Question 1

What is Retained HR and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Retained HR is our fully outsourced HR package where you pay a fixed monthly fee. It provides you with a dedicated HR consultant, unlimited employment advice, practical compliance frameworks, and proactive support. It operates as an extension of your own team—without the cost of a full-time hire.

Question 2

What's included in Pay As You Go HR support?

Accepted Answer

Our Pay As You Go service lets you buy blocks of time or pay an hourly rate for specific advice when you need it. There are no ongoing contracts. You can use this time for any HR matter: a disciplinary, a contract review, a redundancy process, or simply answering a complex employment law question.

Question 3

How does the Indie Inbox service work?

Accepted Answer

Indie Inbox is designed for micro-businesses who just need quick answers to HR questions. For a low fixed monthly fee, you get guaranteed email responses to your HR queries within 24 hours. It's the perfect safety net for founders who manage HR themselves but want expert backup.

Question 4

What does an HR Healthcheck involve?

Accepted Answer

An HR Healthcheck is a comprehensive audit of your current HR setup. We review your employment contracts, handbooks, policies, and practices against current UK employment law. We then provide a clear red/amber/green report highlighting risks, missing documents, and actionable recommendations for improvement.

Question 5

How can HR software help my small business?

Accepted Answer

When you rely on spreadsheets for holidays and sickness, mistakes happen and data gets lost. Indie Mate centralises employee records, documents, holiday requests and absence tracking in one secure HR system built for small UK businesses.

Question 6

What employment law support do you provide?

Accepted Answer

We provide commercial, practical guidance across all areas of UK employment law. This includes managing complex disciplinaries, grievances, sickness absence, redundancies, restructuring, flexible working requests, and ensuring your business stays compliant with the latest legislative changes.

Question 7

Do you provide HR training for managers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Many small business managers are promoted for their technical skills, not their people management experience. We run bespoke, practical workshops covering how to have difficult conversations, managing performance, handling absence, and the basics of employment law for line managers.

Question 8

What is an EAP and does my business need one?

Accepted Answer

An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a confidential support service providing your team with access to counselors, mental health support, and legal/financial advice 24/7. It's an incredibly cost-effective way to support your team's wellbeing, reduce absence, and show you care as an employer.

Question 9

How quickly can I get HR support when I have an urgent issue?

Accepted Answer

For our Retained clients, we prioritise urgent issues (like gross misconduct, safeguarding, or suspension) and typically respond within an hour during business hours. For all other clients, we guarantee a response within one business day.

Question 10

Can you help with TUPE transfers?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings) is highly complex and heavily regulated. We guide businesses through the entire process, whether you are acquiring a new business or losing a contract, ensuring consultation requirements are met and risks are mitigated.

Question 11

Do you work with businesses outside the North East?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While we are proudly based in the North East of England, we support independent businesses all across the UK. Thanks to video calls and our digital platforms, we provide exactly the same high-level, personal service whether you're in Newcastle or London.

Question 12

What makes Indie People different from other HR consultancies?

Accepted Answer

We focus exclusively on independent businesses, not large corporates. We hate HR jargon and don't believe in hiding behind portals. When you work with us, you get a dedicated expert who gives straight-talking, commercial advice tailored to the reality of running a small business.

HR Services Built for Independent Businesses

Retained HR

Your dedicated HR department

Pay As You Go

Flexible support on demand

Indie Mate HR Software

Simplify your admin

HR Consultancy

Tailored process & setup

HR Documentation

Compliance made simple

Employee Relations

Navigate the complex safely

Employee Vetting

Safer, compliant hiring

Manager Training

Build confident managers

EAP & Wellbeing

Support your team

Frequently Asked Questions

Not sure what you need?

Part of The Indie Group