The hidden cost of piecing HR together
Most small businesses don’t set out to buy HR from four different companies. It just happens. You pick up HR software to manage your people, add an employment law helpline after a tricky disciplinary, buy training when a client asks for certificates, and take out insurance once a tribunal claim feels too close for comfort.
Each one makes sense on its own. Together, they can cost around £14 per person, per month, plus the time it takes to manage them all.
HRoes brings HR software, employment law advice, compliance training and insurance-backed cover together in one unified platform, from £6 per person, per month. Here’s why a unified platform works out cheaper, easier and much better at keeping your business out of trouble.
What businesses usually pay for separately
To cover the basics properly, most employers end up paying for four things:
- HR software to hold employee records, manage absence and store documents.
- Employment law advice for the moments you can’t afford to get wrong, like grievances, disciplinaries and dismissals.
- Compliance training so your team understands harassment, discrimination, data protection and more, and you can prove it.
- Tribunal insurance to cover legal fees and compensation if a claim does land.
Bought from different providers, each comes with its own subscription, contract, renewal date and login. Some charge per employee, some charge a flat fee, and some charge extra every time you pick up the phone. That’s why the true cost is so easy to underestimate.
The numbers: £6 vs £14 per person
At £6 instead of £14 per person, per month, you save £8 per employee every month. That’s £96 per employee a year, or 57% less.
Here’s what that looks like for different team sizes:
| Team size | Several providers (£14 pp/month) | HRoes (from £6 pp/month) | Your yearly saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 employees | £1,680 a year | £720 a year | £960 |
| 25 employees | £4,200 a year | £1,800 a year | £2,400 |
| 50 employees | £8,400 a year | £3,600 a year | £4,800 |
| 100 employees | £16,800 a year | £7,200 a year | £9,600 |
For a 25-person business, that saving could fund a team day, new equipment or a few months of another tool. And that’s before you count the hours saved by not juggling several suppliers.
Why a unified platform prevents risk much better
The biggest cost of using several providers isn’t the subscriptions. It’s the gaps between them, and that’s where risk creeps in.
When your advice, records, training and insurance all sit with different companies, nobody sees the full picture. Advice given over the phone may never make it into your HR system. Training certificates sit in a separate portal. And if a claim lands, you’re left pulling evidence together from four places, against the clock.
A unified platform closes those gaps:
- Advice and action in one place. Guidance from our employment law experts links straight to the right process in the platform, so you follow it step by step.
- Every step recorded automatically. Each action, decision and document is logged and timestamped, so you can produce a tribunal-ready file in under 24 hours.
- Proof you took reasonable steps. Training completions sit alongside employee records, ready to show you did what the law expects.
- Processes that keep you on track. ACAS-aligned workflows guide managers through grievances, disciplinaries and absence, so steps aren’t missed.
- Up-to-date policies. Your policies are legally reviewed and updated every year, and staff sign them digitally.
- Cover that fits how you work. Because you’re following our guidance inside the platform, your insurance-backed cover is there for eligible legal costs and compensation when you need it.*
The result is fewer mistakes in the first place, and a much stronger position if something does go wrong.
Easier to run, as well as cheaper
One platform also means far less admin for you:
- One supplier, one contract, one renewal date instead of four.
- One login for managers and employees.
- One team to call who already knows your business and your history.
- No overlap or gaps between what each provider covers.
- One simple price per employee, so costs grow predictably with your team.
What you get with HRoes
Built by award-winning employment lawyers, the HRoes unified platform includes:
| What’s included | What it does for you |
|---|---|
| HR software | Employee records, absence, onboarding, documents, disciplinaries and reporting in one secure system |
| Employment law advice | Guidance from experienced lawyers when you need it, linked to the right process |
| Compliance training | CPD-accredited e-learning, with completions recorded automatically |
| Insurance-backed cover | Up to £250k towards eligible legal costs and compensation* |
All from £6 per person, per month.
Pay less, worry less
Paying several providers can cost around £14 per person a month and still leave gaps that put your business at risk. With HRoes, you get HR software, legal advice, training and cover working together in one unified platform, from £6 per person a month.
That’s less to pay, less to manage and far less to worry about. Protection, not heroics.
Ready to see how much you could save? Book your intro call or take the free 2-minute HR Risk Check to see where your business stands today.
*For eligible legal costs and compensation when you follow our guidance, subject to policy terms and conditions.