Built for ambitious SMEs putting HR foundations in place.

If you are scaling, you have just acquired a business, or your HR has grown up in a series of Word documents and email threads, the Foundation Programme is for you. Six months. Four phases. One fixed monthly fee. No surprises.

Post-acquisition businesses

You just bought a business and the HR you inherited is a Word document from 2018. We rebuild it properly, and make sure the people stay through transition.

Trades and construction

Plumbers, electricians, builders, fit-out firms. Mixed direct-employed and sub-contractor workforces. Vehicle policies, lone working, on-site health and safety templates, built in.

Scaling SMEs

Hit 10 or 15 employees and realised the HR is held together with goodwill. We give you a platform that survives the next 30 hires.

What we build in six months.

Each phase ends with a defined set of outputs and a sign-off before we move on. No phase-creep. No surprise extras.

PHASE 1  ·  MONTH 1

Audit, compliance & foundations

Right-to-Work checks for every employee, full audit of existing contracts and policies, gap analysis against the Employment Rights Act 2025, and a discovery session on what kind of employer you actually want to be. You finish Month 1 with a written risk register and an agreed roadmap.

PHASE 2  ·  MONTHS 2 to 3

Contracts, handbook & policies

New contracts of employment tailored to every role. Full handbook rewrite aligned to the Employment Rights Act 2025. The core policy suite: disciplinary, grievance, absence, holiday, family leave, equality, data protection, vehicle use, lone working. Issued and signed.

PHASE 3  ·  MONTHS 3 to 4

HR system implementation

Breathe HR (or alternative HRIS) configured, branded, and loaded with every employee record, contract and policy. Digital onboarding and offboarding workflows. Holiday and absence routing. Health and safety module set up for trades and construction clients. Training delivered for you and your managers.

PHASE 4  ·  MONTHS 5 to 6

Manager toolkit & handover

Probation framework, light-touch performance reviews, recruitment toolkit (job adverts, interview scripts, scoring sheets, offer letters), and a manager guidance pack for absence, conduct and capability conversations. Closing review and recommendations for ongoing support.

Investment. Fixed-fee, monthly invoicing.

No day rates. No phase-creep. One monthly invoice for six months. Cash flow stays predictable.

FROM

£449/month

For 6 months. £2,694 total programme fee (excluding VAT). HRIS subscription paid separately.

Book a free consultation

Common questions.

Foundation FAQ

Three months is enough to write contracts and a handbook. Six months is what it takes to also implement an HRIS, train your managers, and let new processes bed in. You can fix paperwork in three months. You cannot change how a business is run in three. Six is honest.
No. The Foundation fee is £449/month for our work. Breathe HR (the platform we usually recommend) is a separate subscription, typically £44/month for the Core plan, plus £18/month for the Health and Safety add-on, plus a training platform at around £50/month if you need certification tracking. All paid directly by you. All under £120/month total.
Live employee relations matters are outside the programme scope. If something flares up while we are working on the foundations, we will handle it on a separate fixed-fee or hourly basis (£97/hr + VAT, billed in 15-minute blocks). Flagged in advance so you are never surprised.
Most Foundation Programme clients move onto our Retained HR support: a monthly retainer with included hours and Breathe HR access bundled in. Pricing for the retainer is agreed at the end of Month 6 based on your actual usage and any growth. Some clients carry on with us long-term. Others move into self-management with ad-hoc support. No lock-in.
Probably not. You would be paying us to redo things that are already done. If your contracts are recent, signed, compliant with the Employment Rights Act 2025, and reflect how you actually work, you do not need the Foundation Programme. You might want a one-off HR compliance audit (from £495) to confirm.

Ready to get the foundations right?

Book a free 15-minute call. We will walk through your business, agree the scope, and quote a fixed fee on the call.

Book your free call