HR services / Outsourcing
HR advice vs fractional HR: who actually does the work?
- Advice
- Useful when your team can implement the recommendation.
- Delivery
- Specify who drafts, sends, records and follows up.
- Leadership
- Buy senior judgement for decisions that need it, not routine data entry.
In this guide
Which problem are you paying to remove?
| Your recurring problem | Start with | Contract must establish |
|---|---|---|
| We have an operator but need expert guidance | HR advice and document support | Who answers, response arrangements and which documents are prepared. |
| Tasks remain undone despite knowing the next step | Outsourced administration or operational HR delivery | Specific tasks, system access, deadlines and escalation. |
| Managers need direction on organisation, progression or change | Fractional HR leadership | Senior ownership, allocated time and agreed outcomes. |
| A full-time role is temporarily vacant | Interim capacity | Actual availability and responsibilities during the gap. |
These are purchasing routes, not rigid provider categories. A supplier may offer several. The mistake is assuming the package name tells you which work is included.
Which providers fit those needs?
Citation describes documentation, advice and on-site support. Put it on the list when you need recurring guidance and help with documents; do not assume the subscription clears every administrative task.
The HR Dept describes ongoing and project support including onboarding, probation and performance management. It is a route to investigate when you need help with a defined operational backlog.
Let’s Talk Talent offers senior fractional leadership with agreed days and a 90-day plan. Its published starting retainer is £4,800 a month with a three-month initial term: £14,400 at that rate before any additional scope or applicable VAT. This is one provider’s advertised price, not a market average.
Our view: do not spend director-level money mainly to chase starter forms. Buy leadership when the founder needs someone to shape decisions and lead managers; buy delivery capacity when the decisions are already clear and the work is still undone.
A 40-person founder’s decision
Imagine a 40-person business with two starters next month, overdue record updates and managers avoiding probation conversations. The founder knows the tasks but has nobody available to complete them.
Our recommendation: operational HR support first. The founder needs someone to complete the starter paperwork and overdue updates. A fractional director makes sense if the bigger problem is inconsistent management or decisions about the organisation.
Use this short scope worksheet when comparing proposals
| Work item | Separate these actions | Evidence of completion |
|---|---|---|
| Starter documentation | Advise on content; draft; approve; send; track return; file. | Approved document and a recorded completion status. |
| Probation preparation | Brief manager; prepare material; arrange meeting; record agreed follow-up. | Manager-ready preparation and an allocated next action. |
| HR system update | Verify input; authorise change; enter it; check the result. | Confirmed record and an audit trail where available. |
| Unexpected manager query | Triage; advise; decide; implement; escalate when necessary. | Response and a clear implementation owner. |
Ask the supplier to mark included, extra-cost or retained internally against each action. “Support provided” is an incomplete answer to this worksheet.
Days purchased are not days continuously available
A monthly allocation can be enough for planned work and insufficient for unpredictable demand. Ask what happens when the agreed consultant is unavailable, the allocation is used up or an urgent issue arrives between scheduled days.
Distinguish a response commitment from a completion commitment. An acknowledgement within a few hours does not tell you when a document will be ready or who will attend a meeting.
For fractional leadership, agree what routine work is deliberately outside the role. Otherwise a senior consultant can spend the engagement clearing an administrative backlog while the organisation problem survives.
Compare the total commitment and the work left behind
Compare what remains on your desk after buying. A lower advice fee may be good value when your operations manager can implement it. It is a poor solution when that manager is already the bottleneck.
Ask for the initial commitment and extra-work rate alongside the monthly headline. For a days-based retainer, find out what help is available between scheduled days. Response access and completed work are different promises.
Ask each supplier to list the work it will finish in month one and the tasks your team must still complete.
Make the handover part of the purchase
- Agree the first month: prioritise the backlog and list deliverables that can realistically be finished.
- Define access: specify which systems the supplier needs, who approves access and how it ends.
- Keep records usable: agree where working documents, decisions and open actions are stored.
- Test continuity: ask how another consultant takes over during absence.
- Specify exit: require a handover of current documents and outstanding actions in a usable format.
After the first month, compare completed work with the agreed scope and check whether the backlog is falling before renewing.
Questions buyers ask
Is outsourced HR the same as fractional HR?
No single label establishes the scope. Outsourced HR can include advice, administration or specialist delivery. Fractional HR often describes part-time senior leadership. Compare the promised tasks, availability and decision responsibilities in the actual proposal.
When is an HR advice subscription enough?
When someone inside the business has the capacity and authority to implement the advice. If tasks remain undone because there is no available operator, seek specified delivery capacity as well.
What should a fractional HR proposal include?
The allocated time, senior responsibilities, first priorities, routine work exclusions, availability between scheduled days, additional-work charges and a practical handover arrangement.
Sources and research scope
Primary service descriptions inspected 2 October 2026. No provider market-wide cost estimates adopted. No hands-on service assessment or legal review claimed. Provider-specific published retainer and initial-term calculation checked 2 October; VAT treatment not established. HR Dept direct recheck returned 403; no new provider claim added.
- Citation HR consultancyPublished documentation, advice and on-site service scope.
- The HR Dept supportOngoing and project service areas; indexed primary content inspected.
- Let’s Talk Talent fractional consultancySenior leadership model, allocated days and proposal process.