Ongoing Employee Relations Support
Stop lying awake over a grievance, a sicknote, or an exit you're dreading
People problems, handled properly, before they cost you time, money or sleep.
When a people problem lands, you get an experienced adviser who already knows your business, on call, so you know exactly what to do next. Act fast, stay protected, and stop a small issue turning into an expensive one.
Not outsourced HR. An experienced adviser who already knows your business and is on call when you need her.
Not ready to talk yet? Take the free 3-minute Employee Situation Check →
- ✓Your named adviser: Samantha Newton FCIPD
- ✓Response within one working day
- ✓Commercial advice, in plain English
- ✓A genuine partnership, not a helpline
Your VIP line
One call. Straight to me. No hold music.
This is your direct line to a senior HR expert who already knows your business. No call centre. No junior passing you around. No waiting days for an answer when you need one now.
You get me, not a stranger
The same person every time, who knows your business, your people and your history.
You go to the front of the queue
Your calls and emails come first, with an answer within one working day. Often the same day.
You stop second-guessing yourself
A straight, honest steer on what to do next, so you act with confidence instead of worrying you've got it wrong.
You pay less when you need more
Any extra hands-on work is charged at £120 + VAT an hour, down from my standard £150.
Is this you?
Ongoing Support is built for owner-managed businesses with around 5 to 100 employees and no in-house HR, where the people decisions land on you or a small management team.
What you actually get
You're not buying HR. You're buying confidence.
When an employee situation blows up, what you really want is reassurance, a clear head and someone who has seen it before. That's what Ongoing Support gives you.
Protection
Handle difficult situations the right way and keep your business out of costly disputes and claims.
Peace of mind
Stop lying awake over a grievance or a tricky exit. Someone experienced has your back.
A straight answer, not a hedge
Not textbook HR. You get the actual decision: what to say, what to put in writing, and what to leave out, in plain English.
Faster decisions
A clear view of your options and risks in one conversation, so you can act with confidence today, not next week.
Practical support
From the wording of a letter to sitting in the room with you. Real help, not just advice you have to action alone.
No nasty surprises
Senior support for a predictable monthly fee, instead of a big bill once a problem has already blown up.
Why keep Samantha on call
You can't predict when a people problem lands. You can be ready for it.
It arrives out of nowhere, and then it has to be handled properly, quickly, and without making it worse. Ongoing Support means experienced help is already in place the moment that happens, so you're never starting from scratch or scrambling for the right person.
Handled properly, these situations stay small. Handled badly or late, they become grievances, claims and costs. The difference is usually one early conversation with the right person.
Why this, not the usual options
The difference between Ongoing Support and muddling through
The usual options
- Googling it at 11pm and hoping you've got it right
- A solicitor at £250+ an hour, and usually only once it's already a dispute
- A faceless HR helpline with a different adviser every time
- Doing nothing and hoping the problem quietly goes away
Ongoing Support with Samantha
- One expert who already knows your business, on call when you need her
- Caught early, while you still have choices, not after it becomes a claim
- A predictable monthly fee, far less than stacking up hourly legal bills
- Commercial advice in plain English, not jargon and not a script
Support plans
Choose the level of support that fits
Two ways to work together, priced simply by the size of your team. Pick the level of involvement that suits you.
How many employees do you have?
Assured
Expert Employee Relations backup, on call when you need it.
£350 + VAT / month
- Priority access to Samantha by phone and email
- Advice on any employee situation, when you need it
- Review of any letters or documents you have drafted
- Employment law updates that affect you
- Response within one working day
Partner
I take the work off your plate and handle the case with you.
£600 + VAT / month
- Everything in Assured, plus:
- Samantha drafts the invite and outcome letters for your cases
- Guided through, and joined in, your key meetings
- Disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance and exits
- An annual Employee Relations health check for your business
“We have decided to continue working with Samantha for all of our HR needs.”
Here's the part most owners only see too late: one employee situation handled badly can cost you far more than a year of support, in legal fees, settlements and the hours pulled away from running your business, before you even count the stress. Ongoing Support is built to keep you well clear of that.
All prices exclude VAT. For 31+ employees, a bespoke plan is built around you. The first twelve months gives the relationship time to work; after that it simply rolls on monthly, so you're never tied in long-term.
Included with every plan
The same standards, whichever level you choose
A senior specialist who knows your business
Samantha works with you directly and builds real context over time, so the advice always fits how you actually operate.
Response within one working day
Support runs Monday to Friday, business hours. When something lands, you're not left waiting.
Preferential rate of £120 + VAT per hour
For any work beyond your plan, down from the standard £150 + VAT per hour.
Twelve-month minimum term
Rolling monthly after that. Built for a genuine ongoing relationship.
HR advice and Employee Relations support
Commercial, practical guidance through the people situations that matter.
Clear scope
Legal advice and employment tribunal representation are not included. Where you need these, Samantha will point you to a trusted employment solicitor.
What's covered
What your plan covers, and what sits outside it
Your monthly plan covers advice, guidance and everyday case support. Bigger, defined pieces of work are scoped and priced up front, so you always know the cost before we start. As an Ongoing Support client you get them at your preferential rate.
Handled as separate projects
- Redundancy and restructure programmes
- TUPE transfers
- Independent, formal workplace investigations
- Settlement agreements and negotiated exits
- Contracts, handbooks and policies built from scratch
- HR audits, manager training and recruitment campaigns
Not covered by your plan
- Anything already underway before your plan starts
- Payroll, pensions and auto-enrolment
- Health and safety
- Immigration, right-to-work sponsorship and visas
- Occupational health and third-party costs (medical reports, DBS checks)
- Software licences, such as Breathe HR
Needs a solicitor
- Legal advice
- Employment tribunal representation
Where you need these, I'll point you to a trusted employment solicitor I work alongside.
Support beyond your plan's fair-use level, and any in-person attendance, is charged at your preferential rate of £120 + VAT per hour.
Fair and simple
A friendly word on fair use
Your plan is built around the level of support a typical business of your size needs across a year. There is no stopwatch on a quick call. If your support starts to regularly go beyond that level, we will simply have a friendly chat about moving you up a plan, before any extra costs build up. No surprises, ever.
How it works
From problem to resolved, with a clear head
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1.An employee situation arises
Something lands, or something just doesn't feel right.
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2.Call Samantha
No ticket system, no waiting. You speak to the person who knows your business.
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3.Discuss options and risks
A straight, commercial view of what you're dealing with and what could go wrong.
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4.Agree the safest commercial approach
A clear plan that protects the business and works in the real world.
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5.Resolve it confidently
You act, knowing it has been thought through properly.
Your named adviser
You work directly with Samantha
Every plan gives you Samantha Newton FCIPD herself. No call centre, no junior, no jargon. An Employee Relations specialist with 25+ years' experience, including senior roles at Williams Racing, Pets at Home and NHS Primary Care.
Over time she becomes an extension of your management team: the person you call before you make a difficult people decision.
More about SamanthaWhat owners say
Trusted by owner-managed businesses
“She stepped in at short notice and supported us through a difficult HR issue. She routinely checked in with us as business owners to make sure we were OK. We have decided to continue working with Samantha for all of our HR needs.”
“Samantha helped us with a long-term sickness issue. I found dealing with it stressful and time-consuming. Her approach achieved a result in a fair and human way, and her professional advice was invaluable.”
“Clear, practical and reassuring advice throughout a sensitive employee matter. Her guidance helped us feel confident in our decisions, while keeping respect and dignity for everyone involved.”
“Highly recommend Sam. She's HR savvy, pragmatic and commercially driven to help with problems no matter how big or small.”
Expert advice, backed by the right technology
Great Employee Relations advice is the heart of what you get. If you'd like, you can pair it with Breathe HR, the simple people-management system Samantha is an accredited partner for.
Breathe keeps the everyday admin tidy in the background, so the advice has a clean, organised foundation to work from. It supports the relationship, it doesn't replace it.
Optional extras
Add more when you need it
Natural extensions of the relationship, available to any Ongoing Support client, at your preferential rate.
Breathe HR set-up
We configure and launch Breathe HR for your business.
Fully managed Breathe HR
We run the day-to-day admin in Breathe so you don't have to.
Manager training
Confident managers handle the small stuff before it becomes your problem.
Annual policy reviews
Contracts, handbooks and policies kept current and fit for purpose.
On-site support
Samantha with you in person for the meetings that need it.
Independent investigations
A fair, defensible investigation handled at arm's length from you.
HR audits
A clear picture of where your people risks are, and how to close them.
Why owner-managed businesses choose Samantha
Experience you can trust, in plain English
Common questions
Ongoing Support, answered
Is there a minimum term?+
Yes. Ongoing Support runs on a twelve-month minimum term, then continues rolling monthly. It is designed as a genuine ongoing relationship, where Samantha builds real context about your business, rather than a service you dip in and out of.
What happens if I need more work than my plan covers?+
Your plan is built around the level of support a business your size typically needs across the year. If a situation needs more hands-on time, that work is charged at your preferential rate of £120 + VAT per hour (standard rate £150 + VAT). If support is regularly exceeding your plan, we will talk about moving you up a level before any extra costs build up.
Will Samantha attend meetings?+
On the Partner plan, yes. Samantha guides you through and joins your key meetings, such as grievance and disciplinary hearings. On Assured, she prepares you thoroughly beforehand, and meeting attendance can be added as needed at your preferential rate.
Do you draft the letters?+
On Partner, yes. Samantha drafts the invite and outcome letters for your cases. On Assured, she reviews letters you have drafted and tells you exactly what to change.
Can you run a workplace investigation?+
Yes, as an independent investigation. This sits outside the monthly plan as a defined piece of work, scoped and priced up front, so it is genuinely impartial and defensible.
Do you give legal advice?+
No. This is HR advice and Employee Relations support, not legal advice or tribunal representation. Where you need a solicitor, Samantha will point you to a trusted employment lawyer she works alongside.
Can I move between plans?+
Yes. Plenty of clients start on Assured and move to Partner as they realise how much they value having the work handled. You can step up at any time, and we will always talk it through first.
Do I have to use Breathe HR?+
No. Breathe HR is an optional extra that makes the day-to-day admin easier. Your Ongoing Support plan works perfectly well without it. As a Breathe HR Partner, Samantha can add it whenever it would genuinely help.
Where to start
People problems don't wait. Neither should your support.
Book a complimentary 20-minute call. Samantha will listen to what's going on, give you an honest view, and help you choose the right level of support, with no pressure either way.
Free, no obligation, and no sales pitch. Just a straight, honest view of where you stand.