HR Support for Small Businesses
Running a small business means wearing lots of hats, and the people one is often the heaviest. Staff issues land without warning, employment law is constantly evolving, and there’s rarely an HR person down the hall to ask. When something goes wrong with a member of staff, the pressure falls on you.
Getting it wrong is expensive. A mishandled disciplinary, an unsigned contract or a poorly managed exit can lead to a tribunal claim that costs thousands and drags on for months, if not years. The good news is, you don’t have to carry that risk alone. We give businesses practical, expert HR support so they can focus on their core business.
Expert HR support, on your side, whenever you need it.
What HR support actually covers
HR support is broader than most business owners expect. It is everything that keeps your team running smoothly and your business protected, from before the day someone joins to the day they leave. Here is where we help most:
Day-to-day HR advice and employee relations
Most people problems start small and grow when they are left unmanaged. A throwaway comment, a clash between two team members, a question about holiday or pay you are not quite sure how to answer. With a dedicated, named HR advisor on call, you get a fast, clear answer the moment something comes up, so a minor niggle does not turn into a major dispute, and you never have to guess your way through a decision that could cost you later.
Disciplinary and grievance support
Handled badly, a disciplinary or grievance is one of the quickest routes to a costly claim. We can guide you through the process step by step, so you know exactly what to do, what to say and what to record at every stage, or we can manage the process for you. You choose, and either way you stay on the right side of the law.
Absence and sickness management
Persistent absence quietly drains a small team and is one of the trickiest things to tackle fairly. Push too hard and you risk a claim, but do nothing and the rest of the team picks up the slack, and the resentment starts to kick in. We help you manage it fairly and lawfully, with proper return-to-work conversations and clear records, so you can support real cases while addressing the ones that are holding you back.
Performance management
A single underperformer can pull down a whole team, and the rest of your staff notice when it is not dealt with. But managing it the wrong way, without a fair, legally compliant process, invites a claim. We help you set clear expectations, have honest conversations and document everything properly, so performance either improves or the exit is clean and defensible.
Employment contracts and documentation
An out-of-date or missing contract is one of the most common ways small businesses end up exposed. We draft clear, legally sound employment contracts and handbooks that are aligned to your culture and protect you and the business, by setting expectations from day one.
HR policies and staff handbooks
Without clear policies, every decision becomes a judgement call you may have to defend later, and different managers end up handling the same situation in different ways. We give you customised, clear, compliant policies and a staff handbook your managers can actually follow, so the whole team knows where they stand and you are not reinventing the rules every time something happens.
Redundancy and TUPE guidance
Restructures and business transfers are high-risk moments where the rules are strict and the cost of a mistake is high. Our redundancy and TUPE support keeps you compliant and protected through what are often emotionally charged processes.
Onboarding and offboarding
How someone joins and how they leave both carry real risk, from right to work checks to final departure. We help you get both right. If you are unsure where your gaps are, an HR audit is a good place to start.
Multi-award-winning HR practice
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Helping UK businesses since 2007
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Real, named HR advisors, not AI
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No long contracts
Who we help
We support small and growing businesses across the UK. Whatever stage you are at, there is a good chance you will recognise yourself below.
Owner-managed small businesses
If you employ fewer than ten people, you have probably faced a moment where you simply did not know what you were allowed to do. Our affordable, accessible HR support for small companies helps you clarify what to do, whether it is running a disciplinary hearing or answering a compliance query.
Growing businesses
Scaling past ten staff quickly exposes the gaps in your processes. We bring the structure and protection a growing business needs, before a small problem becomes an expensive one.
Operations and office managers
If people issues have landed on your desk and HR is not your background, you need someone skilled and experienced to escalate matters to. We are that backup. We make you look good in front of your boss, while taking the worry off your shoulders.
Trades and service businesses
You want a straight answer you can act on today. We talk your language, so a problem employee or a tricky conversation never holds up the work.
How our HR support works
We start by understanding your business, then build the support around it. You will get your own dedicated, named HR advisor who gets to know you and your team, for a truly personalised service.
There are three main ways to work with us:
Ad hoc support
Pay as you go. Pick up the phone when you need us and only pay for the time you use.
The HR Club
Membership gives you an agreed amount of support time each month, yours to use as your business needs.
Do not need it all? Bank it. Need to borrow time against your future membership? No problem.
With a named HR advisor, bi-weekly HR surgeries and an HR system, support starts at just £99 per month.
Fixed fee or project work
Based on your needs and a clear statement of work, your HR support can be delivered on a fixed fee or project basis.
We work with businesses across the UK, in person and remotely, whichever suits you. And because we are not tied to an insurer, our advice is always in your interest, not written to protect a policy.
Your HR advisor is on call to handle any issue, whether it is a quick call to confirm you are handling something correctly or writing your contracts and handbook from scratch. As you grow, your support can grow with you, so you are never paying for more than you need or scrambling for help you do not have.
Why Choose DOHR?
Plenty of businesses end up with an HR helpline bundled into an insurance policy and assume that is the same thing as having HR support. It rarely is. The advice is cautious, generic and written to protect the insurer first, which is not always the same as what is right for your business. We’re a different proposition.
As a multi-award-winning HR practice, we’ve been helping business owners manage their people since 2007. Our advice is business-focused, not insurance-led, so it’s always built around what’s right for you. You get an HR Advisor who takes the time to understand your business and we stay on top of UK employment law, including the changes coming through the Employment Rights Act and case law so you don’t have to.
“Everything you need in a HR management service without any of the fluff! Keeping HR straight forward. Donna has great integrity as well as being really lovely to deal with.”
Christine Nicholson
Frequently asked questions
Any business, regardless of size, can benefit from HR Support. From small and growing businesses to large scale enterprises.
No. We do not lock you into lengthy contracts. The HR Club asks for an initial 12 month commitment, but after that you can give a months notice at any time. Our other options are built around the work you have asked us to do.
Quickly. Once you send your details, a member of the team will be in touch to prepare your personalised quote. If you would rather talk straight away, give us a call.
Always. You get real, experienced HR advisors – never a chatbot or an automated helpline. In most cases your call is answered by a member of the team.
HR support that has your back
Whatever is happening with your team, you don’t have to deal with it alone. Tell us what you need and we’ll come back with clear, practical advice and a personalised quote, with no obligation.
Just getting started, or only need us now and then? The HR Club gives you expert HR support from £99 a month.