HR services for small businesses, with the prices on the page

There are four ways to work with me. Three of them are monthly support that grows with your business, and one is for when something has come up and you just need it dealt with. Whichever you pick, you're dealing with me, and you can see what it costs before you get in touch.

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Rolling monthly, never locked in

Monthly support runs on 30 days' notice either side after your first month. If it stops working for you, you leave. No penalty and no awkward conversation.

You move between packages

Start on the one that fits today. If you outgrow it, or you find you need less, we change it. You're not stuck on the wrong package because of what you signed up to.

Every call comes to me

No account managers, no ticket numbers, no being handed to whoever picks up. I know your business and your people, so you get an answer that fits your situation.

Which one you need depends on where you are, not how big you are

Most people arrive here in one of two states. Either something has gone wrong and it's keeping you awake, or nothing has gone wrong yet but you've got a nagging feeling you're not doing it properly.

If it's the first one, you probably want Back Up. It's one piece of work, quoted upfront, dealt with, done. You don't need to commit to anything ongoing to get help with the thing in front of you.

If it's the second, one of the monthly packages will fit. Set Up is for businesses putting the foundations in for the first time. Step Up is for when other people have started managing people. Level Up is for when the phone isn't enough any more and you need me in the building.

If you're not sure, that's what the first conversation is for. I'd rather put you on the right thing than the expensive thing.

Monthly HR support

Three levels, depending on who in your business is making decisions about people. You can move between them whenever that changes.

Set Up

From £75 a month plus VAT

For first-time employers and small teams who've been working it out as they go. I draft your contracts of employment and write your employee handbook in plain English, put a proper onboarding process in place, and then I'm on the end of the phone for whatever comes up. There's a monthly check-in too, so you're not only speaking to me when something's gone wrong.

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Step Up

From £200 a month plus VAT

For businesses where other people have started managing people. Everything in Set Up, plus the structure your managers need: a probation process with real review points, absence and performance frameworks, and templates that show them what good looks like. They can sense-check things with me before they act, which keeps the mistakes off your desk.

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Level Up

£600 a month plus VAT

For organisations where HR has outgrown the occasional phone call. Everything in Step Up, plus an agreed amount of time in your business every month, used where it's needed most. For disciplinaries, grievances and restructures I'm in the room with you rather than on the end of a phone, which changes how those conversations land.

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Every monthly package includes a one-off setup fee in your first month covering your contracts of employment and employee handbook. Those documents are yours to keep whatever happens afterwards.

One-off HR support

No retainer, no ongoing commitment. One piece of work, quoted before it starts.

Back Up

From £100 plus VAT, fixed fee

For when you don't need ongoing support but something has landed. A contract that needs drafting. A disciplinary you want to get right. A second opinion on something that doesn't feel quite right. You tell me what's happened, I tell you what it will cost before anything starts, and then I deal with it.

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Disciplinary process

From £250 plus VAT

Somebody's conduct or performance has reached the point where it needs formalising, and you need it done in a way that stands up.

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Grievance and appeal

From £250 plus VAT

An employee has raised a complaint. Getting the process right protects everyone involved, including the person who raised it.

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Redundancy process

From £250 plus VAT

You're reducing headcount and the process has to be fair and properly documented from the first conversation.

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I don't do recruitment. Everything after the hire, I do.

People assume recruitment is part of HR and it isn't part of what I offer. If you're looking for someone to find and hire your next member of staff, that's not me. Everything that happens after they've been hired is what I do: the paperwork, the policies, the conversations nobody wants to have, and the situations where getting it wrong gets expensive.

What clients say

Excellent

5.0 Average 5 star review for Alice Potter HR

Based on 8 reviews

The Reign Accounting team has worked with Alice and I honestly can’t recommend her enough. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and she brings such remarkable experience and knowledge to everything she does. She goes above and beyond every single time, and it truly shows in the quality of her work. An absolute pleasure to work with.

Sophie Bate

10 months ago

Alice really helped us with a HR issue that was so challenging. Couldn’t recommend highly enough 5 stars

Gemma Mann

1 year ago

8th House HR offer an incredible standard of experience, knowledge and insight. Their work is carried out in a calm and professional manner. I wouldn't go anywhere else!

Lucia Costa

1 year ago

Alice has shown her dedication and professionalism when I reached out to her for advice on my own HR needs. She has been a massive support offering guidance along the way. Her expertise has made a real difference, and I highly recommend her services!

Katherine Coetzee

1 year ago

Alice is very knowledgeable and the approach of 8th House HR to be of the highest standard, professional and prompt. Rates are very competitive too, ideal for a small business. Highly recommend.

Sarah Heron

1 year ago

Great company to deal with! We highly recommend 8th House HR! Alice is always extremely helpful and professional.

DE Plant Hire Ltd

1 year ago

I can highly recommend 8th House - sorted my HR issue quickly & efficiently. Very knowledgable and professional - will be using again.

Jane Park

1 year ago

I attend a business networking group with Alice and have been very impressed with her professionalism and positive attitude. While I haven't used her services, I recommended her to a friend who gave glowing feedback, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her again.

G R Electrical

1 year ago

10 years in HR. CIPD Level 5 qualified.
5 stars from every client who's reviewed.

I've been working in HR and people management since 2016. Before that, 10 years as a primary school teacher. I hold a CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management, based near Darlington, and I've helped businesses across the North East: from first-time employers getting the basics right to organisations with management layers and complex employee relations work.

Excellent

5.0 Average 5 star review for Alice Potter HR

Based on 8 reviews

Alice-Potter-HR-Darlington-Location-Image-03

Based near Darlington.

Working across the North East.

I work with businesses across the North East: Darlington, Durham, Bishop Auckland, Stockton-on-Tees, Newcastle and the surrounding areas. For the right client I'll travel further. For businesses that work remotely, I can do that too. If you're within an hour of Barnard Castle, I can be with you in person when it counts.

Common questions about working with me

What if I pick the wrong package?

Then we move you. If you start on Set Up and it turns out you need the manager support in Step Up, we change it. It works the other way too. The packages are there to fit your business, not to trap you on the one you happened to choose in month one.

Am I tied in?

No. Monthly support runs on a rolling basis with 30 days' notice on either side after your first month. Your first month is higher because it covers your contracts and handbook, and those are yours to keep even if you leave in month two.

Do I have to be on monthly support to get one-off help?

No. Back Up and the named processes are available to anyone. Plenty of people come to me for one thing, get it sorted, and that's the end of it. Some come back later and go onto monthly support, but there's no expectation either way.

Do you offer 24/7 support?

No, and it's a deliberate choice. I work Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.30. Everything in HR can be handled in those hours. The providers advertising 24/7 are putting you through to a call centre, and you can't get quality advice about your specific business from someone reading a script.

Are these prices what I'll actually pay?

They're the starting point, and they're honest ones. Final cost depends on how many people you employ and what's already in place. Level Up is a flat £600 a month plus VAT. For the others I'll give you a firm number after the first conversation, before you commit to anything.

What happens in the first conversation?

It takes about an hour and it's free. I'll ask about your business, how many people you employ, what you've already got in place, and what's prompted you to get in touch. Then I'll tell you what I'd do and what it would cost. If it's not right for you, I'll say so.

How much of my time does getting started take?

An hour or two. I need to know the size of the business, your headcount, any policies you already have, and the basics of how things run: how holidays get booked, how people report sickness, who reports to whom. That's genuinely it. You can take HR off your plate in an afternoon.

HR services for small businesses, with the prices on the page

Which one you need depends on where you are, not how big you are