Start-Ups and SMEs

We provide practical, straightforward HR support for start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses that need expert guidance without the cost or complexity of an in-house HR team in and around Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Whether you're hiring your first employee, positively growing, or need help handling a difficult employee situation, we help you put the right foundations in place so your business can grow with confidence.

Supporting You to Grow Your Business with Confidence

Starting a business comes with endless decisions, and HR is often one of the most unfamiliar areas for founders.

Leo HR was created to support employers who want to do things properly from day one - avoiding costly mistakes, employment disputes and compliance risks later down the line.

Having built and managed a business from scratch with a growing team, we understand first-hand the realities start-ups face:

  • Hiring your first staff member

  • Managing performance and expectations

  • Understanding employment law obligations

  • Creating policies that actually work in real life

  • Balancing people management alongside running a business

Our advice is practical, commercial and tailored to how small businesses function in reality.

Businesses operating in regulated sectors may also require inspection-ready HR support, we can help with this too.

HR for Start-Ups Book

This book provides founders and new employers with clear, practical guidance on every stage of employment:

  • Drafting contracts and policies

  • Complying with pay, leave, and working time regulations

  • Recruiting, onboarding, and retaining talent

  • Managing performance, probation, and discipline

  • Handling terminations and mitigating legal risks

Aligned with the Employment Rights Act 2025, this guide explains day-one rights, probation, and early intervention in plain English, with realistic scenarios for start-ups.

Build your team safely. Manage your people professionally. Grow your start-up with confidence.

HR for Start-Ups Paperback
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This practical guide is written for small businesses, managers and start-ups who want to manage people fairly and confidently - without being overwhelmed by rules, jargon or paperwork.

Covering the most common HR challenges, from hiring and probation to absence, performance and difficult conversations, this book focuses on what really matters: clarity, consistency and early intervention.

Whether you’re employing your first person or managing a growing team, HR Without the Headache gives you the confidence to deal with people issues calmly, fairly and proportionately.

HR without the Headache Book

HR Without The Headache Book - Leo HR
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How We Support Start-Ups & SMEs

Hiring Your First Employees

  • Employment contracts and offer letters

  • Job descriptions and onboarding support

  • Employment status guidance

  • Safer recruitment and compliance advice

Day-to-Day HR Advice

  • Employee relations support

  • Absence and performance management

  • Disciplinary and grievance guidance

  • Manager support and advice calls

HR Essentials & Compliance

  • Essential HR policies and handbooks

  • Employment law guidance

  • HR audits and health checks

  • Documentation setup for growing teams

  • We are an accredited Breathe HR software partner

Growth & Change

  • Restructures and organisational change

  • Probation management

  • Managing team expansion

  • Support through difficult conversations

Why Start-Ups Choose Leo HR

  • Practical HR advice tailored to small businesses

  • Support from someone who has built and managed a business and team themselves

  • Clear, jargon-free guidance

  • Commercially realistic solutions

  • Personal, responsive service

  • Author of HR for Start-Ups available here

HR That Grows With Your Business

Many businesses wait until a problem arises before seeking HR support. Our approach focuses on prevention - helping you build strong people practices early on so that issues are less likely to arise later.

We work as an extension of your business, providing clear advice without jargon or unnecessary complexity.

You stay focused on running your business - we help you manage your people properly.

Who We Work With

We support a wide range of start-ups and SMEs, including:

  • New business founders

  • Owner-managed companies

  • Growing teams without in-house HR

  • Businesses hiring their first employees

  • SMEs needing additional HR expertise

Flexible Support Options

We understand that start-ups and SMEs need flexibility and cashflow-friendly arrangements. Options available are:

  • One-off HR matter/project

  • Pay-as-you-go advice

  • HR start-up packages

  • Ongoing retained HR support

The Fair Work Agency : Why Employers Should Pay Attention

From April 2026, employment rights enforcement in the UK has changed with the introduction of the Fair Work Agency (FWA), a new government body designed to strengthen how workplace laws are monitored and enforced.

While the underlying employment laws are largely unchanged, how compliance is checked (and enforced) has evolved significantly.

The Fair Work Agency increases enforcement visibility, meaning employers must now evidence compliance through records and processes if concerns arise. For employers, this means greater scrutiny and a higher expectation that businesses can clearly demonstrate fair and lawful employment practices.

What is the Fair Work Agency?

The Fair Work Agency brings together several enforcement bodies into one central organisation responsible for monitoring key employment rights, including:

  • Right To Work checks

  • National Minimum Wage compliance

  • Holiday pay and statutory payments

  • Agency worker protections

  • Labour exploitation enforcement

  • Worker rights investigations

By consolidating enforcement into one agency, the government aims to make investigations faster, more coordinated, and more accessible for workers raising concerns.

The Risk for Employers

Many employment breaches are not intentional - they arise from outdated contracts, incorrect holiday pay calculations, inconsistent processes, or simple misunderstandings of complex legislation.

However, under the new enforcement model, even unintentional errors can result in:

  • Repayment of wages or holiday pay

  • Financial penalties

  • Formal investigations

  • Reputational impact

  • Management time spent responding to enforcement action

For small and growing businesses especially, these situations can become costly and disruptive very quickly.

The key question is no longer “Are we trying to do the right thing?” but:

“Can we evidence that we are doing the right thing?”

What Has Changed for Employers?

The biggest change is not new rules - but stronger enforcement.

The Fair Work Agency has enhanced powers to:

  • Investigate complaints directly

  • Conduct workplace inspections

  • Require access to employment records

  • Recover underpayments for workers

  • Issue financial penalties and enforcement notices

  • Pursue action where employers fail to comply

In practical terms, employers may now face earlier intervention and closer scrutiny where processes or records fall short.

How We Can Help You Avoid Costly Errors

This is where proactive HR makes a real difference.

Leo HR works with businesses to reduce risk before problems arise by helping you:

  • Ensure contracts and policies reflect current law

  • Check pay, holiday and record-keeping practices

  • Strengthen day-to-day people management processes

  • Identify compliance gaps early

  • Prepare confidently for any external enquiry or inspection

Our focus is prevention - helping employers avoid unnecessary costs, disruption and stress by getting the fundamentals right from the start.

Strong HR isn’t just about managing people - it’s about protecting your business.

Workforce Development for Start-Ups and SME

We recommend Improve as a flexible training and development provider for SMEs and start-ups.

Improve offers practical, accessible training designed to support business growth, staff development, and workplace compliance. Courses cover key areas such as health & safety, leadership, communication, customer service, wellbeing, and professional skills, helping teams build confidence and capability in day-to-day operations.

With flexible online learning and CPD-focused content, Improve is well suited to staff induction, ongoing professional development, leadership training, and supporting growing businesses with cost-effective learning solutions.

Improve CPD provider

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. Employment obligations begin as soon as you advertise for your first employee. Early HR support helps prevent costly mistakes and ensures your business starts with compliant and effective people practices.

  • Even small businesses can face employment risks without proper HR support. HR helps with contracts, policies, employee issues, recruitment and compliance. Many small businesses benefit from professional guidance early to avoid costly mistakes and ensure consistent management as they grow.

  • Many SMEs seek HR support when hiring their first employee, experiencing rapid growth, or facing a people management challenge. Early guidance helps avoid risks later.

  • Before your first hire, it’s important to have basic HR systems in place: clear employment contracts, key policies, safer recruitment practices, and onboarding procedures. Professional HR support ensures these are legally compliant and tailored to your business, helping you start with confidence.

  • Not at all. HR support can be flexible and tailored to suit small business budgets. Outsourced HR allows you to access professional guidance when you need it, without the cost of employing in-house HR.

    Getting the right support early prevents costly employee issues, and save your business significant time and money in the long run.

  • HR support is tailored to each business depending on the level of support required, organisation size, and whether assistance is needed on an ongoing or ad-hoc basis. Leo HR offers both retained packages from £90 per month, and flexible pay-as-you-go options at £80 per hour for ad-hoc support and advice. Fees for specific projects such as Contracts, Policy Packs or Disciplinary case management depend on your individual business needs. Our list of projects can be found on our Home page under ‘Areas of Support’. After an initial consultation, we provide employers with a comprehensive quote showing a breakdown of fees for each individual project required.

  • The Agency increases enforcement activity rather than creating new laws. This means employers who cannot demonstrate compliance may face investigations or financial penalties more quickly than under previous systems.

  • Yes. Employment law focuses on outcomes rather than intent. Even genuine administrative errors - such as incorrect holiday pay or wage calculations - can lead to repayment orders or penalties.

  • Common risk areas include:

    • Holiday pay calculations

    • Record keeping

    • National Minimum Wage compliance

    • Outdated contracts or policies

    • Inconsistent management practices

    • Gender Pay reporting

    These issues are often preventable with regular HR reviews.

  • Employers should regularly review HR documentation, payroll practices and management processes to ensure they meet current legal standards and can be evidenced if required.

  • Breathe HR is a cloud-based HR software platform designed to help businesses manage employee information, holidays, absence, documents and other key HR processes in one secure location.

  • Yes. Leo HR is an Accredited Breathe Partner, meaning we have completed Breathe's partner accreditation programme and can introduce clients to the platform and provide support where required.

We commonly support employers with:

  • Contracts, Handbooks and Policies

  • Managing Sickness & Disability Absence

  • Disciplinary & Grievance Concerns

  • Recruitment Compliance

  • Inspection Preparation