Small Business HR Services

HR support for small businesses means having access to professional human resources expertise without employing a full-time HR manager. As an SME owner, you may not need HR help every day, but when you do, the stakes are high.

Outsourced HR for small businesses covers every aspect of the employer-employee relationship: contracts of employment, HR policies and procedures, day-to-day staff management, disciplinaries and grievances, absence management, redundancies, and compliance with UK employment law.

For small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, outsourcing HR is almost always more cost-effective than hiring in-house. It also gives you access to a team of specialists rather than a single generalist, and means you are never without cover when an issue arises.

Yes. Any business that employs people has legal obligations under UK employment law, regardless of size.

These include providing written contracts of employment, following fair disciplinary and grievance procedures, managing absence correctly, and ensuring equality in the workplace. Getting any of these wrong can result in employment tribunal claims. HR support helps you meet those obligations without needing to become an expert yourself.

Our pay-as-you-go rate is £140 per hour plus VAT, with no minimum commitment. For businesses wanting ongoing support, our 12-month Premium package offers a discounted hourly rate on a minimum of 12 hours per year. Our Professional fixed-price package is tailored for businesses with 30 or more employees. Contact us and we will give you a clear, honest quote based on your situation.

Yes. You do not need to sign up for an ongoing package to use Centric HR. Many of our clients come to us initially with a single urgent issue, a disciplinary situation, a redundancy, or a tribunal claim, and we help them resolve it. If they find our support valuable, they often move to a retained package, but there is no pressure to do so.

The legal framework is the same regardless of business size. What differs is the commercial context. Small businesses have less resource, less margin for error, and fewer people to share the burden of HR administration. Our HR services for small businesses are designed around that reality, practical, proportionate, and affordable.

Yes. We work with new businesses regularly, helping them get the right contracts, policies, and compliance foundations in place from the start. Getting HR right from day one is far less expensive than fixing problems later.

Yes. Centric HR supports small business owners who are facing tribunal claims, including advising on the response, gathering evidence, and working alongside employment solicitors where needed. If you have received a claim, contact us as soon as possible.

Affordable HR support can save you time and money by handling tasks like payroll, recruitment, and compliance, allowing you to concentrate on your core business activities. It also ensures you stay compliant with labour laws, reducing the risk of costly legal issues down the line.

Absolutely! One of the key advantages of our affordable HR support is its flexibility. You can easily scale the services up or down based on your current needs. Whether you’re hiring more staff or implementing new policies, affordable HR support can adapt to your business’s changing requirements.

Managing short-term sickness starts with having a clear absence policy that sets out how employees should report sickness, what happens during their absence, and what the return-to-work process looks like. Return-to-work interviews are one of the most effective tools for reducing repeat short-term absence. They do not need to be formal or confrontational; a brief, supportive conversation when someone returns helps identify any underlying issues and signals that absence is being monitored.

For patterns of repeated short-term absence, a Bradford Factor trigger system can help you identify when a formal process is needed. Centric HR helps small businesses put all of this in place and manages cases where absence has escalated.

An HR retainer is a monthly arrangement that gives your business ongoing access to HR support at a fixed or bundle-based cost. Rather than paying an hourly rate each time you need help, you pay a regular amount and your HR consultant is available when issues arise.

Centric HR offers three options: pay-as-you-go support at £140 per hour plus VAT, a Premium Bundle for businesses with 1 to 30 employees based on a minimum of 12 hours per year at a discounted rate, and a bespoke Professional Fixed Price package for businesses with 30 or more employees. All retainer packages include employment law updates and a named HR consultant.

The process for ending someone’s employment depends on the reason. For dismissal on capability, conduct, or redundancy grounds, UK employment law requires a fair process to be followed. This includes giving the employee the opportunity to respond, conducting a proper investigation where relevant, holding a formal meeting, and offering a right of appeal.

Dismissal without following the correct procedure can lead to an unfair dismissal claim, even if the underlying reason was valid. The length of service, the reason for dismissal, and the procedure followed all affect the legal risk. Centric HR advises on and manages dismissal processes for small businesses regularly, and can help you handle a specific situation or put a policy in place to follow when issues arise.

A settlement agreement is a legally binding contract between an employer and an employee that ends the employment relationship. In exchange for a financial payment, the employee agrees not to bring certain claims against the employer. Settlement agreements are typically used to resolve a dispute, exit a senior employee, or bring a difficult situation to a clean conclusion. They must be in writing, the employee must receive independent legal advice, and the agreement must meet specific legal requirements to be valid.

Centric HR can advise on whether a settlement agreement is appropriate for your situation and support you through the process.

Yes. UK employment law applies from your first hire, regardless of the size of your team. As an employer, you are legally required to provide a written statement of employment particulars from day one. Beyond that, having a disciplinary policy, a grievance procedure, and a health and safety policy is not just good practice; it protects you if an employee ever challenges a decision you have made. Without documented policies and procedures, it is very difficult to defend a disciplinary outcome or dismissal at an employment tribunal.

Centric HR offers affordable document packs for small businesses, including an employment contract and core policies from £19.99.

Yes, and it is often the most cost-effective option for a new business. Hiring an in-house HR manager is rarely justified until a business has 50 or more employees. Outsourced HR gives start-ups access to CIPD-qualified professionals on a pay-as-you-go or retainer basis, so you get expert advice on contracts, policies, and employment law without the overhead of a full-time salary.

Centric HR works with businesses from their very first hire, helping founders get the right foundations in place so that early employment decisions do not create legal risk further down the line.

Yes, HR outsourcing is particularly well-suited to small and growing businesses.

Small businesses often don’t need a full-time HR manager but still need expert support with employment law, contracts, disciplinaries, and day-to-day HR queries. Outsourcing gives small businesses access to experienced HR professionals without the cost, risk, and commitment of hiring in-house staff.

It’s also scalable, so your HR support can grow as your business grows.

Learn more about our HR for small businesses package.