Sarah Smith HR Consultancy

03/12/2025

❓ Would your school or MAT benefit from an occasional boost to its HR capacity, just when you need it, without being tied into a long-term contract?

Having worked with schools for many years, I know how busy things are in the run up to the end of term – and no more so than the end of the Autumn term, with all the extra seasonal festivities thrown into the mix, coupled with the need to cover absences due to the inevitable winter colds etc.

At SSHR we offer a pay-as-you-go option, enabling you to buy-in additional HR expertise just when you need it the most, on either a daily/hourly basis or for a fixed project fee.

We provide practical advice and support with, for example:

✅ Employee case management (absence, disciplinary, grievance, capability)
✅ Carrying out workplace investigations
✅ Restructuring / redundancy processes
✅ Workplace mediation (informal dispute resolution)
✅ Policy reviews/updates
✅ People-management training
✅ Safer Recruitment training

So, if you’d like some additional HR support in the run-up to the end of term (or at any other time), contact SSHR today to find out how we can help.

☎ 07764 710724
📩 [email protected]

Call now to connect with business.

10/11/2025

If you're a small company, looking for some external HR support for the first time, there are a wide range of choices open to you, and some large companies offering to do it all at a knock-down price, but the USP for smaller HR companies like SSHR is FLEXIBILITY! (Albeit NOT the type as pictured below!)

For example, we offer:

⭐ Retainer agreements with clear and simple terms (NOT endless auto-renewed contracts with convoluted tie-ins and notice clauses);

⭐ Pricing that reflects the level of service you want, (NOT a 'one-size-fits-all' approach);

⭐ A named HR Consultant who will get to know your organisation, its priorities and values, so that all advice on people matters is tailored and specific. (NOT generic and template-based)

⭐ The option to add on additional services as and when needed such as people-management training, workplace mediation (informal dispute resolution) or undertaking investigations.

⭐ The option to engage SSHR on a pay-as-you-go or single-project basis.

If you'd like to find out more about SSHR's services, please contact us to arrange an informal introductory chat.

☎ 07764 710724
📩 [email protected]

01/09/2025

🎉 WOW!! Another 'business birthday' has arrived - 5 YEARS of Sarah Smith HR Consultancy Ltd!! 🥳

The time has flown by!

For those who don't already know this, SSHR provides HR advice and support, largely (but not exclusively) to education sector clients, along with delivering TRAINING for people-managers and, perhaps the most rewarding workstream, providing workplace MEDIATION which supports people to work through disputes or conflict, so that they can keep working together productively.

It's still a growing business, so if you would like to find out more about the services we offer, or if you could introduce us to any school, academy and/or multi-academy trust leaders to add to our network, then please do get in touch. Thank you.

☎ 07764 710724
📩 [email protected]
www.sshr.co.uk

15/08/2025

SSHR was recently featured in a blog by Digital Reference called 'HR Consultants to watch for in 2025' - and it certainly was a glowing reference!

Discover top HR consultants & HR specialists in London to watch in 2025. Explore expert insights, people-first strategies, and innovative HR solutions shaping the UK’s workforce.

17/07/2025

Workplace conflict can be costly - but it doesn't have to be.

Unresolved issues between colleagues can lead to stress, lower performance, more sickness absence, potentially formal grievances and, worst case, resignations.

Mediation offers a practical and confidential route to resolution, before situations escalate further.

At Sarah Smith HR Consultancy Ltd, our accredited and experienced workplace mediators will support employees to engage in a meaningful discussion about the issues they are facing, and to work towards a mutually agreeable resolution, so that they can get back to working at their best.

Engaging a professional mediator can:
- Rebuild fractured working relationships
- Create a safe space for open and respectful conversation
- Reduce the risk of formal proceedings
- Support a more collaborative working environment

We’ve supported a wide range of organisations, across different sectors, to resolve disharmony, disputes or conflicts at work constructively – with lasting results.

Looking to resolve a dispute or conflict within your team?
Please get in touch with us to arrange a confidential conversation.

📧 [email protected]
📞 07764 710724

08/06/2025

As a business owner, I understand how important it is to have good people on hand to help with the things I’m NOT an expert in, which is why I have accountants, an IT person, a VA etc.

I wonder, though, how many business owners try to ‘wing it’ by themselves when it comes to people management / HR?

The message here is - you don’t have to!

Having reliable HR on standby is a way of minimising risk - getting your people processes right first time (as opposed to a trial and error approach), and saving yourself lots of time and energy so that you can do the job you ARE the expert in!

Food for thought, I hope. 🤔





Contact SSHR today for a no-obligation conversation about our services.

📩 [email protected]
☎️ 07764 710724

10/10/2023

What are the root causes of stress-related absence from work?

Within the CIPD’s 2023 survey report “Health and Wellbeing at Work” it was found that “stress continues to be one of the main causes of short- and long-term absence”.

The survey also found that amongst the most common causes of stress, 19% of respondents reported the cause as ‘relationships at work’. With that in mind – what are employers doing to address the working relationships that have broken down?

I imagine there are a few cynics out there thinking ‘These are grown-ups, can’t they just sort it out and get on with it?’ No, not necessarily, because if the issue is already causing stress, then that stress inhibits the brain’s logical reasoning function, so quite often if you’re in the thick of it, it can be difficult to see the way out.

That’s where employing the services of a professional mediator comes in. An external mediator (100% impartial) will, through a tried and tested framework of conversations, explore the fundamental needs of each party, individually, then bring all parties together so that they can have a constructive, facilitated discussion, in a safe, neutral space and ultimately (in most cases) agree on the steps they would like to take to rebuild a positive working relationship.

If stress is causing employee absence, and if the underlying cause is a fractured working relationship, then it’s the relationship that needs to be resolved, first, alongside all the wellbeing support the organisation has in place.

Please get in touch today if you'd like to arrange a confidential discussion to find out more about SSHR's professional workplace mediation services.

07764 710724
[email protected]

13/09/2023

📣SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYERS:

Q: WHY should you use an outsourced HR service provider? 🤫

A: BECAUSE having an HR expert on standby means that, at any time, you can access professional advice and support with (for example):

▶️Recruitment
▶️Employment contracts
▶️Employment policies
▶️Attendance / absence concerns
▶️Managing performance conversations
▶️Conducting a fair disciplinary process
▶️Handling redundancies
▶️Sourcing effective training solutions
▶️Resolving workplace disputes
▶️Creating effective teams

If you're not already an expert in these things, having a retained HR service could save you time, money and mitigate the risk of legal challenges arising. What you would gain is the peace of mind to allow you to get on with the work you ARE the expert in - running your business! 😃

Sarah Smith HR Consultancy Ltd offers flexible ways to engage an HR Consultant, either on a fixed monthly retainer or on a PAYG basis (the latter being popular for micro-businesses who aren't sure how much support they might need, but would like the option to have an HR expert on standby.)

Please contact me to arrange a no-obligation discussion:
📩 [email protected]
📞 07764 710724

Thank you.

01/09/2023

🎂🎈🎉It’s SSHR’s 3rd ‘business birthday’ today! (1st September)

A good opportunity, I thought, to reflect on and share some stories from the last twelve months, a few highs and lows of HR Consultancy & business ownership which are, of course, very different – my skills are in HR, I’m still learning all the time about being a business owner!

I’ll start with some of the business HIGHs for me:

✨ Working with London South East Academies Trust. Being on-site at Heron Academy, and seeing the amazing work they do there for children with complex learning and medical needs, was rewarding and inspiring.

✨ Extending my mediation skills to include team facilitation. The two charity sector projects I’ve undertaken so far were – from feedback received – a great success. It’s something I’d like to do more of in future – bringing people (including senior leaders) together to address working differences and/or challenges to build stronger and more productive, collaborative teams.

✨ Continuing my business relationship with Gingerbread (the UK charity for single parents) – working with their in-house HR EXPERT! (Congrats, Ella Whaley, for completing your CIPD course this year!)

✨ Enjoying some in-person meetings over coffee (virtual is all very well, but it can be a lonely life when you work from home!).

✨ Also, I am also coming up to 4 years of association with EPM Ltd, which has enabled me to work with a wide range of schools/academies as part of their associate consultancy team, supporting ER cases, investigations, mediation cases and delivering training (including Safer Recruitment).

✨ Too many new connections to mention all of them in person – but if you’re one of them, please know that I’m very thankful. 🙏

Business LOWS?
🥺Well, just the one really, and that’s managing the roller-coaster that is project-based freelance work. When you’re on the up it’s great, but the low points do call for a certain amount of resilience. I know I need to be more consistent with social media and networking, even when I’m busy. That’s my challenge for Year 4 – I’ll keep you posted!

But to end on another HIGH (on a personal note):
✨ A significant high-point of this year has been celebrating my Silver Wedding anniversary, so thank you to Craig Smith for sharing all the good times and for cheering me up at the other ones! 💖

With a combination of determination, luck and support - here's to another successful business year ahead!

18/08/2023

🎉 It's a Fabulous Feedback Friday! 🎉

I was very pleased, this morning, to receive this recommendation from Louise Skittrall FCIPD at Robinson Grace HR Consultancy:

"Sarah is a talented HR Consultant who exudes professionalism. She is a calming presence in complex cases and mediations and has the ability to get up to speed quickly, separating the key issues and finding pragmatic solutions. Sarah has managed complex grievance cases at senior level for us and is always commended for her work. I can highly recommend Sarah to any organisation looking for senior HR support."

Thank you, Louise! 🙏