Retained HR Support That Gets to Know Your Business
When you’re responsible for running a business, people questions rarely arrive at a convenient time. A manager needs advice. An employee’s absence is becoming a concern. You’re planning a change but want to understand the implications before you act.
Having somebody experienced to turn to can make those decisions easier.
Pure’s retained HR services give you regular support from an experienced consultant who gets to know your business, your people and the way you work. You can ask questions, talk through your options and get help putting the right steps in place.
Choose the monthly hours you need, with support starting from £127.50 + VAT per month for one hour.
Could Retained HR Support Be Right for You?
Retained support can be a practical next step when HR has become a regular part of your workload, but you don’t need to employ a full-time HR professional.
- ✓ You want pragmatic yet legally compliant advice before making decisions about employees.
- ✓ Your business is growing and you need stronger HR processes.
- ✓ You or another manager handle HR alongside an already busy role.
- ✓ You have an internal HR administrator who would benefit from senior support.
- ✓ You want help addressing recurring people issues and planning ahead.
You don’t need to know exactly how many hours to buy before you contact us. Tell us what’s happening in your business, and we’ll help you assess the support you’re likely to need.
An HR Relationship You Can Build On
Good HR advice starts with understanding the business behind the question and a collaborative approach to working together.
With retained support, your consultant gets to know your priorities and how your organisation operates. That context helps us give you relevant advice as situations develop, whether you’re handling an individual employee concern or thinking about a wider organisational change.
Our role is to explain the options, help you understand the risks and support you with the agreed work. You remain in control of decisions about your business and your employees.
What Can You Use Your Retained HR Hours For?
Your hours can support everyday people management and more involved HR work. We agree the priorities with you, taking account of your needs and the time available.
Advice when you need to make a decision
Talk through questions about absence, probation, performance or employee relations before taking action. We help you understand what to consider and how to approach the situation which has become even more important with the recent and imminent employment changes.
Help with difficult employee situations
Get support with disciplinary and grievance matters, workplace investigations and settlement agreements. We can help you plan a suitable process and prepare the relevant documentation.
Contracts and HR documentation
Use our expertise to review or improve your employee documentation. Clear contracts, policies and procedures give your managers a firmer foundation for handling people matters consistently.
A stronger workplace
Explore employee engagement, retention, reward and benefits. We can help you identify practical improvements and plan the people priorities that support your business.
If you need a larger project, such as a restructure or substantial documentation work, we’ll discuss the best way to manage this to get you to the required outcome.
How Your Retained HR Package Works
Start with a review
An initial free two-hour audit reviews your existing HR provision and documents. This gives us a starting point for discussing what’s working and where support would be useful.
Choose your monthly hours
We help you consider your likely workload, then you select the hours you wish to purchase each month. A small package may suit occasional advice; more involved work needs more time.
Use the time for the work you need
Time is measured in 15-minute intervals. Advice, document work and meetings use your purchased hours. Your package buys an agreed amount of consultant time, rather than unlimited support.
Keep track of your balance
You receive a monthly timesheet showing your hours balance. Unused time can roll over for up to six months from the month it was purchased. Additional time beyond your agreed hours is charged at £150 + VAT per hour.
Your hours can be used remotely, face to face or on site. Mileage is charged under our terms of business, with travel time also charged for on-site meetings more than 10 miles away.
The minimum commitment is 12 months, followed by a three-month notice period.
Retained HR Service Prices
Retained hours cost £127.50 + VAT each. Choose the number you need each month.
| Hours per month | Monthly price excluding VAT |
|---|---|
| 1 | £127.50 |
| 2 | £255.00 |
| 3 | £382.50 |
| 4 | £510.00 |
| 5 | £637.50 |
| 6 | £765.00 |
| 7 or more | £127.50 per hour purchased |
For example, seven hours cost £892.50 + VAT per month. We’ll help you choose an appropriate starting package based on the work you want covered.
Additional Benefits for Retained Clients
- ✓ Free access to our HR document library, including template letters.
- ✓ 20% off eligible training courses.
- ✓ Free eligible training places, depending on your package.
- ✓ A preferential price for setting up new HR documentation where required.
Training benefits exclude Supervising Mental Health First Aid, First Aid at Work, IOSH Working Safely and our development programmes. Ask us about the entitlement and booking conditions for your package.
New HR documentation is a separately priced service. Our published retained-client set-up price is £1,200 + VAT, compared with £1,390 + VAT for Pay As You Go clients. We’ll confirm the documents covered before you proceed.
Which Package Should You Choose?
Start with the work you want help with, rather than your employee numbers alone. A smaller team with a complex employee issue may need more support than a larger team with established processes.
Think about how often you need advice, who currently handles HR and whether you want help delivering work as well as talking through decisions. We can help you estimate the time needed and identify any work that would be better scoped as a project.
If you have only occasional questions and don’t want an ongoing commitment, our Pay As You Go HR service may suit you better.
Why Choose Pure Human Resources?
Experienced people who understand the pressures
Our HR team brings more than 75 years’ combined experience and substantial industry experience before moving into consultancy. We understand that people decisions have practical and commercial consequences.
Advice that helps you move forward
We explain what your options mean for your business, so you can decide how to proceed. You get clear guidance and support with the next steps.
Support alongside your existing team
You can use Pure as your external HR resource or work with us alongside an internal HR colleague. We agree who handles which responsibilities so the support fits the way your organisation works.
Based near Southampton, we support businesses across Hampshire, the South and South East, as well as organisations nationally.
What Our Clients Say
“Pure HR provide us with an outsourced HR function which covers everything from basic HR administration to complex restructures.”
HR Retained Services Client, Financial Services Industry
Questions About Retained HR Support
Is one hour a month enough?
It can be a starting point for a business needing limited advice. Investigations, document preparation and more involved cases take longer. We’ll help you assess your requirements before choosing a package.
Are new contracts and handbooks included?
The initial audit reviews your existing documents. Creating or updating documentation requires consultant time or a separately agreed quotation. Access to the template library is an additional retained-client benefit.
Can you work with the person who handles HR internally?
Yes. You may want your colleague to keep managing day-to-day administration while Pure provides advice on more complex situations. We’ll discuss the responsibilities and contact arrangements with you.
What if I have an urgent issue when I enquire?
Tell us about the situation and any deadlines when you contact us. We’ll discuss the support needed and our availability, rather than waiting until every other part of your HR is organised.
Find the Right Level of HR Support for Your Business
Tell us what you need help with, who currently manages HR and how often people issues arise. We’ll talk through the options and help you decide whether retained support is the right fit.
Call 01794 329470, email info@purehumanresources.co.uk or complete our enquiry form.
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Pure Human Resources are a team of experienced HR consultants based in North Baddesley, Southampton. We offer HR, recruitment and training services across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and Sussex as well as having clients at a national level.
