Get dependable outsourced HR support without needing to build your own internal HR team. MPP works alongside business owners and managers, providing practical support with everyday people matters, stronger HR processes and the issues that need experienced guidance
Choose the level of support that fits your business today, with the flexibility to increase that support as your organisation grows.
RETAINED HR SUPPORT, SHAPED AROUND YOU
Retained HR support for growing businesses
ONE PEOPLE FRAMEWORK. THREE LEVELS OF SUPPORT
Every MPP retained partnership is built around our People Framework — Protect, Build, Develop and Grow. It gives us a clear structure for understanding where your business is today, identifying your people priorities and focusing your HR support where it will make the greatest difference.
The framework shapes what we work on. You choose how much support you need.
HR Essentials → Advise me
HR Partner → Help me do it
Embedded HR Partner → Become part of my business
01 - HR ESSENTIALS
Reliable foundations and practical guidance
Best suited to: Smaller and growing businesses that manage most day-to-day people matters themselves but want dependable HR advice, stronger processes and greater confidence handling employee issues.
HR Essentials gives you access to experienced HR support when you need guidance, without the cost of building an internal HR team. Using the MPP People Framework to identify your priorities, we help you get the fundamentals right, answer everyday HR questions and give managers greater confidence dealing with routine people matters.
Your HR Essentials support can include:
Telephone and email HR advice for everyday people matters
Guidance on absence, conduct, capability and performance
Advice on straightforward employee relations issues
Employment contracts and core HR policy templates
Guidance on applying policies and procedures consistently
Designed for advice and guidance
HR Essentials is designed for businesses that are comfortable managing routine HR activity internally. Where a matter requires more extensive case management, documentation, meetings or hands-on support, MPP can provide this separately or discuss moving to a higher level of retained support.
INVESTMENT
From £395 per month
Following an initial three-month partnership, ongoing arrangements can continue on a more flexible basis.
Support with probation and performance conversations
Practical manager guidance and HR templates
Regular HR updates and employment law guidance
Access to MPP's Client Hub resources
Scheduled HR check-ins to review priorities against the MPP People Framework
02 — HR PARTNER
MOST POPULAR
Best suited to: Growing businesses that want a closer HR partnership, with experienced support not only advising managers but helping them manage employee matters, documentation and people processes confidently and consistently.
HR Partner combines responsive advice with practical, hands-on support. MPP works alongside your managers to turn the priorities identified through the People Framework into practical action — resolving people issues, strengthening HR processes and keeping your people plan moving forward.
Your HR Partner support includes everything within HR Essentials, plus:
Hands-on HR support for your business
Bespoke letters and HR documentation
Hands-on employee relations case support
Practical coaching and guidance for line managers
Regular People Framework reviews and priority planning
Policy and process development
Workforce information and people-risk reviews
Support coordinating HR systems and employee records
Manager and employee development support
Proactive people planning
More hands-on support
HR Partner is designed for businesses that want MPP to work alongside their managers, helping prepare documentation, manage routine employee relations cases and turn HR advice into practical action. More complex projects, formal investigations or significant organisational change can be scoped separately where required.
INVESTMENT
From £695 per month
Following an initial three-month partnership, ongoing arrangements can continue on a more flexible basis.
03 — EMBEDDED HR PARTNER
Your outsourced HR partner, embedded in your business
Best suited to: Growing, operational or multi-site businesses that need regular hands-on HR capacity and want MPP to operate as an extension of their business, supporting managers and coordinating day-to-day people activity.
Embedded HR Partner provides a more integrated outsourced HR service, combining proactive planning with regular hands-on delivery. Using the MPP People Framework, we build and maintain a practical People Plan around your priorities, while becoming a familiar point of HR support for your managers and your business.
Your Embedded HR Partner support includes everything within HR Partner, plus
A proactive People Plan, structured around Protect, Build, Develop and Grow
Dedicated scheduled HR support time
Workforce planning and organisational support
Management coaching and capability development
Regular compliance and people-risk reviews
Engagement and retention planning
Coordination of HR systems and agreed people administration
Regular HR reporting and management information
Embedded in your day-to-day HR
MPP works more closely with your business, providing agreed HR capacity, maintaining your People Plan and taking greater ownership of routine people activity
Businesses requiring dedicated strategic HR leadership, leadership-team participation or significant organisational development can also explore our Fractional HR Leadership service
INVESTMENT
From £1,195 per month
Scope and scheduled support are tailored to the size, complexity and requirements of your business.
We will agree a clear scope and monthly support allocation tailored to your business. Where formal investigations, significant restructures or other substantial projects fall outside the agreed scope, we will discuss any additional support and costs with you before work begins.
04 -HOW IT WORKS
Every retained partnership starts by understanding where your business is today. Our HR Health Check and MPP People Framework help identify your strengths, risks and priorities, giving us a clear starting point for your support.
A retained partnership built around your business
01 — Assess
Complete the MPP HR Health Check to assess your current people practices and identify strengths, risks and opportunities.
02 — Prioritise
We review your results through the Protect, Build, Develop and Grow framework and agree the areas where support will make the greatest difference.
03 — Tailor
We turn those priorities into a practical People Plan, with an agreed level of support, clear actions and an initial focus.
04 — Partner
We work alongside you to deliver the plan, deal with day-to-day people matters and regularly review priorities as your business evolves.
Your People Plan evolves with your business — keeping your HR support focused on what matters most.
Need senior strategic HR leadership? Explore our Fractional HR Leadership service →
05 — RETAINED HR SUPPORT FAQ
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Retained HR support gives your business ongoing access to experienced HR expertise for an agreed monthly fee. Rather than employing a full internal HR team, you have an HR partner who understands your business and can provide regular advice, guidance and practical support as People issues arise.
With MPP, the level of involvement can range from dependable HR advice through to hands-on support or an embedded outsourced HR partnership.
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The terms are often used interchangeably, but outsourced HR can describe a broader arrangement where an external provider manages some or all of a business's HR activity.
MPP's retained HR support is flexible. You can retain control of day-to-day HR and use us for advice and guidance, or choose a more embedded service where MPP works alongside your managers and provides regular hands-on HR capacity.
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Retained HR support can work particularly well for small and growing businesses that need experienced HR expertise but do not yet require, or want the cost of, a full internal HR function.
It can also support larger or multi-site businesses that already have internal resources but need additional HR capacity, specialist expertise or more senior People support.
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This depends on the level of support you choose. MPP's retained services can include everyday HR advice, employment contracts and policies, employee relations support, bespoke HR documentation, manager guidance, People planning, compliance reviews, HR systems support and workforce information.
Our three levels — HR Essentials, HR Partner and Embedded HR Partner — provide increasing levels of hands-on support. We agree the scope with you from the outset so you are clear about what is included
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Yes. Depending on your chosen level of support, MPP can advise on or help manage employee relations matters including absence, performance, capability, conduct, grievances and disciplinary issues.
Where a case requires a substantial investigation, significant restructuring or work outside the agreed retained scope, we will discuss this with you before additional work or costs are incurred
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A useful starting point is the free MPP HR Health Check. It reviews your current People approach across Protect, Build, Develop and Grow, helping identify strengths, risks and priorities.
We can then use those priorities, alongside the size and complexity of your business and the level of internal HR capability you already have, to determine whether HR Essentials, HR Partner or Embedded HR Partner is the best fit.
Not sure which level of HR support is right for your business?
RETAINED HR SUPPORT
Start with our free HR Health Check. It will help you understand where your People foundations are strong and identify priorities across Protect, Build, Develop and Grow.
Use your results to get a clearer picture of where external HR support could make the greatest difference to your business
START YOUR FREE HR HEALTH CHECK
Already know you need HR support?
Book a confidential introductory call to discuss your business and the level of support that could work best for you.
