Why we built The Employer Support Hub
The Employer Support Hub exists for a simple reason. After more than 25 years supporting UK employers, we kept meeting businesses with a handful of staff who had nowhere to turn. They needed genuine HR support for small businesses from a named HR consultant, not a call-centre service. They faced the same legal duties as anyone else, yet the HR market was never really built around them. So we built something that is.
The problem we kept seeing
The Employer Support Hub wasn't created because another HR company wanted another product to "flog". It was created because, after more than 25 years supporting UK SME employers through Holistic HR Services, we saw the same thing again and again: employers with up to 10 staff were underserved when it came to outsourced HR.
Small employers carry the same employment law obligations as larger organisations, and they need the same quality of employment law advice as anyone else. Yet the market doesn't reflect that. Typically, they have three choices: pay more costly bespoke HR consultancy fees that are not quite needed just yet, sign long contracts with large national providers running call-centre-style services where they rarely speak to the same consultant twice, or try to manage it all themselves.
The market simply wasn't designed around the realities of a very small employer.
There is a hidden problem too. Many small businesses believe they're fully protected because they pay a large HR provider a monthly retainer. In truth, most providers mainly deliver reactive advice. Owners only pick up the phone once something has already gone wrong, and by then, the chances to prevent it have often been missed.
Through the HR Health Checks we carry out for businesses already paying national providers, we regularly find:
- Outdated employment contracts, as any updates are not always proactively communicated.
- Policies were not always relevant for a company of this size
- Gaps in compliance documentation
- Mandatory training not completed
- Poor record-keeping & right-to-work checks
- Inconsistent HR processes
- No enhanced benefits, as most available schemes were for a minimum headcount, or employers were not sure where to go
- Employees were subject to a detrimental employee experience as there was no one showing the employer what good looks like
These are businesses that genuinely wanted to do the right thing. They simply didn't know what they didn't know.
So we built the alternative
The Employer Support Hub has been designed around the different stages an employer goes through, not as one package that tries to be everything to everyone. These are small business HR services that scale with you, not a one-size-fits-all retainer.
Some businesses simply want HR advice for small businesses from someone who knows them and their team. Others need compliant documentation, HR software and the tools to stay on top of it. Small businesses may also want to offer their employees wellbeing and benefits, but why, just because you have under the minimum headcount, should you be penalised?
Our three memberships, Flex, Build and Thrive, let employers choose the level of support that fits where they are today and move between memberships as they grow. The difference isn't that every package is proactive. The difference is that we've created a membership specifically designed for employers with up to 10 employees.
Our background
The Employer Support Hub is backed by Holistic HR Services, our sister company. Every consultant has between 10 and 30 years of experience supporting UK employers, from businesses with a single employee through to organisations employing thousands, so every HR consultant has seen what bad and good look like at every level.
Our consultants are CIPD-qualified professionals with decades of experience providing HR for small businesses and larger UK employers through every stage of the employment journey, from recruitment to exit, business growth to employee relations, restructures, redundancies, TUPE, performance management, and workplace investigations.
We've taken that depth of expertise and packaged it into a membership designed specifically for micro employers, making high-quality HR support accessible without the complexity or cost of traditional retained services.
As businesses grow, their HR needs naturally become more complex. Through our sister company, Holistic HR Services, we continue to support employers with 11–50 employees, along with smaller organisations under 11 requiring more strategic or bespoke HR support. This means that wherever your business is today, and wherever it grows tomorrow, you'll always have the right level of expert support behind you.
- CIPD-qualified consultants
- 25+ years supporting UK employers
- HR support for small businesses (1–10 staff)
- A named HR consultant, not a call centre
What we stand for
Built around small businesses
The Employer Support Hub was created because small employers deserve more than generic HR services. Everything we offer has been designed specifically for businesses with up to 10 employees, giving you expert support that's practical, personal and built around the way small businesses really operate.
A named consultant
You'll speak to the same CIPD-qualified HR consultant who gets to know your business, your people and your goals — not a different adviser every time you call.
Freedom, not handcuffs
We'd rather earn your loyalty through exceptional service than rely on lengthy contracts or complicated notice periods. If we do our job well, you'll want to stay.
Helping you stand out as an employer
Great HR isn't just about reducing risk. Through strong HR foundations, professional systems, compliant documentation and employee benefits, we help small businesses compete with much larger employers when attracting and retaining great people.
Let's make HR the easy part
Pick the membership that fits your business today, and move up whenever you're ready.