HR consultant for small business in London and across the UK

Who this is for

Progressive HR is built for small and growing businesses that have reached the point where people issues take up real time, but where a full-time HR hire is not yet the right answer. That usually means owner-managed companies, start-ups that have recently grown their teams, and established firms whose HR has outgrown a folder of old templates. You might be based in London, elsewhere in the UK, or running a UK business with a few people overseas. Either way, you get one named HR consultant who learns your business and stays involved.

Common situations I help with

• A manager wants to start a disciplinary process and is not sure what to do first
• An employee has raised a grievance, or has been off sick for several weeks
• You are hiring your first employees and need compliant contracts and a simple onboarding process
• Your policies and handbook are out of date, or do not exist yet
• You are planning a restructure or redundancies
• You want a clearer view of pay, and a pay review process that managers can explain
• You simply want a sensible second opinion before making a people decision

How Progressive HR helps

Think of me as your outsourced HR department, scaled to your size. I can handle one-off tasks, such as a letter or a contract, or provide regular support through a monthly plan. Everything is written in plain English, follows the ACAS Code of Practice and current UK employment law, and comes with clear next steps so your managers know what to do.

I use AI to draft routine documents quickly from our own UK templates, which keeps costs down. Every document is reviewed by me before it reaches you, and no decisions about people are made automatically.

How it works

1. Book a free 20-minute call. Tell me what is happening and what you need.
2. I recommend the simplest option, whether that is a monthly plan, a fixed-price project or pay as you go, and confirm the price before any work starts.
3. I do the work and keep you informed, with ready-to-use documents and plain-English advice.
4. We review how it went and agree whether ongoing support would help.

Pricing

HR Helpdesk Essentials is £149 a month for up to 15 staff and up to 5 requests a month. HR Helpdesk Plus is £295 a month for up to 50 staff and up to 15 requests, and adds phone and video calls, 2 hours of consultancy time each month and an annual policy and handbook check. A request is one HR issue, such as a disciplinary invitation and its outcome letter. Unused requests do not roll over.

If you prefer to pay as you go, ad hoc advice is £85 an hour, or £600 a day. An HR health check, which gives you a prioritised view of where your HR stands, is from £600. Monthly plans have no long contracts and can be cancelled with 30 days' notice.

Why work with Richard

I am a CIPD-qualified HR Manager who has led HR across policies, employee relations, recruitment, payroll and benefits, with teams in the UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand. You deal directly with me, never a call centre or a junior adviser. I will tell you when something is simple and when it carries real legal risk, in which case I will recommend you speak to an employment solicitor. Progressive HR provides HR guidance, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions