HR foundations for growing businesses: contracts, handbook and policies.

Based in Caterham, Surrey, and working across London, the South East and the UK.

A fixed-fee project that rebuilds your employment contracts, writes a lean staff handbook and gets your core HR processes documented. Four weeks, delivered by one named person and walked through with you.

£1,800 + VAT up to 15 employees

£2,500 + VAT 16 to 30 employees

Fixed fee · four-week delivery · headcount confirmed at scoping call

Book a free 20-minute call Done the HR Health Check? Its fee is credited

Where most people are

You've grown. Your HR hasn't kept up.

"We've grown past the point where I can keep doing this the way I have been."

You are not in crisis. But you know this needs sorting before something bigger happens. The HR Foundations Build fixes all of it in four weeks: bespoke documents, written for your business and walked through with you.

What usually gives it away

Contracts that are outdated, or were downloaded from the internet years ago.
A handbook that is a generic template, not how your business runs.
A disciplinary that nearly went wrong, or an absence you are not sure you handled correctly.

You are not behind. You are exactly where a lot of growing businesses are.

What you get

Documents that reflect how you run.

Not templates that need editing to fit, and not a solicitor's standard-form contracts that bear no resemblance to your working arrangements. A bespoke set of employment documents, built for your business.

Your contracts: every existing employment contract reviewed and rebuilt, to your headcount tier
A lean staff handbook: written for your business and how you run, not a generic template
Eight core policies: holiday, sickness, probation, disciplinary, grievance, flexible working, equal opportunities and anti-harassment (including harassment by customers and other third parties)
Onboarding, documented: what to do before someone starts, on day one and in their first week
Absence and probation: a management process for each, set up and ready to use
A one-hour walkthrough: we go through everything together, so you know how to use it

Fixed fee

£1,800 + VAT up to 15 employees
£2,500 + VAT 16 to 30 employees

Four weeks from scoping call to handover. Headcount is confirmed at the scoping call, and your tier is fixed before any fee is agreed.

Done the HR Health Check in the last 60 days? The full fee comes off. About the HR Health Check

What this doesn't cover

TUPE or redundancy documentation
Complex casework or live employee issues in progress (see Employee Relations Support)
Ongoing HR advice after handover
HR system setup (included in the HR Backbone Programme)

How it works

Four weeks, from scoping call to handover.

1
Scoping call
We look at what you already have and confirm your headcount, so your tier is fixed before any fee is agreed.
2
Review and drafting
Where your documents are sound we work with them. Where they need updating or replacing, we write them for how you run.
3
Your review
You review as we go and we revise, so there are no surprises at the end.
4
Handover
The walkthrough, including the right way to issue updated documents to the people already on your team.

How it compares

How does this compare to the alternatives?

Option	What you get	Typical cost
HR consultant at day rate for equivalent work	15 to 20 hours of document work	£2,250 to £6,000
Employment law solicitor (15-person business)	Bespoke documents only, no implementation	£2,000 to £5,000+
Template packages (commodity providers)	Generic contracts and handbook, not bespoke	£350 to £750
What If HR, HR Foundations Build	Bespoke documents plus implementation walkthrough	£1,800 to £2,500

More than a template pack, less than a solicitor's bill, and it comes with the walkthrough neither of those gives you.

5.0From 30+ Google reviews

We approached What if HR to help us create a new employee handbook and we're super pleased with the result.

Client, employee handbook · Google review · Read it on Google

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.

Client, employment contracts · Google review · Read it on Google

Want to see what this looks like over time? Read how a Surrey day care business went from HR firefighting to proper embedded support.

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 call

or email hello@whatifhr.co.uk

What's included in HR foundations for a small business?

For most growing businesses, the essentials are proper employment contracts, a staff handbook that fits how you run, core policies and documented processes for onboarding, absence and probation. This package builds all of it and walks you through how to use it.

How does the four-week delivery work?

We work in stages: scoping call, document review, drafting, your review, revisions and handover. You review as we go, so there are no surprises at the end.

What if we're close to the headcount boundary?

We confirm headcount at the scoping call. Your tier is fixed at that point, before any fee is agreed.

Do the documents need to be signed and issued to all staff?

We cover this in the walkthrough. We advise on the right process for issuing updated documents to existing employees, including any relevant consultation or notice points.

We have some existing documents that are mostly fine. Do you still rebuild everything?

No. We review what you have at the scoping call. Where documents are sound we work with them, and where they need updating or replacing we do that. The right HR, not more HR.

What happens after handover?

The Retained HR Partner is the natural next step, so you have someone to call when a new hire question comes up, a manager needs guidance or a situation arises.

Good to know