Response
Every employee or owner request answered within 10 minutes. Sensitive matters acknowledged by a named specialist within 1 working hour.
Depends on: Requests reaching the People Desk.
Service credit.
Guarantees
Contractual, not aspirational.
Every guarantee is measured monthly and reported on your People P&L. Service credits are 25% of the monthly fee per breach, capped at 100% of that month's fee, applied automatically — you never have to claim.
| Guarantee | Standard | Depends on | If we miss it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Response | Every employee or owner request answered within 10 minutes. Sensitive matters acknowledged by a named specialist within 1 working hour. | Requests reaching the People Desk. | Service credit. |
| Contract | Any contract, letter or amendment drafted the same working day. | Instruction received before 15:00. | Service credit. |
| Payroll | Migrated in 7 working days with a parallel run. Every filing on time, every run accurate. | Access to current payroll data and bank authorisations. | We carry the penalties, capped at 12 months' fees per year, plus service credit. |
| Compliance | Green within 30 days for everything within our control. | Historic records supplied and registrations authorised. | We carry penalties arising from our misses, capped, plus service credit. |
| Hiring | Shortlist in 5 working days. Offer accepted within 15. | Owner interviewing within 3 days and deciding within 48 hours. | Service credit. |
| Retention | A hire who leaves inside 6 months is replaced free. | No change to the role or terms after offer. | Replacement at our cost. |
| Performance | Live objectives and a briefed fortnightly check-in for every employee. Concerns reach the owner within 30 days. | Managers attending scheduled check-ins. | Service credit. |
| Career | A career file and development plan for every employee within 60 days. Every role benchmarked annually. | Employee participation in one career conversation. | Service credit. |
| Process | Dismissals and retrenchments procedurally sound. | Our process followed as written and no unilateral owner action. | We fund representation and any procedural award, capped at 12 months' fees per matter and 24 per year. |
| Growth | The agreed contribution-per-head target met. | Sprint decisions taken within 10 working days. | 20% of our fee at risk; bonus for exceeding it, capped at 20%. |
Contract
Any contract, letter or amendment drafted the same working day.
Depends on: Instruction received before 15:00.
Service credit.
Payroll
Migrated in 7 working days with a parallel run. Every filing on time, every run accurate.
Depends on: Access to current payroll data and bank authorisations.
We carry the penalties, capped at 12 months' fees per year, plus service credit.
Compliance
Green within 30 days for everything within our control.
Depends on: Historic records supplied and registrations authorised.
We carry penalties arising from our misses, capped, plus service credit.
Hiring
Shortlist in 5 working days. Offer accepted within 15.
Depends on: Owner interviewing within 3 days and deciding within 48 hours.
Service credit.
Retention
A hire who leaves inside 6 months is replaced free.
Depends on: No change to the role or terms after offer.
Replacement at our cost.
Performance
Live objectives and a briefed fortnightly check-in for every employee. Concerns reach the owner within 30 days.
Depends on: Managers attending scheduled check-ins.
Service credit.
Career
A career file and development plan for every employee within 60 days. Every role benchmarked annually.
Depends on: Employee participation in one career conversation.
Service credit.
Process
Dismissals and retrenchments procedurally sound.
Depends on: Our process followed as written and no unilateral owner action.
We fund representation and any procedural award, capped at 12 months' fees per matter and 24 per year.
Growth
The agreed contribution-per-head target met.
Depends on: Sprint decisions taken within 10 working days.
20% of our fee at risk; bonus for exceeding it, capped at 20%.
The growth metric, defined so it can never punish hiring.
Contribution per head is gross profit divided by average full-time equivalents, measured on a trailing four quarters.
New hires are excluded for their first 90 days. Contractors are counted. Agreed exclusions — an acquisition, a once-off project, a customer loss outside your control — are written into the contract at the start.
The number is verified from your management accounts, with your accountant as final arbiter. 20% of our fee is at risk against the target. Any bonus for exceeding it is capped at 20%.
Behind the guarantees
- Professional indemnity cover in place, with a funded reserve for service credits and penalties.
- Standards are set from measured data, not marketing, and are never adjusted retroactively.
- Dependencies are stated up front and a guarantee is suspended only for the month in which its dependency is not met.