Services / First Hire Ready
The documents and checks the law requires for your first employee, ready before day one.
HR setup for hiring your first employee in the UK.
Based in Caterham, Surrey, and working across London, the South East and the UK.
A fixed-fee pack for your first employee: their contract and a template for later hires, seven plain-English guides for your team that start your staff handbook, and a welcome plan from offer to six months. Written for your business, delivered by one named person, never emailed from a template. You have never done this before, and that is completely normal.
£795 + VAT
Fixed fee · one-off · includes 30-minute handover call
For businesses only. By buying, you confirm you are buying for a business and agree to our Master Terms.
Where most people are
You're about to make your first hire, and you want to get it right.
"I've never done this before. I just want to make sure I'm doing it properly."
You have found the right person. Now you need the HR side sorted before they start, and you have never been an employer until now. No jargon, and no being made to feel you should already know this.
The questions every first employer has
- What goes in a contract?
- Which policies do you need?
- What does the law require?
- What do you hand over on day one?
This package answers all of it.
What you get
Ready before they walk through the door.
Every document is bespoke, drafted for your role and working arrangements and explained in plain English, not downloaded from a template library.
For you, the employer
- Your employee's contract: drafted for the role, hours, pay and how the job really works, with the written statement of particulars built in
- A contract template: for every hire after that, fixed-term or permanent
- A welcome plan: every step for each new hire, from the day they say yes to six months' service
- Right to work checks: how to do the check, step by step, before anyone starts work
- A "what to do if" card: first steps for the situations first-time employers ask about most
- Agreements if you need them: a 48-hour opt-out, only if an employee asks for one, and a training agreement for training you pay for
For your team, from day one
Seven short guides in plain English. Together they are the start of your staff handbook, and you can update them without anyone's agreement.
- Holidays and rest: how much holiday, booking, carry-over and holiday pay
- Attendance and time off: illness and sick pay, appointments, family leave, emergencies and bereavement
- Your first three months: settling in, check-ins and, where the contract has one, how probation works
- Resolving problems: your disciplinary and grievance policy, sized for a small team
- Respect at work: how you prevent harassment and bullying, and how people raise a concern
- Staying safe and well: your health and safety policy
- Your information: your employee privacy notice
Plus a guide to your pack, a 30-minute handover call and one round of changes within 14 days.
Fixed fee
£795 + VAT
One-off, including the handover call. Most packages are completed within five working days.
Buy now, £795 + VATAfter you pay, we email you within one working day to book your call and ask about the role. For businesses only. By buying, you confirm you are buying for a business and agree to our Master Terms.
What this doesn't cover
- Finding and recruiting the person. That is Recruitment Support, and the two pair up as the Hire & Set Up Right bundle below.
- A full staff handbook (an add-on, £450 + VAT)
- Ongoing HR advice after the handover call
- Retainer support. That is the Retained HR Partner.
How it works
From your call to day one, usually within a week.
- 1
Book or buy
Book a free call, or buy now and we email you within one working day to book yours.
- 2
About the role
We ask about the role, the hours, the pay and how the job really works.
- 3
Drafting
Your documents are written for your business, usually within five working days.
- 4
Handover
A 30-minute call where we go through everything, so you know what to hand over on day one.
Add to it
A full handbook, or help finding the person first
Optional add-on
A bespoke staff handbook
£450 + VAT
If your new employee asks about flexible working, maternity, conduct expectations or anything beyond the seven team guides, a handbook gives them clear answers and gives you clear protection. It is written for your business, not pulled off a shelf.
Buy it together with First Hire Ready, or add it any time after you are set up.
Buy both together, £1,245 + VATWant to discuss this first? Contact us or arrange a call. For businesses only. By buying, you confirm you are buying for a business and agree to our Master Terms.
Still need to find them first?
Hire & Set Up Right
£1,195 + VAT Save £95 on £1,290 bought separately
Take First Hire Ready together with our hiring system. Finding the person and getting them properly on the books are two different jobs, handled by the same person who then already knows your team.
- Hiring Setup, £495. The advert, your own applicant tracking system and the first role live. You find the right person.
- First Hire Ready, £795. Their contract, seven team guides and a welcome plan, ready before day one. They start properly employed.
Buy the bundle, £1,195 + VATWant to discuss this first? Contact us or arrange a call. For businesses only. By buying, you confirm you are buying for a business and agree to our Master Terms. See all the hiring options.
On day one
You start the job properly.
No guessing what goes in a contract. No downloading a template and hoping it is legally right. The contract and the right to work check, done properly before day one.
You hand your new employee a proper pack, signed and sorted, and you get on with the work.
How it compares
How does £795 compare?
| Option | What you get | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Policy bundle (independent consultant) | Policies only, no contract | £500+ |
| Commodity template packages | Generic templates, no personalisation | £350 to £750 |
| What If HR, First Hire Ready | Bespoke contract and template, 7 team guides, welcome plan, right to work steps, reference card, handover call | £795 |
One fixed fee. Bespoke documents. A personal walkthrough. No surprises.
We used What if HR as our business lacked expertise around employment contracts and what we should or shouldn't include in them. Elena was so helpful, helped us understand the legal aspects but also how we could be fair to everyone involved.
Straight answers
Common questions
Can't see your question?
Ask us directly. We aim to reply within one working day.
Book a free 20-minute callor email hello@whatifhr.co.uk
Do I legally need an employment contract for my first employee?
You must give every employee a written statement of employment particulars on or before their first day. It sets out the main terms of their job and is a legal requirement, not an optional extra. First Hire Ready gives you a proper contract that includes it.
What do I need to give a new employee on day one?
At minimum, the written statement of particulars. In practice you also want clear guides on holidays, sickness and how problems are handled, a right to work check done correctly and a welcome plan so the first weeks go smoothly. This package covers all of it. The full list, with the dates each item is due: What legal documents are required for new employees in the UK?
How long does it take?
Most First Hire Ready packages are completed within five working days of your call or purchase.
Is this a staff handbook?
It is the start of one. The seven team guides cover what every employee needs from day one. As the team grows, and before you have people managing people, they become a full staff handbook, adding things like hybrid working, full family leave, wellbeing, equality, performance and whistleblowing.
Can I add the handbook later?
Yes. The £450 bespoke handbook add-on is available at any point, before or after your employee starts.
What if something needs changing after the handover?
You have one round of changes within 14 days of receiving the full pack. Send them as they come up and we treat them as one round. After that, help is pay as you go.
My employee's role is quite specific. Will the contract reflect that?
Yes. The contract is drafted for your specific role, pay structure, hours and working arrangements, not pulled from a template.
What happens when I have more employees?
Most First Hire Ready clients move to the Retained HR Partner when their first people problem comes up, usually at four to six employees. The same personal relationship continues.
Good to know
Before your first person starts
What to set up before the first payday, the documents and checks the law expects, and how to tell an employee from a contractor.
Connected services
Where this leads
Where first employers usually go next.
- Still to find themRecruitment SupportA better advert, your own hiring system or the whole hire handled, for a fixed fee.from £195 + VAT
- Just one documentHR DocumentsA single contract, policy or handbook, written for your business.from £130 + VAT
- When the team growsRetained HR PartnerSomeone to call when your first people problem comes up, usually at four to six employees.from £150 a month + VAT
Ready to do this properly?
One fixed fee. One named consultant. Everything your first employee needs, sorted before day one. No judgement, no jargon.
For businesses only. By buying, you confirm you are buying for a business and agree to our Master Terms.
All prices + VAT. What If HR Ltd. Surrey · London · South East England · Remote UK.