Independent HR Consultancy
for businesses in Dorset and beyond
HR Consultancy Services in Dorset
offering tailored and personal support for your business.
Welcome to Stour People Practice. Based in Poole and serving Dorset and the South West our focus is on developing lasting relationships with small and medium sized businesses in the region. Helping you to manage your people and all that comes with that, as well as support you with leadership, planning and change.
By getting to know you and what you want to achieve we aim to take some of the load off, give you peace of mind that you are managing your people legally and effectively and also offer you ideas and solutions for where you might want or need to go next.
Think of us as being part of your team, without the overheads or long term commitment.
Whether you need retained HR support for your leadership team, outsourced HR support to take the load off, or HR consultancy for a specific one off challenge, we offer a flexible, pragmatic approach shaped by 30 years of HR and wider business experience.
Our focus is always on helping you make confident decisions and create workplaces where people perform and thrive.
Rachel Newman FCIPD
Founder and Lead Consultant
"Successful organisations know what they need their people to do and lead and inspire them to do it, through every aspect of their approach to business"
How Stour
People Practice
can help
Here are our most popular packages. They can work alone or in combination.
As your business grows and changes, your approach to managing your people needs to change. Yet many SMEs delay bringing in the leadership and expertise of a senior HR professional until plans are being put in to play and they begin experiencing challenges. Costing time, money, and morale.
This level of support is invaluable when you are reaching the stage where having someone on board to help set the direction for people management is needed, but you don't have the work or money to employ someone full time.
A Fractional People (HR) Director, provides the equivalent leadership and direction but on a flexible, part-time basis tailored to your business needs.
For growing or changing organisations across Dorset and the South West we offer an affordable route to ongoing senior-level HR input, without the full-time commitment. Whether you're scaling, restructuring or planning an exit, support at this level helps you turn ambition into action by building the capability and resilience needed to achieve your goals.
Whether you need a half a day a week or a few days a month , this is ongoing support working with your leadership team, delivering strategic HR consultancy as part of the team, responding to your business needs, exactly when you need it.
People (HR Director) Strategic Support
Employment Practice Review
Employment law, employee expectations, labour market conditions, and external factors such as the political climate and technology revolution, are all constantly changing which means you have to keep reviewing and updating your employment practices if you want to stay ahead and not run the risk of claims or disputes.
From recruiting, to managing performance, absence and conduct, all the way to resignation, retirement or dismissal, you have legal duties and a reputation as an employer, that need protecting.
When you fall behind it's not just the legal and financial risks that increase. Employees become dissatisfied, productivity drops, complaints and issues increase and staff leave.
An Employment Practice Health Check is similar to an internal audit. It puts what you do under the magnifying glass, and gives you peace of mind that your HR policies, processes, and people management practice, are compliant and support your wider strategy and business.
You will be given a pragmatic view of where work is needed, where practice is great, and where improvements could make a positive difference.
As a follow on from the Health Check or a stand alone package, we offer a full update of key employment documents required to ensure you remain legally compliant.
Employment law is complex and out-of-date employment paperwork, poor processes, and inconsistent management create risks that drain time, money, and morale.
We help you see the wood for the trees. This package includes HR documents such as contracts and offer templates, recruitment and onboarding documents, employment policies and processes, handbooks and standard template letters.
Getting the basics right reduces friction and helps your business run smoothly by making sure employees know what they can expect. Particularly useful for SMEs, including charities, in Dorset and the South West, who want documents to still feel like theirs, but don't have the time or knowledge in house to keep on top of updates.
Employment Basics Package
Executive People Advice
Often Business Owners and Leaders just need to talk things through with a trusted advisor. Leadership can feel complex, high stakes, and at times finely balanced. An external perspective can make all the difference.
For Chairs, CEOs, and business owners, having access to senior, independent people advice at the right moment is invaluable. Helping you to map things out, discuss options and at times assist in executing plans.
Whether it's executive coaching, team development, independent reviews, or executive-level employee relations case management, Stour People Practice offers calm, experienced, and confidential consultancy support, shaped by 30 years of senior HR experience.
With Head of HR and People Director experience, we can offer comprehensive strategic HR consultant support that helps senior teams navigate sensitive people challenges, plans or risks with clarity and confidence.
Also available for ad hoc assignments
Why Work with us
Business Acumen
Senior-level experience across commercial, charity and education sectors working in HR and wider Business Operations. We see the bigger picture and align people decisions with what the business wants to achieve.
Experienced in Governance and Senior Leadership
Understanding and experience of large and small organisations. Proven in helping leaders strengthen clarity around roles, risk and decision-making so that people strategy supports sound practice and sustainable performance.
Calm judgement in complexity
Experience of leading organisation wide business strategy under unprecedented pressure. During periods of change, providing steady, balanced advice helping leaders make confident decisions that stand up over time.
Practical, human leadership and support.
Our approach combines structure and accountability with respect and trust, ensuring that culture and performance develop alongside one another.
Pricing
People/HR Director, (Fractional)
Scope agreed based on Organisational need.
Monthly Payment based on scope and days per month .
PRICE ON APPLICATION
Employment
Practice
Review
Scope tailored to organisational brief.
Fixed Fee starting from £750 per day.
Discounts for charities
Every organisation is different.All engagements begin with a conversation to understand your context, pressures and ambitions.
Following that discussion, we provide a clear proposal, outlining scope, deliverables and the investment required. Ensuring expectations are clear from the outset.
The following fees are illustrative. We believe in being transparent.
If they are a barrier to engagement, let's talk.
We are motivated by doing good work for good people and will try to be flexible.
Employment Practice Basics
Fixed fee for initial review based on days required.
Starting from £500 per day.
On going advice and support from £175 per month.
Discounts for charities
Executive/ Senior HR Advice
Retained support : Starting from £500 for half a day per month.
Fixed fee for one off cases or situations .
Starting from £750 per day.
Discounts for charities
Also available for ad hoc assignments