Need Ongoing Outsourced HR Support but Cannot Justify a Full-Time Hire?
A full-time HR manager costs $180,000 or more all-in. Outsourced HR consulting from $250 per hour, billed in 15-minute increments, with no lock-in contracts.
When DIY HR Stops Working
Your business has grown. What started as managing a handful of employees has become dealing with compliance obligations, performance issues, leave requests, policy questions, and the occasional crisis that needs an immediate, qualified response. You are spending hours each week on HR tasks that fall outside your expertise, and every hour spent navigating employment law and people issues is an hour not spent on your core business.
- Ad-Hoc from $250/hr, billed in 15-minute increments
- HR Partner retainer — monthly hours with rollover
- HR Manager retainer — substantial hours + onsite visits
Your Business Has Outgrown DIY HR: When to Outsource
The HR Support Tipping Point for Growing Businesses
Many Australian businesses reach a point where HR matters start consuming more of the owner's time than they can afford to give. It might happen at five employees, fifty, or one hundred. The trigger is not a specific headcount but the moment when the complexity of employer obligations under the Fair Work Act, the frequency of people issues, the volume of administrative HR work, and the risk of getting something wrong start outweighing what the business can manage internally. At that point, outsourced HR services fill the gap, providing businesses with access to effective HR advice, proactive compliance management, and a qualified professional to call when situations arise, without the cost, the recruitment process, and the long-term commitment of a full-time HR position.
If you are spending more time on people management than on your business goals, if compliance questions are consuming your attention, if you have had a situation arise and realised you need expert HR advice, or if you are avoiding a difficult conversation because you are not sure of the correct process, you have likely reached the point where outsourced HR support is the most practical and cost-effective solution for your business.
Three Outsourced HR Service Models: Work with Daniel
Brookvale HR Solutions offers three HR outsourcing models, each providing tailored HR solutions for a different stage of business growth and a different level of HR need. All three are delivered personally by Daniel. The pricing is transparent, and none of the engagement models require a lock-in contract. This flexible HR approach means if your HR needs change, your engagement model can change with them.
One of the most common things I hear from new clients is that they previously called an HR hotline or a larger consultancy and had to explain their situation from scratch every time. That is the problem outsourced HR solves when it is done properly. I know your business, your people, your policies, and your history. When you call, I pick up where we left off.
Outsourced HR Engagement Models
Three tiers, scaling to the level of HR support your business needs. All three are delivered personally by Daniel. Full inclusions on the Pricing page.
Pay-as-you-go sense-check
- One-off sense-checks on difficult decisions
- Preparation for a difficult conversation
- Second opinion on a contract clause
- Decision stress-testing before you act
Regular HR advice
- 5 hours of HR consulting per month
- 2.5-hour rollover for unused time
- Additional hours at $250/hr
- Practical option without an in-house HR hire
Embedded senior HR resource
- 20 hours of dedicated HR consulting
- One onsite visit per month
- Comprehensive HR Compliance Audit at commencement
- Additional hours at $250/hr
Not sure where to start? The HR Compliance Audit establishes a clear baseline for your business.
- Compliance Gap MapStructured review of your existing employment framework against current Australian employment legislation.
- Risk-Prioritised RoadmapEvery gap identified, prioritised by exposure, with practical remediation actions.
- Engagement Model RecommendationA clear recommendation on which model (Ad-Hoc, HR Partner, or HR Manager) fits your business stage and ongoing HR needs.
HR Compliance Audit starts from $1,500 + GST. Fully credited toward any follow-on work including retainer engagements.
HR Cost Comparison Calculator
Compare the cost of external HR support against a full-time HR hire based on the size of your business. Move the sliders and the calculator returns the cost comparison across ad hoc, retainer, and in-house hire.
Tool
HR Cost Comparison Calculator
Takes about 1 minute.
See how outsourced HR support compares to a full-time in-house hire, based on your headcount and HR hours.
Include time spent on contracts, policies, performance management, compliance questions, payroll queries, and recruitment.
Result
HR Partner is the most cost-effective option.
In-House HR Manager $16,875/mo | Ad hoc $2,000/mo | HR Partner $1,750/mo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $16,875 | $2,000 | $1,750 |
| Annual | $202,500 | $24,000 | $21,000 |
| Note | Base $150,000 + 35% on-costs. | 8 × $250 | $1,000 + 3 × $250 |
In-House HR Manager
$16,875/mo
- Monthly
- $16,875
- Annual
- $202,500
- Note
- Base $150,000 + 35% on-costs.
Ad hoc
$2,000/mo
- Monthly
- $2,000
- Annual
- $24,000
- Note
- 8 × $250
HR Partner
$1,750/mo
- Monthly
- $1,750
- Annual
- $21,000
- Note
- $1,000 + 3 × $250
Annual savings vs an in-house hire: $181,500
Ready to talk numbers with Daniel?
Choose the plan that matches your headcount and HR volume, or book a call to run the numbers for your specific business.
What Sets Brookvale HR Solutions Apart
Compared to a Recruitment Agency
Many recruitment agencies offer HR consulting as an add-on service, typically staffed by recruiters who handle HR enquiries alongside their core recruitment work. The HR service is a secondary offering, not the primary focus, and is not equivalent to having a dedicated HR department or specialist working on your matters. Brookvale HR Solutions is a dedicated HR consultancy. Daniel is a senior HR specialist with an MBA, not a recruiter who also answers HR questions. Read more about Daniel's qualifications, experience, and approach on the About page. Every engagement, from a single ad-hoc call to a comprehensive HR Manager retainer, is led by Daniel personally. There are no account managers filtering your calls. No junior consultants handling your matters. No handoffs to someone who does not know your business or your industry.
When you call, I pick up where we left off.
Compared to an In-House HR Hire
The sole practitioner model means you work with the same experienced HR professional every time you engage Brookvale HR Solutions. Daniel knows your business, your people, your HR policies, your award obligations, and the history of every matter he has worked on with you. That continuity and depth of knowledge is not available from a larger firm where your file is allocated to whichever consultant happens to be available that week. Unlike an in-house HR hire, you do not carry the cost of salary, superannuation, leave entitlements, and management overhead, and unlike an external firm, you do not lose institutional memory between engagements. Daniel has provided HR consulting services and outsourced HR support across dozens of industries including defence, education, manufacturing, professional services, not-for-profit, sports, and hospitality, among others.
That breadth of experience means you receive expert HR support and solutions tailored to your business, informed by best practice from comparable organisations across sectors.
How Daniel Works with Retainer Clients
Every retainer engagement is delivered personally by Daniel. There are no account managers filtering your calls, no junior consultants handling your matters, and no handoffs between people who do not know your business. The same senior HR professional who scopes the engagement does the work, and stays across your policies, your people, and your history. That continuity is what makes the retainer model effective: when a situation arises, the context is already there.
- MBA
- Cert IV Government Investigations
- Cert IV WHS
- AHRI Member
- Former Military Police Officer
What clients say about working with Daniel
“We recently worked with Brookvale HR Solutions to conduct a full HR audit, implement a new HR and safety policy suite, and resolve a difficult employee performance issue. Dan made the whole process straightforward, gave very practical advice, and ensured we were compliant at every step. We're now much clearer and more confident in how we manage our team, and we feel our HR and safety foundations are in a much stronger position. We will continue working with Dan and the team for all our HR needs and highly recommend them to any business needing HR support.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Outsourced HR Services
Common questions on the engagement models, the scope of HR services, and how outsourced HR scales with your business.
Situations Where Ongoing Support Helps
No HR Policies
If your business has grown without formalising its HR framework, ongoing support can include building the workplace policies, employment contracts, and procedures your business needs alongside the day-to-day advisory work.
View No HR PoliciesPaying Correctly?
Award interpretation and payroll compliance are areas where ongoing compliance support prevents issues from developing over time. A retainer ensures your award classifications and payroll configurations are reviewed regularly.
View Paying Correctly?Letting Someone Go
Termination, performance management, and disciplinary processes are among the more common reasons business owners seek ongoing HR support. Having a senior HR professional available means the process is handled correctly from the outset.
View Letting Someone GoFractional HR
If your business has moved past ad-hoc or retainer support and needs embedded HR leadership without the permanent headcount, fractional HR delivers senior HR capability at the leadership level.
View Fractional HRSenior HR Expertise, Without the Overhead. Start with a Conversation.
Not sure where to start? Start with a free 30-minute strategy call or run the HR Cost Comparison Calculator. Call 1300 23 44 23 or book online via Calendly.