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HR Support Services from one named consultant, not a call centre
HR Support Services covering employee relations, contracts, disciplinaries, and absence management. CIPD-qualified advice, same-day guidance on urgent cases, and documentation that holds up when challenged.
Make every HR decision one you'd stand behind
Every HR call you make will be tested later - by an employee, a manager, or a tribunal. With a helpline, you get different advice each time and no one across the case when it matters.
With Opus, one named HR consultant stays with every case from day one, so decisions are defensible, documentation holds up, and you can act with confidence.
What non-compliance actually cost your business
£20K+
Average HSE
enforcement fine
561K
Working days lost to workplace injury annually
1 in 3
Businesses fail their first HSE inspection
Find the HR support you need
Employee Relations
Support with grievances, disciplinaries, conduct, and capability cases. From informal resolution through to formal proceedings.
Contracts & Handbooks
New contracts drafted, existing ones reviewed, and employee handbooks updated to reflect current employment legislation.
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Company Restructuring
End-to-end redundancy support, from consultation planning and selection criteria through to fair process and documentation.
HR Advisory Support
Ongoing telephone and email HR advice from a CIPD-qualified practitioner. Commercial, quick, and grounded in current UK employment law.
Absence Management
Guidance through short-term, long-term, and recurring absence cases. Occupational health referrals arranged when a case needs medical input.
HR Document Drafting
Bespoke HR letters, policies and correspondence drafted for your specific case by a CIPD-qualified consultant. Not generic templates.
One Named HR Consultant
The same HR consultant on every call. They know your business, so you're never starting over.
Why UK employers choose Opus for HR
The same consultant every call, documents drafted for your case, and a process that holds up if it's ever challenged - so a difficult HR issue doesn't become a tribunal.
Continuity that Compounds
Your consultant learns the case, the people, and the policies over time. Every stage of every case sits in one file, so advice stays consistent, decisions hold up, and you're not briefing anyone from scratch.
Process, not just advice
Other providers tell you what to do. We walk you through it. Step-by-step guidance with every letter drafted, every meeting structured, and every process documented, so you're protected if it reaches a tribunal.
Virtual-first, same-day urgent
Most HR issues don't need someone on-site. Phone and email support is included as standard, and urgent cases get initial guidance the same day. On-site visits are available at our standard day rate when you need them.
CIPD-qualified specialists
Our HR consultants are CIPD-qualified and experienced in employment law, not generalists covering HR as a side desk. Every case is handled by someone who works in HR every day and understands where tribunals draw the line.
What non-compliance actually cost your business
67%
Reduction in near-miss incidents
£28K
Saved on insurance premiums annually
6hrs
Audit prep time per branch
Two ways to work with Opus
Both routes are delivered by our CIPD-qualified HR consultants. The difference is whether you book a single piece of HR work or manage cases under a partnership.
Book a service
Pay per engagement. Scoped to the specific HR issue in front of you.
HR Services Partnership
A named HR consultant across every case, every month. Fixed monthly fee.
Not sure which fits? Speak to a consultant - no commitment required.
HR support across your sector
Builders Merchants
Saturday operations, yard staff, and a mix of long-serving employees and new starters. Employee relations support that understands the culture of a merchant yard: direct, practical, no bureaucracy for its own sake.
Warehousing & Logistics
Seasonal peaks, rapid onboarding, and high agency staff ratios. Contracts and handbooks that reflect peak-season hiring. Absence policies that work when half your workforce arrived last month, and disciplinaries that account for drivers you rarely see in person.
Manufacturing & Engineering
Shift workers, agency staff, multi-language workforces, and high-turnover environments. Absence management that accounts for production schedules. Disciplinary processes that hold up when the workforce is spread across three shifts.
Garden Centres
Seasonal staffing surges, weekend rotas, and a workforce that ranges from experienced horticulturists to Saturday teenagers. Contracts that flex with the seasons. Absence and disciplinary processes that work when half the team changes between spring and winter.
Metal Stockholders
Yard crews, HGV drivers, and fabricators working across indoor and outdoor sites. Contracts that cover overtime and call-out patterns. Absence and capability cases handled in a workforce where fitness for the job matters as much as attendance.
Health & safety insights
Guidance, updates and practical advice for your sector.
How to tell whether a health and safety consultant is genuinely competent
What qualifications should a health and safety consultant have? What regulation 7 of the MHSWR 1999 asks, NEBOSH and IOSH levels, and how to check them.
What is COSHH? What the regulations cover and what they require
COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. What the 2002 Regulations cover, the nine hazard symbols and each duty in order.
DSE assessments: the duty and doing it at scale
DSE means display screen equipment. What a DSE assessment must cover under the 1992 Regulations, home and hybrid workers, and doing it at scale.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: duties, assessment and TILE
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: avoid, assess and reduce hazardous handling. What TILE stands for, and whether a weight limit exists.
Duty to manage asbestos: who holds it, and what it requires
Whoever is responsible for maintaining or repairing non-domestic premises holds the duty to manage asbestos. What regulation 4 requires and when to survey.
Best occupational health providers for UK employers in 2026: six compared
Six UK occupational health providers compared by fit: national clinic networks, safety-critical medics, SME specialists and on-site surveillance.
What a retained health and safety service includes
A retained health and safety service means ongoing access to a competent person. What it includes, what it can exclude, and what stays your legal duty.
Outsourced health and safety or an in-house appointment?
Employ if you need someone present, retain if you need competence you lack. What decides it, what it costs, and why neither moves your legal liability.
PUWER and machinery guarding: the duty holder's guide
PUWER is the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Who the duty holder is, what regulation 11 requires for guarding, and the records to keep.
RIDDOR meaning: what is reportable, and what is not
RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. What you must report, by when, and what is excluded.
Take control of your HR cases
Tell us what you're dealing with and we'll talk you through how to handle it.
Frequently asked questions
How can we reduce the risk of employee claims or legal disputes?
What should we do if an employee refuses to follow instructions?
How can we ensure compliance with employment laws?
How should we handle an employee grievance?
What steps should we follow for disciplinary action?
Is virtual HR support as effective as having someone on-site?
How does HR support connect with your other Opus services?
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