the paperwork proportionate to the size of your team, and we explain the reasoning behind it so you can handle routine matters yourself.
- CIPD-qualified HR. Jessica is an Associate Member of the CIPD (Assoc CIPD) and works in HR day to day, so your documents and processes reflect current UK practice.
- A main contact who knows you. Jessica leads your HR work and is your primary contact, so you don't have to explain your business again each time you get in touch. If she's unavailable at short notice, another member of our team is on hand.
- Written for your business. Documents reflect your hours, your roles and your way of working, not someone else's.
- Support at the awkward moments. Help planning a difficult conversation, drafting the letter that follows it and keeping a fair record.
- Systems that match your policies. If you want a tailored HR platform, it's built to follow the same rules as your handbook.
- Payroll that adds up. Absence, leave and pay changes flow through to Xero Payroll when we set it up together.
How it works
Getting your HR in order.
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HR health check
We go through your current contracts, policies and records and show you what's missing, what's out of date and what carries risk.
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Fixed written quote
You get a plan of the documents and processes you need, in order of priority, with a fixed price in writing before we start.
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Draft and agree
We draft each document, talk you through it and make changes until it reflects how you want to run your team.
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Ongoing support
When an issue comes up or the law changes, you can come back to someone who already knows your business and your people.
How we price
A fixed quote for the work you need.
A contract review and a full handbook are very different jobs, so we quote each one individually. The price is fixed in writing before we start, and nothing is due upfront. If you'd like ongoing support, we'll agree in writing what it covers and what it costs, so there are no surprise bills.
What we don't do. We're HR consultants, not employment lawyers. We don't run a 24-hour advice line, represent you at an employment tribunal or provide insurance against claims. If a situation carries real legal risk, such as a tribunal claim, a contested dismissal or a redundancy programme, we'll tell you and help you brief an employment solicitor.
Questions
Questions about working with an HR consultant.
What's the difference between an HR consultant and an HR advice line?
An advice line gives you quick answers from whoever is on shift, usually on a monthly contract. An HR consultant gets to know your business, writes your documents and helps you through specific situations from start to finish. Some businesses use both. We're the second kind.
Do I need a staff handbook if I only have a few employees?
The law doesn't require a handbook as such, but you do need written disciplinary and grievance rules, and every employee needs a written statement of their terms. A short handbook is the simplest way to keep all of that in one place and to make sure everyone is treated the same way.
How will the Employment Rights Act 2025 affect my business?
It depends on your team and how you employ people. The changes are being introduced in stages, and some details are still being set out in regulations and guidance. We'll go through which changes apply to you, when they take effect and what you need to update.
Can you help with a disciplinary that's already started?
Yes. We can review what's happened so far, help you put the process back on a fair footing and support the remaining steps. If the situation is already heading towards a tribunal claim, we'll recommend you speak to an employment solicitor.
How do we meet?
By video call. We're based in Southampton and work with businesses across Hampshire, Bournemouth, the Isle of Wight and the rest of the UK, and every meeting is a video call at a time that suits you, with screen sharing when we're working through documents together.
Tell us what's on your HR to-do list.
A short message about your team and what you need help with is enough to start. We reply within one business day.