Plenty of HR people will write you a contract. Far fewer will sit in the room when it gets difficult. That's the part I specialise in, and I've spent 25 years doing it.
Contracts, policies, the everyday HR. All of it, if you'd rather have one person who knows your business.
Samantha Newton FCIPD · Chartered Fellow CIPD
✓FCIPD Employee Relations specialist
✓25+ years' HR experience
✓Trusted by owner-managed businesses
✓Practical, commercial advice
1 January 2027 · the law is changing
Unfair dismissal drops to six months, and the compensation cap is scrapped.
Most of your team already qualifies. Here is what it means and what to do now.
“Samantha helped us with a long-term sickness matter and saved us from expensive employment law issues. A stressful situation handled in a fair and human way. Her advice was invaluable.”
Colin Medley · ★★★★★ Google review
What's happening right now?
Tap your situation for a free, instant read on where you stand.
Not sure how serious it is? Find out in 3 minutes.
Answer a few quick questions and get a clear, honest read on what you're dealing with, the risks, and your best next step. No login, no sales pitch. Built by Samantha from 25 years of real situations.
✓A clear read on what you're actually dealing with
✓The key risks to be aware of
✓A recommended next step
✓An honest view on whether you need support at all
“She stepped in at short notice and supported us through a difficult HR issue with thorough, detailed advice. We've decided to continue working with her for all of our HR needs.”
Katie Adolphus · Google review
★★★★★
“I got in touch about a difficult team issue I was feeling anxious and emotional about. From the very beginning Samantha was exceptional, reassuring, calm and compassionate, while also firm and clear when needed. Everything was explained in plain English with no jargon. The documentation, scripts and clear do's and don'ts she provided were invaluable. Without that level of support, the outcome could have been very different.”
Eirlys Anderson · Google review
★★★★★
“A confidential, strategic HR project handled with commercial insight and calm expertise. They got to the heart of the issue, challenged where it counted, and guided us to a smoother restructure with reduced risk and stronger alignment across the business.”
Most employee problems don't get expensive because they're complicated. They get expensive because they're left too long. Handled early, it's a conversation. Handled late, it's a claim.
Free download
9 employee situations that turn into tribunals
The situations that most often become claims, how to stop them, and a free Action Pack to download.
Determined to handle it yourself? The Employer Toolkits are the same process written down, from £197 + VAT. Most owners still ring me.
The Magenta Method
From problem to sorted, in four clear steps
A clear, four-step approach to any difficult employee situation, so you always know where you stand and what happens next.
1
Understand
A clear, honest picture of what's really going on, beneath the surface.
2
Assess the risk
Your legal exposure and commercial impact, in plain English.
3
Plan the right path
Realistic options and the correct steps, in order, written within 48 hours.
4
Resolve & protect
Support through it, then keep you protected so the next issue is caught early.
Why owners choose Magenta
Everyone can tell you what the rules are. Almost nobody will handle it with you.
When a people problem hits, you have options. Here's the honest difference, and why owner-managed businesses choose a specialist who deals with the situation itself, not just the theory.
Handle it yourselfFree, but one wrong step can turn a manageable issue into a costly claim. You carry all the risk.
A national HR helplineA script and a call centre. A different person each time, usually on a long, tied-in contract.
Your solicitorExplains the law and handles litigation, at solicitor rates. Not the day-to-day people management.
ACASSets out the rules and the Code. Genuinely useful, but it won't handle your situation for you.
Hire your own HR personAround £58,000 a year all in for an HR Manager, and the right call once the daily volume justifies it. Below that you can usually only afford someone junior, who then gets handed the hardest situations.
An external ER specialist (me)One named FCIPD specialist, from outside the business, handling the situation with you. 25 years of experience for the few times a year you need it, instead of a salary for a level you can't justify full time. No call centre, no junior. And if you can handle it yourself, I'll tell you.
A mishandled dismissal can run into five figures, and from 1 January 2027 there is no cap at all on unfair dismissal compensation, plus 12 to 18 months of management time and stress. A focused session with me starts from £495 + VAT, one-off, with no retainer required and nothing to tie into, and a written action plan within 48 hours. The maths usually makes itself.
Owner-managed businesses, with or without someone doing HR internally.
Owners who want a difficult employee situation handled properly, without a corporate HR department or corporate fees. If you have someone doing HR already, I work alongside them for the situations that need an outside pair of hands, or someone genuinely independent.
Depending on what it needs, I will either talk you through it or take it off your hands. That can mean running the investigation myself, chairing or sitting in on the hearing, and writing the letters, so the process is handled properly and you are not the one doing it.
“I brought Sam in to represent my consultancy on a complex TUPE transfer. The client couldn’t tell the difference, seamless, flexible and closely aligned with my approach.”
You deal directly with the specialist, not a call centre
Samantha Newton FCIPD · Chartered Fellow of the CIPD
An Employee Relations specialist with 25+ years' experience, including senior roles at Williams Racing and Pets at Home. You deal directly with Samantha, no call centre, no junior, no jargon.
FCIPD Chartered Fellow · Published author and speaker on employee relations and workplace wellbeing.
A focused 60–90 minute conversation where we work through your situation and agree exactly what to do next. You get a written action plan within 48 hours.
How is this different from calling a lawyer?+
I handle the practical, commercial side, the process, the conversations, the documentation, in plain English. I'll tell you if and when you genuinely need a solicitor.
What if the situation is already serious?+
That's exactly when to get advice. Even mid-process, the right next steps in the right order can change the outcome.
Can I get ongoing support after the session?+
Yes. Many owners keep me on hand so the next situation is caught early, from £350 + VAT a month.
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