Guiding North HRPeople. Purpose. Performance.

Services

Practical HR support for every stage of the employment journey.

Whether you are employing someone for the first time, strengthening your management processes or facing a difficult business decision, Guiding North HR gives you a clear route forward. Derek supports employers in Edinburgh, Midlothian and across Scotland, and remotely elsewhere in the UK.

Looking for something more local? See HR support in Edinburgh, HR support in Midlothian or small business HR support.

Contracts, policies and onboarding

Build strong foundations

Get the basics right before they become expensive.

The Employee Prenup

Start the working relationship with clarity, not crossed fingers.

A tailored new-starter framework that gives the employee, manager and business a clear understanding of the role from day one.

OutcomeClear expectations, better onboarding and a documented starting point for the working relationship.

Manager or team training can be included where Derek believes it will support successful implementation.

Includes

  • Tailored contract of employment
  • New starter questionnaire
  • Job description template
  • Roles and responsibilities framework
  • Structured induction schedule

Investment£1,000. Guided implementation is also available.

Explore The Employee Prenup

The Employer Foundations Package

Clear policies. Consistent decisions. A business people can trust.

Create a practical people framework that supports everyday management decisions instead of sitting forgotten in a folder.

OutcomeA professional and consistent HR foundation that managers can actually use.

Manager or team training can be included where Derek believes it will support successful implementation.

Includes

  • Tailored staff handbook
  • Up to 15 policies selected around the needs of the business
  • Guidance on introducing the documents
  • Practical implementation plan

Investment£2,000. Guided implementation is also available.

Discuss Your HR Foundations

The First 90 Days System

Give new employees every chance to succeed.

Probation should never be three months of silence followed by one very awkward conversation. This system helps managers set expectations, review progress, provide support and make fair, informed decisions.

OutcomeBetter-supported employees, more confident managers and clear evidence of the conversations and support provided.

Manager or team training can be included where Derek believes it will support successful implementation.

Includes

  • Roles and responsibilities framework
  • Probation policy
  • Structured 90-day probation plan
  • Review forms and meeting notes
  • Improvement support plan
  • Probation extension letter
  • Successful completion letter
  • Unsuccessful probation documentation

Investment£2,500. Implementation and manager training are available.

Strengthen Your Probation Process

Conduct, capability and performance

Handle difficult issues fairly

A clear route through conduct, capability and performance concerns.

The Fair Process

Handle difficult employee situations without panic, delay or avoidable mistakes.

When conduct, capability or performance becomes a concern, The Fair Process gives managers a clear route from the initial issue through investigation, hearing, decision and appeal.

OutcomeA calmer and more consistent process that helps managers deal with concerns fairly and professionally.

Not every concern needs to become a formal disciplinary. Derek will help you understand the most appropriate next step.

Manager or team training can be included where Derek believes it will support successful implementation.

Includes

  • Disciplinary policy
  • Investigation invitation
  • Witness statement template
  • Investigation report
  • Evidence bundle
  • Employee documentation and response summaries
  • Hearing notes
  • Outcome letters
  • Appeal documentation

InvestmentSystems and documentation from £2,500. Live case support is quoted separately following an initial review.

Discuss a Difficult Situation

Redundancy and restructuring

Navigate business change

Structure and fairness when decisions are hard.

The Redundancy Roadmap

Navigate a difficult business decision with clarity, fairness and respect.

Redundancy affects people's livelihoods, managers' confidence and the reputation of the business. The Redundancy Roadmap provides a structured route through the process.

OutcomeA clear, organised process that helps the business make necessary decisions while treating affected employees with dignity.

Designed for organisations proposing fewer than 20 redundancies. Suitability and scope will be confirmed before work begins.

Manager or team training can be included where Derek believes it will support successful implementation.

Includes

  • Business case template
  • At-risk communication
  • Consultation letters and meeting notes
  • Selection pool and criteria documents
  • Scoring and outcome documentation
  • Alternative employment assessment
  • Redundancy calculation sheet
  • Appeals documentation
  • Complete process map and checklist

InvestmentFrom £3,000. Implementation support is scoped separately.

Talk to Derek About Redundancy

Ongoing HR partnership

Ongoing strategic support

Senior HR thinking, available when you need it.

Guiding North HR Partner

Senior HR thinking without employing an HR director.

Ongoing, proactive support for growing businesses that need an experienced HR partner who understands the organisation, its people and the owner's ambitions.

Potential support includes

  • Strategic meetings with the owner or leadership team
  • People and organisational planning
  • Advice before important decisions are made
  • Support with emerging employee issues
  • Management guidance
  • Regular reviews of people priorities and risks
  • Access to trusted specialist support when required

InvestmentPackages are tailored following an initial conversation.

Discuss Ongoing HR Support

Supporting the main packages

Manager and Team Training

Helping managers put Derek's methods into practice.

Documents and processes are most effective when managers understand how to use them.

Where appropriate, Derek can include practical manager or team training within a Guiding North HR project.

Derek provides the HR method, technical expertise and guidance. Learning and Development Specialist Julie Begbie designs and facilitates the session, helping managers understand the process, practise the relevant conversations and apply Derek's methods confidently.

OutcomeManagers leave understanding what is expected, what the process involves and how to handle important conversations with greater confidence.

Training is available as an optional part of a wider Guiding North HR project and is scoped by Derek following an initial conversation.

Talk to Derek About Your Team

Training may support

  • The Employee Prenup
  • New employee induction
  • The First 90 Days System
  • Probation review conversations
  • Performance and conduct conversations
  • The Fair Process
  • Consistent record-keeping
  • Redundancy communication
  • Other manager-development needs identified by Derek

Sessions are delivered for managers and teams in Edinburgh, Midlothian and across Scotland, in person or remotely, as part of the wider project.

Not sure which route fits?

Start by explaining the situation. Derek will help you identify the most sensible next step.

Talk to Derek

Questions about HR services, support and manager training

Can a small business outsource its HR?

Yes. Many small and growing businesses outsource HR rather than employ an HR manager. Outsourced HR gives you access to experienced advice, documentation and process support when you need it, and nothing when you do not. Guiding North HR offers both defined packages for specific pieces of work and ongoing support for businesses that want a regular HR partner.

Explore outsourced HR support

Can Guiding North HR train our managers to use the new processes?

Yes. Where it will help managers put the documents and processes into practice, Derek can include practical manager or team training within a Guiding North HR project. Sessions cover things like probation reviews, difficult conversations, the fair process and consistent record-keeping, so managers understand what is expected of them and how to handle the conversation itself.

Manager and team training

Who delivers the manager and team training?

Derek creates and oversees the HR content and methods. Where learning support is required, he works with Learning and Development Specialist Julie Begbie, who designs and delivers practical sessions under his direction.

About Derek and specialist support

Can training be added to one of Derek's HR packages?

Yes. Training is available as an optional part of a wider Guiding North HR project rather than as a separate product, and it is scoped by Derek following an initial conversation. He will tell you honestly whether a session will make a real difference to how the process is used.

Talk to Derek about your team

What is fractional HR support?

Fractional HR support means using an experienced HR professional for part of their time instead of employing one full time. You get senior HR thinking on strategy, structure, risk and difficult decisions, scaled to what the business actually needs. For growing businesses in Edinburgh and Midlothian, this is often the step between managing HR yourself and hiring an internal HR team.

Ongoing HR partnership

What HR documents does a small business need?

At a minimum, employees need a written statement of employment particulars, and most businesses benefit from a staff handbook covering the core policies their managers rely on day to day. Job descriptions, an induction plan and a probation process make those documents work in practice. The Employer Foundations Package and The Employee Prenup cover both the paperwork and how to introduce it.

The Employee Prenup

How can an employer manage probation properly?

Set expectations in writing at the start, agree what good performance looks like, and hold short, recorded reviews during the period rather than one conversation at the end. If progress is not where it should be, say so early and offer support. The First 90 Days System gives managers the plan, review forms and letters needed to do this consistently.

Probation management support

What should an employer do before starting a disciplinary process?

Pause and establish the facts first. Understand what is alleged, check what your own policy says, consider whether the concern is really about conduct, capability or something else, and decide whether an informal conversation would resolve it. If a formal route is appropriate, investigate properly before any hearing. Speak to Derek before you act if you are unsure of the right step.

Disciplinary support for employers

Can Guiding North HR help with a live disciplinary case?

Yes. Derek supports employers with live employee relations matters as well as with systems and documentation. Live case support begins with a short review of the situation so the scope and the sensible next step are clear, and it is quoted separately from the documentation packages. If a case is already under way, get in touch before the next meeting is arranged.

Talk to Derek about a live case

How does redundancy support for employers work?

It starts with the business case: what is changing and why. From there Derek helps you plan the consultation, prepare at-risk and meeting documentation, define selection pools and criteria where needed, record decisions and handle appeals. The Redundancy Roadmap is designed for organisations proposing fewer than 20 redundancies, and scope is confirmed before work begins.

Redundancy support for employers

How much does small business HR support cost?

The defined packages are priced openly: The Employee Prenup is £1,000, The Employer Foundations Package is £2,000, The First 90 Days System is £2,500, The Fair Process starts at £2,500 for systems and documentation, and The Redundancy Roadmap starts at £3,000. Ongoing HR partnership is tailored following an initial conversation, and live case support is quoted after a short review.

See all packages and prices

Guidance last reviewed: 14 August 2026. This page is general information, not individual advice - contact Derek about your own situation.