HR consultancy
Expert HR, without the HR department.
Contracts, policies, difficult conversations and the employment law behind them. Our HR consultancy is led by a consultant with a master's degree in human resource management, and it is built for employers who need sound advice without hiring a full HR team.
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Led by a consultant with a master's degree in human resource management
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One named consultant for your business, not a call centre
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Scope, fee and timings agreed in writing before any work starts
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Straight advice on where HR support ends and where you need a solicitor
Who it is for
Built for employers without an HR team.
And for HR teams with more work than hours. If people problems land on your desk and there is nobody to hand them to, this is for you.
Owners with no HR department
You are the HR department, on top of everything else. You need contracts that are right, policies people can follow and someone to ring when a problem lands.
Teams that are growing
Headcount is climbing and the informal way of doing things has stopped working. You want structure in place before the first dispute, not after it.
HR teams that need a hand
You have HR in house but not the hours. We take on a project, an investigation or a busy quarter and hand it back finished.
Services
Eight ways we take HR off your desk.
Each one is a defined piece of work with a clear result. Choose what you need, or describe the problem and we will tell you honestly which, if any, fits.
Ways to work with us
As much help as you need, and no more.
No long contract is required to get an answer to one question. Whatever the arrangement, the scope, the fee and the timings are agreed in writing before any work starts.
A defined project
One piece of work with a clear finish: an HR audit, a new handbook, a pay structure, a redundancy programme. The scope is fixed and agreed in writing.
Ongoing support
A named HR consultant on call for day to day questions, with regular reviews and project time when you need it.
An urgent issue
A grievance, a disciplinary matter or a complaint that needs an independent investigator. We step in, run a fair process and document it properly.
Hiring and HR together
We recruit the person, then set up the contract, the onboarding and the probation reviews, so the hire has the best chance of lasting.
Employment law watch
What has changed, and what is coming.
Irish employment law has moved quickly. These are the changes employers ask about most. Each one is general information, so check the detail with the authority named or with an adviser before you act.
In force since 1 January 2026
Pension auto enrolment is live
Employees aged 23 to 60 who earn €20,000 or more and are not already in a pension through payroll are enrolled in MyFutureFund automatically. The employer pays 1.5% of pay for the first three years, matching the employee. Taking part is mandatory and employers who do not can be fined.
In force since 29 June 2026
Retirement ages now need consent
Under the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025, an employee whose contract sets a retirement age below 66 can say in writing that they do not consent to retire, and stay until 66 unless the employer can objectively justify the age. The employer must give a reasoned written reply within one month.
Since 1 October 2026
PRSI has gone up
The main employer PRSI rate rose to 11.40% and the employee rate to 4.35%. Budget 2027 also announced that the weekly earnings threshold for the lower employer rate will rise from €552 to €600 during 2027.
From 1 January 2027
Minimum wage rises to €14.94
The national minimum wage is €14.15 an hour today. Budget 2027, delivered on 6 October 2026, confirmed an increase of 79 cent to €14.94 from 1 January 2027. Review any pay scales that sit just above the minimum before then.
By the end of November 2026
Gender pay gap reports are due
Employers with 50 or more employees are now in scope, down from 150 before 2025. The report uses a snapshot date in June 2026 and must be published by the end of November. Government guidance also asks for it to be uploaded to the Gender Pay Gap Portal, so check gov.ie before you file.
EU deadline of 7 June 2026 missed
Pay transparency is not law yet
Ireland did not transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive on time. As of early October 2026 there is no legal duty to show a pay range in a job advert and no ban on asking candidates about pay history, although both are proposed. It is coming, so a pay structure you can explain is worth building now.
Unchanged for 2026
Statutory sick pay stays at five days
After 13 weeks of service an employee is entitled to five days of statutory sick pay a year at 70% of normal pay, capped at €110 a day, with a medical certificate. The Government confirmed in April 2025 that the entitlement would stay at five days.
From 2 December 2027
AI in hiring: the rules are deferred
The EU AI Act treats software that screens or ranks job applicants as high risk. The duties on employers who use such tools, including telling workers, keeping a person in control and keeping logs, now apply from 2 December 2027, put back from August 2026.
Recruitment and HR together
The people who help you hire help you keep them.
Most agencies stop at the start date. Most HR firms start after it. We do both, so the contract, the onboarding and the probation reviews are ready before your new hire walks in.
- Job descriptions and adverts that are fair and legally sound
- Interviewer training on what you can and cannot ask
- Contracts issued on time, with the terms the law requires
- An onboarding and probation plan for every new starter
Questions
What employers ask before they call.
FH Recruitment provides HR advice and practical support. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. Where a matter needs a solicitor we will tell you, and we are happy to work alongside yours.
What does an HR consultant do for a small business?
The work an HR manager would do, without the cost of employing one full time. That usually means getting contracts and policies right, advising you through day to day people questions, guiding you through a disciplinary or grievance fairly, training your managers, and putting simple processes in place for hiring, probation, pay and performance. You decide how much help you need and when.
Is HR advice the same as legal advice?
No. We give HR advice and practical support: what good practice and the codes of practice expect, how to run a fair process, and how to document it. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. If a matter needs a solicitor, for example a claim that is heading to a hearing, we tell you early and work alongside yours.
How much does HR consultancy cost?
It depends on the work. A defined project has a fixed scope and fee. Ongoing support is a regular arrangement sized to your headcount and how much help you expect to need. In every case the scope, the fee and the timings are agreed in writing before any work starts, so you know the cost before you commit.
Do we have to recruit through FH Recruitment to use the HR service?
No. The HR consultancy stands on its own, and most HR questions have nothing to do with hiring. Where the two meet, such as contracts for new starters, interview training or onboarding, having both under one roof saves you explaining your business twice.
Can you help with a problem that is already under way?
Yes, and the earlier you call the more options you have. Ideally get in touch before any letter is sent or any decision is made. The first step is always to understand what has happened so far and what your own contracts and procedures say, because a fair outcome depends on following them.
Do you work on site or remotely?
Both. Most advice, document work and reviews are done by phone, video call and email. Investigations, training sessions and sensitive meetings are usually better in person, and we travel to employers across Ireland for those.
How do we get started?
Send the consultation request on this page with a line or two about what you need. Our HR consultant will contact you within one working day to arrange a conversation. After that you receive a short written proposal setting out the scope, the fee and the timings, and nothing starts until you have agreed it.
HR guides
Plain answers to the questions employers search for.
Request a consultation
Tell us what is on your desk.
A few lines is enough. Our HR consultant will contact you within one working day to arrange a conversation, and no work starts until you have agreed a written scope and fee.
- What you send is stored encrypted and seen only by our HR consultant.
- If something is happening this week, say so and we will prioritise the call.
- Prefer email? employers@fhrecruitment.ie
Hiring as well? We do that too.
One specialist consultant, a first shortlist target of 48 hours on permanent searches, and nothing to pay until your hire starts.