Do You Actually Need an HR Consultant? (Honest Answer for Founders and MDs)

Most founders don't think they need an HR consultant. They've managed fine so far. They've handled the odd difficult conversation, written a few contracts from a template they found online, and dealt with the one redundancy that went awkwardly two years ago.

Then something goes wrong. And the question shifts from "do I need HR support?" to "how much is this going to cost me?"

This post is for founders and MDs who want an honest answer before they reach that point.

The real question isn't "do I need HR?" — it's "what's the cost of not having it?"

Employment Tribunal claims average over £8,000 to defend for a small employer — and that's before any compensation is paid. Unfair dismissal awards can run to tens of thousands. A constructive dismissal claim on the back of a badly handled grievance process? Higher still.

None of those scenarios are unusual. They happen to small businesses every week — usually because a manager made a well-intentioned decision without understanding the process, or because contracts and policies were never properly set up in the first place.

Signs you've outgrown DIY HR

You have more than five employees and no written HR policies.

You've had a disciplinary or grievance situation and weren't sure of the correct process.

You're about to hire your first manager and haven't thought about what that means structurally.

You've had someone off long-term sick and don't know when or how you can take action.

You're planning a restructure or redundancy and you're not sure of the legal steps.

Any one of those is a liability. Several of them together is a significant risk.

What good HR support actually looks like for a small business

It doesn't mean a full-time HR director at £70,000 a year. It means having someone senior enough to know what they're doing, available when you need them, without the overhead of a permanent hire.

That might be an HR retainer — a fixed monthly fee that gives you access to advice, document reviews, and support on live issues. It might be a fractional Head of People arrangement where an experienced HR professional works with your business part-time on a regular basis. It might be a one-off strategic review that gives you a clear picture of where your risks are and what to prioritise.

The right option depends on your size, your sector, and what's keeping you up at night.

What it costs

Fractional HR support for a small business typically starts from a few hundred pounds a month. At King HR Advisory, our entry-level HR on Call™ product starts at £295 per month — giving you direct access to senior HR advice without a long-term commitment.

That's not a recruitment cost. It's not a legal bill. It's a decision to run your business properly.