HR Services for Small Business Owners Across Ireland

The HR Company gives small business owners their own named HR advisor, contracts and handbooks written around their business, and an advice line that never closes. HR services for small business owners across Ireland, run by an Irish team, without the cost of hiring HR in.

100% Irish-owned. Dedicated Advisors. Answering Your Calls at Any Hour.

Working Together With You!

What a Small Business HR Service Covers

Outsourced HR for small business owners covers the paperwork, the advice and the process that sit behind every employee you take on. You get the documents an Irish employer is required to have, and someone to ring when a situation comes up that the documents do not answer.

The HR Protection Service includes:

  • Contracts of Employment

  • Company Handbooks

  • 24/7 Advice Line
  • Dedicated HR Advisor

  • Health & Safety

  • Free HR Portal for Managers and Business Owners

  • All other HR documentation

Most owners start with one document and stay for the advice line. If you want a wider review of how the HR function is set up, HR consultancy support covers that separately. Reach out to one of our HR consultants.

HR Support Built Around Irish Employment Law

Irish employment law moves through the Oireachtas and the EU at its own pace, and it does not slow down for businesses without an HR team. The six blocks below make up the small business hr services side of the HR Protection Service.

Contracts of Employment

At The HR Company, more than just generic templates, we provide fully customised Contracts and Non-Disclosure Agreements specifically created for each employee in your business in Ireland.

Benefits:

  • New employment legislation from the Oireachtas and new EU directives often mean your Employment Contracts need updating
  • We handle those updates so that you stay legally compliant

  • NDAs are the Confidentiality Agreements between your organisation and its employees
  • They come as standard for our SME clients and are fully customisable

  • Contracts reflect your specific industry, company culture and operational needs

  • Roles, responsibilities and expectations are set out clearly
  • Fewer misunderstandings later about what was agreed

  • Every employee is given the written terms an Irish employer is required to issue
  • Start date, pay, hours and place of work are recorded from day one

  • Guidance on sensitive issues such as probation periods, leave entitlements and flexible working

  • Access to expertise without the expense of an in-house legal or HR team

  • Well-drafted contracts show new starters the business is run properly
  • Trust is easier to build when the terms are clear

Employee Handbook and Workplace Policies

Your handbook is where the day-to-day rules live. Contracts cover the individual, the handbook covers everyone, and the two work together when an issue arises.

Benefits:

  • Policies match how your business actually operates, not a generic template
  • Existing custom and practice is taken into account before anything is written

  • Grievance and disciplinary procedures set out in plain language
  • Staff know where to raise a problem and what happens next

  • Annual leave, sick leave, parental leave and force majeure covered together
  • Managers stop guessing at entitlements

  • Bullying and harassment procedures written to Irish standards
  • Clear reporting route for anyone affected

24/7 Support

Businesses operate and rely on a 24/7 service. 365 days a year, we are ready to deliver solutions to your HR queries.

Benefits:

  • Immediate access to HR expertise, no matter the time or day
  • Urgent issues do not have to wait until Monday

  • An assigned advisor who knows your business
  • Consistent, tailored support rather than a new voice each time

  • Quick resolution of sensitive or high-risk situations
  • Grievances, dismissals and employee disputes handled with guidance

  • Ongoing advice to head off issues before they arise

  • Up-to-date knowledge on employment laws and regulations
  • Lower legal risk across the business

  • Advice on difficult conversations, including disciplinary action and terminations

  • Expert help is a call away, any time you need it

  • You focus on the core business while HR issues go to trusted advisors

Grievances & Disciplinaries

Having handled in excess of 2,000 disciplinary issues, we know that process is critical. Avail expert guidance through the entire procedure.

Benefits:

  • Processes align with employment law and best practice
  • Lower risk of a legal challenge later

  • Unbiased advice and support, which fair grievance and disciplinary procedures depend on

  • Management stays on core business activities while complex HR tasks are handled

  • Reliable, ongoing guidance tailored to your business’s needs

  • Issues handled properly from the outset are far less likely to reach a WRC claim

  • Custom policies, letters and documentation for each situation

  • Quick, expert response during high-stakes situations

  • Better relationships with employees through fair and structured processes

If a situation needs a neutral third party rather than a formal process, workplace mediation is an option worth looking at.

Documentation

Needed for compliance, risk management, and smooth operations. Policies on topics such as Health & Safety, Remote Work and Performance.

Benefits:

  • Sets out which training the business pays for and how it gets approved
  • Covers course fees, study leave and exam time
  • Explains when training costs are repaid if someone leaves soon afterwards
  • Puts repayment terms in writing before the course starts, not after

 

  • Sets out when staff are expected to be contactable and when they are not
  • Written in line with the WRC code of practice on the right to disconnect
  • Gives managers clear rules on out-of-hours calls, emails and messages
  • Lowers the risk of a working time complaint

  • Detailed policies and procedures.
  • Probation and performance review and evaluation forms for 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months of service.
  • Guidelines and best practices for your managers.

  • Legal Compliance & Risk Mitigation- sets out your position against forced labour and human trafficking in line with EU due diligence expectations, reducing legal and reputational risk.
  • Enhanced Corporate Reputation & Stakeholder Trust- demonstrates a commitment to ethical business practices, improving trust among employees, clients, investors and regulatory bodies.
  • Stronger Supply Chain Due Diligence- sets clear expectations for suppliers and contractors, helping to identify and prevent forced labour, human trafficking and exploitation within the supply chain.

HR Portal

Our HR portal is a secure platform for customers to create, manage, and digitally sign the documents they use most.

Benefits:

  • Create and customise employment contracts quickly and easily.
  • Stay in line with legislation and industry standards.
  • Streamline the hiring process by generating legally-binding agreements.

  • Protect confidential information with tailor-made NDAs.
  • Digital signing for quick, secure agreement execution.
  • Pre-designed templates to save time and improve accuracy.

  • Generate accurate, role-specific job descriptions in minutes with AI-powered suggestions.
  • Keep clarity and consistency in outlining roles, responsibilities and qualifications.
  • Optimise job postings to attract top talent with AI-driven language.

  • Visualise key HR metrics and track document status in real-time.
  • See onboarding progress, contract completions and more.
  • Customisable dashboards for better decision-making and planning.
Working Together With You!

Should You Outsource HR or Hire In-House?

For most businesses under about fifty staff, outsourcing human resources services costs less and covers more. A single in-house hire brings one person’s experience and one person’s working hours. Outsource HR for small business needs, and you get a team of HR professionals behind the advice, plus cover at 7pm on a Friday when an employee walks out mid-shift.

An in-house HR manager makes sense once the people side of the business is a full-time job on its own. Before that point, the work is bursty. Quiet for weeks, then three things at once.

What changes when it sits outside the business:

  • No salary, PRSI, pension or holiday cover for an HR hire

  • Documentation is already drafted and kept current

  • Advice comes from people who see the same situations across hundreds of Irish employers

For HR solutions, If you are weighing the two up, an hour on the phone with an advisor will tell you more than another week of reading.

Who Outsourced HR Suits, and When to Bring It In

Outsourcing HR for small businesses works best where there is no HR department and no plans for one, but the legal exposure is real all the same. Owner-managed businesses, family firms, practices, restaurants, retailers, clinics and small manufacturers all land in the same spot.

The moments that usually prompt the call:

  • The first employee, and the realisation that a written contract is a legal requirement
  • A handbook that has not been looked at in years
  • A grievance or disciplinary issue where the process matters more than the facts
  • Correspondence from the WRC, including unannounced inspections
  • A restructure, where redundancy support needs to follow a fair process
  • Growth past the point where the owner can track every entitlement in their head

You do not have to wait for the problem. Most of the damage in HR cases comes from processes that were never written down, and that is fixable in advance.

How Your HR Support Starts

Small business HR outsourcing starts with a conversation, not a contract. An advisor goes through what you have, what is missing, and what is exposing the business right now.

How it runs from there:

  • A review of your existing contracts, handbook, and policies
  • A dedicated Account Manager assigned to your business
  • Documentation drafted around how the business actually operates
  • Access to the advice line and the HR portal for your managers
  • Ongoing updates as legislation changes

Some businesses want everything built from scratch. Others have most of it and need a second opinion, or support for one situation. Both work.

Managers who want to handle more of this themselves can look at the HR training courses run for non-HR staff.

Our #1 Selling Service with over 1,200 clients across Ireland and growing…

Our HR Protection Service is specifically designed for Ireland’s SME sector and remains the most complete and trusted HR support service on the market. Whether you have an HR department or not, we are here to make HR simple, understandable, and cost-efficient. Arrange a free consultation today, get professional HR advice, and free up time for you to focus on your business strategy instead of HR processes and HR administration.

Small business HR

The Hr Company

We Are Dedicated To Our Clients & Their HR Requirements

Simply put, we strive to ensure our clients are WRC compliant by actively monitoring their HR function for discrepancies.

Offload the risk and time involved in carrying out your HR work and rest assured that your dedicated Account Manager will guide you along the right path.

Our HR Protection Service is tailored to the needs of small & medium size business owners, offering cost-effective solutions to take the pain out of your HR Management. Think of us as your HR Department.

We’re the people you ring when you need a contract for a new employee. Monday morning and one of your staff members appears clearly under the influence after a heavy weekend? Don’t wonder what to do, we’ve got you covered. Your dedicated Account Manager will offer you complete peace of mind by providing you with advice and solutions regarding any issues you may experience in the workplace.

The HR Company will be your first port of call and we will talk you through the right approach, every single time.

Bespoke HR Employment Law Service

What’s included:

  • Contracts of Employment
  • Company Handbooks
  • 24/7 Advice Line
  • Dedicated HR Advisor
  • Health & Safety Documentation
  • Free HR Portal for Managers and Business Owners
  • All other HR documentation

Common Questions About HR Services for Small Business

It gives you two things. Written documentation, meaning contracts, a handbook, and policies that hold up under scrutiny. And advice, meaning a named advisor you ring when a situation comes up. HR services small business owners use day to day sit somewhere between paperwork and a phone call.

There is no floor. The written terms of employment requirement applies from your first employee, so a business with one member of staff has the same documentation duty as one with fifty. Smaller employers often need more support, not less, because there is nobody internally to ask.

Support runs on a subscription rather than hourly billing, so advice calls do not come with a meter running. What you pay depends on employee numbers and which parts of the service you take.

An HR advisor drafts them around your business, then updates them as legislation changes. The documents belong to your business.

You get help preparing. An advisor goes through what has been requested, checks your documentation against it, and walks you through the process. A good portion of WRC inspections arrive unannounced, which is exactly why the paperwork needs to be right before anyone calls.

Turn the Tide on HR Challenges – Start With a Call Back!

or call us on +353 1 2911875

We support over 2,335 Managers and Business Owners across Ireland

We’re committed to earning and keeping our clients’ trust by delivering HR services that truly fit their needs.

With a 90% retention rate, it’s clear why businesses across Ireland choose us for HR support.

The hospitality sector can be demanding at times. Companies like ours face an array of challenges on a regular basis – however, thanks to the experienced Account Managers at The HR Company, employee issues are not a burden for me anymore. HR is not something that I have to spend time worrying about. The HR Company promptly guides me through any Human Resource queries whenever they arise. Having access to an advice line 24/7 at no added cost gives me great peace of mind.
Philip Duignan, The Kings Head Pub & Malthouse
The HR Company caters to each and every one of our Human Resource needs – whether it is a new Contract of Employment, information regarding employee entitlements or simply reassurance or advice. Compliance is very important for Mont Vista Nursing Home and The HR Company insulates us by ensuring we are constantly updated with any changes in Legislation that may impact us. All letters are tailored to the specific situation and the turnaround time is fantastic. We receive a totally unique service from a dedicated Account Manager that knows our specific needs.
Seamus Morriarty, Carragher's Pharmacy

With new rules on employment law coming down the line on a regular basis, it can sometimes be difficult to stay on top of all of the components of Employment Legislation. This is why having the specialists at ‘The HR Company’ supporting us allows us to concentrate more time and resources on the other core areas of the business. The HR Company walks us through the correct processes step-by-step – from disciplinary procedures to ad hoc queries. The HR Company protects us by eliminating any threats or exposures. The level of service is astonishing given the low monthly subscription fee.

Nicola Lynch, Industrial Info Resources Europe

Talk to an HR Advisor About Your Business

A short conversation will tell you where your business stands and what needs fixing first. Whether you need one contract or a full small business HR service, an advisor can talk it through with you.

For expert HR support for small businesses in Ireland, call +353 1 291 1850 or book your free consultation.

Book Your Free Consultation