Employee relations
Calm, compliant handling of the people issues that keep managers up at night.
- Disciplinaries and grievances
- Sickness absence and return to work
- Investigations and hearing support
- Probation reviews
Practical HR support for growing businesses.
From a single tricky letter to a full restructure, Progressive HR gives you experienced, hands-on HR help without the cost of an in-house team. I also support UK businesses with teams in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
HR helpdesk from £149 a monthReady-to-use letters and advice, usually the same working day
Fixed prices for projectsPolicies, contracts, redundancy and benchmarking, quoted up front
AI-enabled, human-checkedFaster drafting, with every document reviewed by a CIPD-qualified HR Manager
UK employment law, done properlyACAS-compliant processes that protect your business and treat people fairly
Services
Everything a small or growing business needs from HR, delivered by one experienced consultant who gets to know your business.
Restructure and redundancy
Fair, legally sound restructures that minimise disruption and protect your reputation.
- Planning and selection criteria
- Consultation process and scripts
- Line manager coaching
- All letters and documentation
Policies and handbooks
Modern, compliant policies that reflect your culture, not a generic template.
- Essential policy pack for growing teams
- Modern, readable employee handbooks
- Bespoke policy suites
- Digital people hub (Notion or Google Sites) as an alternative to a PDF
Contracts of employment
Clear contracts that protect the business and meet day-one legal requirements.
- Employment contracts and written statements
- Contract changes and variations
- Consultant and fixed-term agreements
- Contract reviews and audits
Performance management
Clear expectations and structured support so your people can do their best work.
- Performance and appraisal frameworks
- Performance improvement plans
- Capability processes
- Manager training on feedback
Recruitment and onboarding
Hire the right people and get them productive quickly.
- Job descriptions and adverts
- Interview frameworks and scorecards
- Offer letters and right to work checks
- Onboarding and induction plans
Salary benchmarking and reward
Pay that's fair, competitive and easy to explain.
- Market benchmarking by role
- Pay bands and frameworks
- Pay review support
- Employee benefits review
- Interactive pay calculator built for your roles
HR systems and admin
Get organised with the right tools and processes for your size.
- HRIS and ATS selection and setup
- HR document and file structure
- Starters, leavers and changes processes
- HR admin support
Fractional HR
A senior HR partner for a set number of days a month, without the cost of a full-time hire.
- Ongoing advice to owners and managers
- HR strategy and people planning
- Leadership and manager support
- Board and investor reporting on people
International teams
Support for UK businesses with people in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
- Global policies that work across countries
- Hiring and onboarding overseas employees
- Employer of record (EOR) guidance
- Coordinating with local employment specialists
Workplace investigations
Fair, thorough and well documented investigations that stand up to scrutiny.
- Independent investigation of grievances and misconduct
- Interviews, evidence gathering and clear findings
- Written investigation reports
- Guidance on next steps and outcomes
HR health check
A clear view of where your HR stands and what to fix first.
- Review of contracts, policies and records
- Compliance gaps and risks identified
- Prioritised action plan
- Practical, plain-English recommendations
Why work with Progressive HR
You work directly with an experienced HR professional, not a call centre or a junior adviser reading from a script.
Practical, not theoretical
Advice you can act on today, written in plain English, with the documents ready to go.
Fixed, transparent pricing
Monthly plans or fixed project prices, agreed before any work starts. No surprise invoices.
Fast turnaround
Routine letters and advice are usually back the same working day, using our UK template library and AI-assisted drafting, always checked by a person.
Protects the business and treats people fairly
Processes that follow the ACAS Code and current UK employment law, handled with care.
AI-enabled HR, checked by a human
I use AI as part of my day-to-day HR work to make it faster and more affordable. A CIPD-qualified person still checks everything before it reaches you.
Faster, so it costs less
AI helps draft letters, contracts and policies from our own UK templates, so routine work is usually back the same working day.
Checked by me, every time
Every document is reviewed by Richard against the ACAS Code and current UK employment law before you see it.
People decisions stay human
AI never decides anything about your people. It helps prepare the paperwork, and you and I make the calls.
Using AI safely in your own HR
Want your managers to use AI sensibly? I can help you set simple guidelines, at the ad hoc rate of £85 an hour.
Sensitive cases handled personally
Health issues, pregnancy, complaints and legal threats are flagged and handled by me directly. If you need an employment solicitor, I will say so.
Your information handled with care
What you send me is used only to deliver your work, as set out in our privacy notice.
Pricing
Choose ongoing support, pay as you go, or a fixed-price project. All prices exclude VAT where applicable.
Ongoing support
Monthly plans with no long contracts. Cancel with 30 days' notice.
HR Helpdesk Essentials
£149 /month
For businesses with up to 15 staff.
- Up to 5 requests a month
- HR letters, documents and email advice, usually same working day
- Probation, disciplinary, absence, grievance, flexible working and more
Most popular
HR Helpdesk Plus
£295 /month
For businesses with up to 50 staff.
- Everything in Essentials
- Up to 15 requests a month
- Phone and video calls with Richard
- 2 hours of consultancy time each month
- Annual policy and handbook check
Fractional HR
From £1,250 /month
A senior HR partner, from 2 days a month.
- Everything in Plus
- Hands-on project and casework support
- HR strategy and people planning
- On site or remote
A request is one HR issue, such as a disciplinary invitation and its outcome letter. Unused requests don't roll over.
Pay as you go
Expert help with no ongoing commitment.
Ad hoc support
£85 /hour
Ideal for one-off questions, a document review or a quick second opinion.
Day rate
£600 /day
£300 for a half day. For hands-on work, investigations, hearings or workshops.
Fixed-price projects
Agreed up front. Final price depends on the size and complexity of your business.
| Project | What's included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Employment contract | A tailored contract or written statement for one roleAdditional roles from £75 each | From £150 |
| Essential policy pack | 10 core policies: disciplinary, grievance, absence, holiday, flexible and hybrid working, equality and anti-harassment, data protection, whistleblowing, family leave and a health and safety statement, lightly tailored to your business | From £750 |
| Employee handbook | A modern, readable handbook bringing your policies, culture and ways of working together, as a PDF or digital people hub | From £950 |
| HR starter pack | Employment contract template, Essential policy pack, offer letter and onboarding checklist | From £1,200 |
| Bespoke policy suite | Up to 50 fully bespoke policies tailored to your culture and industry, with an optional handbook or digital people hub | From £2,500 |
| Restructure and redundancy | Planning, consultation process, scripts, manager coaching and all documentation | From £700 |
| Workplace investigation | Independent investigation, interviews and written report with findings | From £900 |
| Salary benchmarking | Market benchmarking for up to 10 roles with recommendations and pay bands | From £950 |
| Benchmarking plus pay calculator | Market benchmarking plus a simple interactive calculator for your roles, so managers can see pay ranges and make consistent offers | From £1,450 |
| HR system setup | Selection, configuration and data migration for an HRIS or ATS | From £1,200 |
| HR health check | Review of contracts, policies and processes with a prioritised action plan | From £600 |
What clients say
A few words from businesses Richard has supported.
"Richard supported us through a difficult restructure involving 14 redundancies. He handled every stage with professionalism, ensuring compliance while guiding our managers through the consultation process."
"Richard developed bespoke, progressive HR policies tailored to our company culture. They weren't just legally compliant but also modern and engaging for employees."
"Richard carried out salary benchmarking for our sales, delivery, design and engineering teams. The result was a structured, transparent pay framework that has improved retention and employee satisfaction."
About Richard
Progressive HR was founded by Richard Stuart, an experienced, CIPD-qualified HR Manager and consultant. Richard has led HR across policies, employee relations, recruitment, payroll and benefits for businesses with teams in the UK and internationally, including the UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand, and I support teams in Australia.
He set up Progressive HR to give smaller businesses the same quality of HR support that larger organisations take for granted: practical, fair and properly compliant, without unnecessary complexity or cost.
Richard is a keen user of AI in HR, using it to make routine work faster and more affordable, always with a human check.
As a one-person consultancy, you always deal directly with Richard.
Experience includes
- Restructures and redundancy programmes
- Employee relations casework and investigations
- Policy and handbook development
- HRIS and ATS implementation
- Salary benchmarking and pay frameworks
- International HR across the UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand
FAQs
Which plan is right for my business?
If you mainly need letters and quick advice, HR Helpdesk Essentials or Plus will cover you. If you have ongoing projects or want a senior HR partner involved in decisions, Fractional HR is the better fit. Book a free call and we'll work it out together.
Do I have to sign up for a long contract?
No. Monthly plans can be cancelled with 30 days' notice, and pay as you go work has no commitment at all.
How quickly will I get help?
Routine helpdesk requests are usually returned the same working day. Urgent issues on Plus and Fractional plans can be discussed by phone.
Is this legal advice?
No. Progressive HR provides HR guidance and documents. Where a situation carries significant legal risk, we'll tell you and can recommend speaking to an employment solicitor.
How do you use AI?
For helpdesk requests, AI helps draft documents quickly from our own UK templates. Every document is reviewed by Richard before it's sent to you, no decisions about people are made automatically, and your information is handled as set out in our privacy notice.
Do you support teams outside the UK?
Yes. I support UK-based businesses with employees in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, covering global policies, hiring and day-to-day people issues. Where local employment law advice is needed, I work alongside trusted local specialists.
Get in touch
Tell us a little about your business and what you need. We'll reply within one working day to arrange a free 20-minute call.
Or email richard@progressivehr.co.uk