ON-CALL HR RETAINER

Senior HR support, steady and predictable.

One flat monthly fee. Banked hours you can use for anything HR. A partner who already knows your business when something comes up.

Why a retainer, not hourly?

Most SMEs don’t need HR all at once — they need it consistently, in small amounts, delivered by someone who already knows the business. Hourly billing punishes that pattern: every question becomes a decision about whether it’s worth a bill.

Retainers take that friction out. You get banked hours, a predictable invoice, and a senior HR practitioner who’s already context-switched in.

Choose your tier

Pricing shared on the discovery call. You can change tiers month-to-month after the initial three.

Essentials

3 HOURS / MONTH

The baseline for small teams. Questions answered, documents reviewed, a sanity check when something unusual lands on your desk.

  • Email + scheduled call support
  • Policy & document reviews
  • Response within 2 business days

MOST COMMON

Standard

6 HOURS / MONTH

For companies with regular HR questions and occasional projects. Enough time for small builds — a new policy here, a process update there.

  • Everything in Essentials
  • Small project work within hours
  • Response within 1 business day
  • Quarterly HR review call

Partner

10 HOURS / MONTH

Your fractional HR lead. Deep enough to drive strategy and run cyclical HR work — reviews, comp, hiring plans — not just answer questions.

  • Everything in Standard
  • Attendance at leadership meetings
  • Response within 1 business day
  • Monthly HR operating review

How retainers work — the fine print, in plain English

  • Minimum commitment: three months. Long enough for us to get into the business; short enough that you’re not trapped if the fit isn’t right.
  • Banked hours don’t roll over. Unused hours in a month are forfeited. This keeps pricing simple and stops us both from gaming the meter.
  • Overflow is billed at the standard rate. If the month runs long, extra hours bill at our senior rate. You’ll hear about it before it happens.
  • Tier changes are fluid. After the initial three months, move up, down, or pause as the business needs.
  • Confidentiality. Every engagement carries a standard NDA. Sensitive conversations — terminations, investigations, comp — are handled accordingly.

Is a retainer right for your business?

Yes, probably

  • You’ve got 5–150 employees
  • HR questions land on a non-HR person’s desk
  • You want a trusted senior voice on call
  • You value predictable monthly costs

Probably not

  • You already have a full-time HR leader
  • You only need a single document or project
  • You need 20+ hours of HR a month (hire in-house)
  • You need employment legal representation
Talk through your retainer fit