HR & People Consulting
Practical people expertise, from HR foundations to complex change — built around how your organisation actually works.
Many organisations grow faster than their people practices. Policies are written when a problem appears, pay decisions depend on who asked and when, performance conversations happen unevenly, and the HR team spends its time reacting rather than building. None of this is unusual, but over time it costs trust, time and good people.
HR and people consulting puts the foundations in place, or repairs the ones that are no longer working. We start by understanding how things run today — the documents, the habits and the decisions that sit behind them — and then design practices that are clear, fair and realistic for your size and stage. The aim is something your managers will use, not a manual that sits on a shelf.
The work can cover a single area, such as a performance approach or a pay framework, or a wider review of how people are managed across the organisation. We work alongside your HR team where there is one, and help build the capability to run things without us once the work is done.
What you get
What an engagement typically delivers. The exact scope is agreed with you first.
HR structure, policies and processes
A clear set of people policies and core processes — from hiring and onboarding to leave, conduct and exits — written in plain language and matched to how you operate.
Compensation and benefits frameworks
A structure for pay and benefits: role levels, pay ranges and the principles behind decisions, so that pay is consistent and managers can explain it.
Performance management
A performance approach that fits your culture: how goals are set, how feedback happens through the year and how reviews connect to development and reward.
Employee relations and compliance support
Guidance on handling sensitive situations — grievances, disciplinary matters and difficult conversations — and a review of practices against the requirements you must meet, working with your legal advisers where needed.
How we work
Understanding the current state
We review existing documents and practices and talk to the people who use them — leaders, managers and HR — to see what works, what does not and why.
Agreeing priorities
We set out what we found and agree with you which areas to address first, what the finished result should look like and who will be involved.
Design with the people who will use it
We draft policies, frameworks and processes and test them with managers and HR before they are finalised, so they are practical as well as sound.
Rollout and handover
We help you introduce the changes — briefing managers, preparing communication and supporting the first cycle — and hand over everything your team needs to run it.
What changes
- People practices that are written down, understood and applied consistently
- Pay and performance decisions that managers can explain and employees can trust
- Sensitive employee situations handled calmly and in line with a clear process
- An HR function that spends less time reacting and more time building
Common questions
We do not have an HR team. Can you still help?
Yes. Much of this work is with organisations where HR is handled by a founder, an office manager or finance. We design practices that suit that reality and can help you decide when and how to build an HR role.
Do you replace our HR team?
No. Where you have an HR team, we work alongside it — bringing extra capacity, an outside perspective or specialist input for a project. The aim is to leave your team stronger, not to take over its role.
Do you provide legal advice?
No. We design people practices and help you apply them well. Where a question needs a legal opinion, we say so and work alongside your legal advisers so the two fit together.
How is it priced?
There is no standard price list, because the scope varies. We propose the cost together with the scope, so you can see both before you decide.
Let's talk about HR & People Consulting.
A short conversation is usually enough to tell whether we are the right fit.