Contracts of employment
Written for your business and kept current as the law moves, so every employee has the paperwork they are entitled to.
HR support for small businesses
The people side, handled properly and on record
For owners and office managers who handle HR alongside everything else. You get current contracts and policies, and qualified advice when a situation starts to develop.
Most small businesses do not have an HR department. They have an owner or office manager who deals with contracts, absence and awkward conversations in between everything else. Our HR support for small businesses gives that person the documents, the process and a qualified adviser to call, so decisions are made on firm ground.
The work is delivered with a specialist HR partner, so the advice comes from qualified employment advisers rather than a consultant improvising. We coordinate it and keep it joined up with anything else we do for you, from managing your building to filling a role or building your systems.
Why 3S
- One contract, one point of contact
- A plan within 48 hours
- Photo-verified sign-off against the spec
- Funding available on the work
HR support for small businesses
What our HR support covers
Staff handbook
One place for the rules on holidays, absence, conduct and IT use, in plain English your team will actually read.
Policies and procedures
The documented positions you need before you need them, from grievance to flexible working.
Employment law advice
Access to qualified advisers when a situation is developing, not after it has gone wrong.
Disciplinary and grievance
Process support through the difficult conversations, with every step properly recorded.
Absence and performance management
A consistent, evidenced approach to sickness absence and underperformance that stands up if it is questioned.
Right-to-work checks and onboarding
Checks completed before anyone starts, so every hire is compliant from the first day.
Payroll and pensions administration
Run alongside the rest of your HR, so starters, leavers and changes reach payroll on time.
Health and safety support
Risk assessments, method statements and site documentation for teams working on site.
What good HR support for a small business looks like
Employment law expects the same basics from a business of five people as from one of five hundred. Every employee and worker must have a written statement of their main terms from their first day. Disciplinary and grievance issues should be handled in line with the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, which employment tribunals take into account. Right-to-work checks need to be completed before someone starts, not in their second week.
Where small businesses get caught out is rarely a lack of goodwill. It is a contract copied from a template years ago, a handbook nobody has updated, or a disciplinary that started as a chat and never got written down. Each one is easy to fix in advance and far harder to fix afterwards.
Why it helps to have HR alongside everything else
If we already manage your building, fill your roles or build your systems, we know what your people actually do day to day. That makes for better contracts, more realistic job descriptions and a handbook that matches how the business runs. It also means one point of contact, instead of an HR firm, a recruiter and an IT supplier who never speak to each other.
How it works
Three steps, one point of contact
Step 1
Tell us what is happening
Share what you already have in place and what is worrying you right now. Urgent issues are dealt with first, and a general tidy-up can follow.
Step 2
Review and proposal
We look at your contracts, handbook and policies with our HR partner and agree what needs changing. You get one clear proposal covering the documents, the ongoing support and the cost.
Step 3
Documents, then ongoing support
Contracts, handbook and policies are written or updated and issued for signature. From then on, you have qualified advisers to call as soon as a situation starts to develop.
Funding
Spread the cost
HR spending often lands at the same time as growth, when cash is already committed. Where it helps, related costs such as recruitment and payroll can be funded through our sister business, Novora Asset Finance™, subject to status and credit approval. Terms, total cost and any fees are set out before you commit.
Evidence
What you end up holding
Signed contracts for every employee, a current handbook and a written set of policies, all filed where you can find them. When an issue does come up, you have a record of each step, each meeting and each letter, which is what matters if a decision is ever challenged.
Questions
HR support for small businesses: common questions
Is the HR advice from qualified people?
Yes. HR support is delivered with a specialist HR partner, so advice comes from qualified employment advisers. We coordinate the work and keep it connected to anything else we do for you.
We only have a few staff. Do we really need a handbook?
Not every business needs a long handbook. Every employee does need a written statement of their main terms from day one, and your disciplinary and grievance rules need to be set out in writing. A short handbook is often the simplest way to hold those in one place, and we will tell you what you actually need.
Can you help with an issue that is already under way?
Yes. Tell us where things stand and what has been said or written so far. The earlier an adviser is involved, the more options you usually have, so it is worth calling before the next meeting rather than after it.
Do you run payroll?
Payroll and pensions administration is part of the service. It sits alongside the rest of your HR, so starters, leavers and pay changes are picked up in one place.
Can you help with health and safety paperwork too?
Yes. Health and safety support covers risk assessments, method statements and site documentation. It is particularly useful for trades and FM businesses with people working on client sites.
Do you only work with businesses in South Wales?
No. We are based in South Wales and work with businesses across the UK.
Related services
Often needed alongside this
Employment law advice for employers
For employers facing a disciplinary, grievance, absence or dismissal question. You get qualified advice early, and a written record of how you handled it.
Read more →Recruitment for trades, technical and office rolesFor businesses hiring trades, engineers, supervisors or office staff. You get a shortlist screened against a brief written by people who understand the work.
Read more →Start-up set-upBrand, website, systems and compliance set up in one go, at fixed prices.
Read more →