Which Of These 3 Ways Do You Handle HR In Your Business?
There are three types of small business owners when it comes to managing HR. I can pretty much guarantee you fall into one of these categories.
Number one: You're a Googler. You spend hours searching for HR answers online, downloading template letters, or asking ChatGPT to write disciplinary warnings for you.
Number two: You're an Ostrich. You're burying your head in the sand, hoping that tricky employee situation will somehow just... go away.
Number three: You're the Super-Proactive One. You've decided to be strategic about this and hired an in-house HR person.
Here's the thing: all three of these approaches have absolute merit. They make complete sense. Until they go spectacularly wrong.
When Being a Googler Goes Wrong
Let's talk about the Googlers first. You've discovered ChatGPT and you're delighted—finally, someone (something?) that can help you write those awkward HR letters quickly.
Except here's what I've seen happen: you don't realise the template you've been given is based on US legislation. Or it's completely out of date. Or it's technically correct but entirely wrong for your specific situation.
And suddenly you're in whole heaps of trouble you didn't even know existed.
I've genuinely seen this happen. Business owners who thought they were being clever and efficient, only to find themselves facing claims they could have avoided with proper guidance.
When Being an Ostrich Backfires
Then there's the Ostrich approach. You know something needs addressing, but it feels complicated or uncomfortable, so you just... don't deal with it.
You might ignore a performance issue for months. You might put off updating that contract. You might hope that personality clash will resolve itself.
Until it doesn't.
Until that thing you buried comes back and seriously bites you on the bum. Often years later, when it's significantly more expensive and stressful to sort out.
When Hiring In-House Doesn't Work
And what about the Super-Proactive business owners? You've done what you think is the right thing. You've invested in professional HR support by hiring someone in-house.
You might have spent £50,000 on a senior HR person. They come in, they're brilliant, they implement all the systems and processes you needed.
And then... six months later... all the cool strategic stuff is done.
Now you've got a really overpaid administrator in your business. Someone who's essentially managing your filing system and sending out right-to-work checks for fifty grand a year.
There Is Another Way
All of these scenarios are very real and very valid. I see them happen all the time with growing businesses. But here's what I want you to know: it doesn't have to be this way.
There is another solution, and it sits right in the middle of these three approaches.
What Fractional HR Actually Gives You
As an HR consultancy, we work as a team. That means you can access different levels of support depending on what you actually need:
Strategic support when you need it: Planning a restructure? Thinking about how to scale your team? Working on retention? You get senior-level strategic thinking without paying for it full-time.
Tactical support when things get messy: You've got a disciplinary situation or someone's raised a grievance. You need to know you're getting the right information that's completely up to date with current legislation. And you need someone to hold your hand whilst you're doing it.
Expert guidance without the expert price tag: You don't need to spend £50,000 a year to get good HR support. As a fractional HR consultancy, we do it for a fraction of that price. That's literally the whole point.
The Right Support at the Right Time
The beauty of this approach is flexibility. Some months you'll need us a lot. Other months, barely at all. You're not paying for someone to sit at a desk five days a week when you've only got two days' worth of work for them.
You're getting:
Someone who knows your business inside out
Access to a whole team with different specialisms
Current, UK-specific employment law knowledge
Support that scales with your actual needs
Strategic and tactical expertise combined
And you're paying a fraction of what a full-time hire would cost.
So, Which One Are You?
If you're recognising yourself in any of the three types I described—the Googler, the Ostrich, or the person who's hired in-house and wondering if there's a better way—then let's talk.
There absolutely is another solution. And it might be exactly what your business needs right now.
Get in touch. We're here to help you.
