Services / ★ Flagship programme
Ninety days from no HR to HR that runs.
The HR Backbone Programme: contracts, an HR system and manager training, set up in 90 days.
Based in Caterham, Surrey, and working across London, the South East and the UK.
At the end you have contracts, policies, an HR system and managers who know how to use it. Not a folder of documents that sits in an inbox.
Call 07557 982407 or email hello@whatifhr.co.uk, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
From £3,495 + VAT
fixed fee, set by headcount band
- Timeline
- Ninety days. Build, Embed, Run.
- Included
- The first month of Retained HR Partner, in every band.
Where most people are
You have outgrown the way you have been doing things.
"We need proper HR, and we are nowhere near hiring someone full time."
What usually breaks it is something ordinary
- A probation that drifts past its end date.
- A sickness absence nobody logged.
- A manager promising something in a one-to-one that turns out to be contractual.
No judgement. Every business we work with arrived here the same way.
The programme
Three phases. Ninety days. A defined end state.
- 1
Days 1 to 30
Build
Contracts, policies, handbook and processes, rebuilt for the way you run.
At 30 days
The documents exist and they are legally current.
- 2
Days 31 to 60
Embed
The HR system set up. Managers trained. Then the first real use of a process, with live guidance.
At 60 days
Your managers have run a process at least once, with someone watching.
- 3
Days 61 to 90
Run
Retained support starts, edge cases handled as they come up, then a graduation review.
At 90 days
Built, embedded and running. Retained support carries on from month 4.
The package
What the programme includes
Most HR support is documents or advice. This is both, delivered by one person inside the fixed fee.
- 01
Every employment contract rebuilt.
- 02
A lean staff handbook, written for your business.
- 03
10 to 12 policies: holiday, sickness, probation, disciplinary, grievance, flexible working and more.
- 04
Onboarding, absence, probation, performance and grievance processes documented.
- 05
HR system chosen, set up and configured.
- 06
Training for up to two managers.
- 07
First real use, with live guidance.
- 08
First month of Retained HR Partner.
What this is not. We provide HR advice, documentation and process guidance, not legal advice. Nothing prevents an employee bringing a claim and no process makes a business claim-proof. Documented contracts and a fair, followed process give you something solid to stand on.
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.
We approached What if HR to help us create a new employee handbook and we're super pleased with the result.
Programme pricing
Programme pricing by headcount
Three bands. The first month of Retained HR Partner is included in each.
Up to 15 employees
£3,495 + VAT
- Most common
16 to 30 employees
£4,495 + VAT
31 to 50 employees
£5,495 + VAT
Headcount is confirmed at the programme call. Fees are fixed: no hourly billing and no scope creep.
An in-house HR manager, salary alonetypically £45,000 to £70,000
The programme, one-off, and you keep what it producesfrom £3,495
Before employer NI, pension and recruitment. Market figures are typical ranges, not quotes.
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
Is the programme more than we need?
Sometimes it is, and we will say so on the call. Phase 1 starts by reading what you already have, and anything sound stays.
What if we only want the documents?
Then HR Foundations Build is the cheaper route, £1,800 to £2,500 + VAT, without the system, training or retained month.
What happens after the 90 days?
You move on to the Retained HR Partner from month 4, from £150 a month + VAT. It is not compulsory and everything built is yours to keep.
Who does the work?
Elena (MSc HRM) or another experienced HR partner, from the kick-off call to the graduation review. Your side is a 90-minute kick-off, one training session and email in between.
What does the HR Health Check credit mean?
Done the HR Health Check in the last 60 days? The full fee you paid for it comes off the fee.
Good to know
Why the basics matter more than they used to
What a growing business really needs from HR, the six-year holiday record duty and what every new starter has to be given.
If this is not quite the fit
The smaller pieces of work
- See where you stand firstHR Health CheckA clear view of your contracts, policies and records before you commit to more.from £495 + VAT, credited against the programme
- The paperwork onlyHR Foundations BuildThe paperwork, without the system, training or retained month.£1,800 to £2,500 + VAT
- Ongoing supportRetained HR PartnerOngoing support from the person who built it.from £150 a month + VAT
Ninety days from now, HR is off your desk
A fixed fee, three phases and a finish line. If it is more than your business needs today, we will say so on the call.
All prices + VAT. This page is general information, not legal advice. Elena Suhova, MSc HRM. What If HR Ltd, Caterham, Surrey.