SME HR Support

October 2025:

September and October is a great time to reset for many UK SME's. You are back from summer, targets are in sight, and people issues that simmered in July now need decisions. Some HR tasks are easy to handle in-house with a good template and common sense. Others carry legal, financial, or cultural risk thast can snowball if you guess.

This guide, the first on our new 'HR Knowledge Hub', helps you decide what you can DIY with confidence and where bringing in a flexible HR provider is worth it, because at Indie People, the KPI's I set my team are customer satisfaction based, and not sales based, meaning we only recommend to you what you really need.

Free HR Advice:  Where to Start and What it Covers

You can absolutely get free HR advice in the UK. This is provided by ACAS. They offer guidance, templates, and a helpline for both employees and employers. It is a brilliant first step for understanding the law in plain and jargon-free English.

So, can you get free advice from ACAS? Yes. It is especially helpful when you need to check legal basics, process steps and time limits. Free advice does have its limits. ACAS cannot tailor the advice to your exact facts, write your letters, run your investigation, or attend meetings. Their aim is to be neutral, not to protect your business. If you want someone to look at your contracts, assess evidence, draft documentation, or coach your managers for a specific case, that is where Indie People would add considerable value to your business.   

What HR Services include:

Most HR consultancy services cover an assortment of the following:

Contracts & Handbooks

Onboarding & Probation

Sickness & Absence Management.

Performance, Capability & Conduct.

Investigations, Disciplinaries & Grievances

Redundanies, Restructures & TUPE

Mediation & Conflict

Coaching & Development

HR systems & Compliance

If you are wondering what an HR consultancy does day to day, think of it as your practical partner. Your HR consultancy should work for you, your business and your needs - not theirs. If you want a full HR partner, whilst it may cost you more than a base package it is still likely to be considerably cheaper than an in-house hire.  Below are some typical SME scenarios. Use these as a guide to decide when to DIY and when to call for support. Cost ranges assume a flexible, pay as you need model from £100 per hour.

Employee Contracts & Onboarding

DIY if: You have up-tp-date templates, right to work checks in place, basic policies, and a simple role. Set aside 1-2 hours per hire.

Call Indie if: You have atypical terms, IR35 questions, contractors, or share options. Expect 2 to 4 hours for template refresh and set up.

Risk: Low to medium. Mistakes can cause back pay or disputes later.

Employee Contracts & Handbook Refresh

DIY if: You only need minor tweaks and your last review was within 12 months.

Call Indie if: Laws have changed, you have hybrid or flexible working changes, or previous wording is unclear. 3 to 6 hours for review and updates.

Risk: Medium. Poor wording can weaken your position in disputes.

Sickness & Absence Management

DIY if: Absence is short term, you have fit notes and your policy is clear.

Call Indie if: It is long term, involves disability, mental health or capability concerns. 3 to 8 hours for plan, letters and meeting support.

Risk: Medium to High. Equality Act and reasonable adjustments raise complexity.

Performance Management

DIY if: It is early stage, you are giving clear objectives and support, and the person is improving. 2 to 4 hours to plan and track.

Call Indie if: It may lead to dismissal, there are conduct concerns, or you lack evidence. 4 to 10 hours across meetings, letters, and coaching.

Risk: High if poorly documented. Unfair dismissal claims are costly.

Employee Grievances and Workplace Conflict

DIY if: It is a simple complaint you can resolve informally and both parties engage constructively.

Call Indie if: Allegations involve discrimination, bullying, pay disputes, or multiple witnesses. 6 to 15 hours for investigation and outcomes.

Risk: High. Procedural fairness is key, and independent investigation helps.

Disciplinary Investigations

DIY if: Low-level conduct with clear evidence and no history. 

Call Indie if: Gross misconduct, safeguarding, data misuse or external agencies are involved. 8 - 20 hours depending on complexity.

Risk: High. Suspension, evidence handling and fair process matter.

Redundancies & Restructures

DIY if: A single role with clear rationale and no selection pool.

Call Indie if: Multiple roles, selection criteria, collective consultation, or alternatives to redundancy. 6 - 25 hours depending on scale.

Risk: High. Missteps lead to unfair dismissal and protective awards.

TUPE

DIY if: Very small, like-for-like transfer with cooperative parties and clear measures.

Call Indie if: Any doubt about liabilities, measures, consultation, or timelines. 10 to 30 hours depending on headcount and complexity.

Risk: Very high. TUPE liabilities follow you and penalties are severe.

Use these quick checks before you decide:

DIY Ready: You have a current policy and a template for your scenario. You can follow a step by step process with dates and records. There is low legal complexity and low emotion. You can commit time for notes, letters and meetings.

Time to Call Indie People: There are allegations of discrimination or whistleblowing. Dismissal is a possible outcome. More than one person is affected or there is a reorganisation. You need independence for an investigation or hearing. Your managers are inexperienced or stretched.

ACAS vs HR Consultancy:

How to Choose Quickly Use ACAS for legal basics, template understanding and time limits.

Use an HR Consultancy for business specific strategy, letters, meeting scripts, and real-life judgement on risk. Use both if you want to sanity check the legal footing then tailor the plan for your business culture.  

Costs: What to Expect How much does it cost to outsource HR Services? Well, that depends on the consultancy. At Indie People we offer industry leading pricing without compromising on quality. How can we afford to do that? We automate as much of our processes as possible so we can spend more time with you, the client. Our hourly rates start at £100 per hour for our retained clients. We charge £170 per hour for our pay-as-you-go clients which still offer huge value within the HR sector.  Many SME's use around 3 to 10 hours for a contained issue, and more for investigations or restructures. Retained options always include bonuses like free hours.   

Indie People's Flexible Support, Built for SME's.

At Indie People you can start small. Use Indie Inbox for quick questions, sense checks or to review a letter before you send it. Book ad-hoc hours for tricky situations or an investigation plan. Our Value Retainer offers exceptional value you simply will not find anywhere else.  If you want to fix the foundations, we can review policies, contracts and handbooks so that the next issues is easier and faster to manage. If you prefer to invest in skills, our practical learning focuses on real situations, like giving feedback that lands, running a fair investigation, or leading change. You can explore options like HR training or Performance Coaching, if upskilling managers will reduce issues at source.