Building the HR foundations of a growing SaaS business
A discovery review that surfaced compliance risk, an underutilised HRIS, and a people experience that was struggling to keep pace with business growth.
The Challenge
A business that had scaled faster than its People infrastructure
The client was an established SaaS business, with a loyal customer base, recent investment, and ambitions to expand. With no dedicated HR resource, however, growth had come at a pace the HR function couldn’t match. Policies were outdated, the HRIS was underutilised and there were some structural people issues creating friction the leadership team could feel but were unsure how to address.
The leadership team wanted an honest picture of where they stood: what the risks were, what was working, and what needed to change.
No HR resource
No dedicated HR function. Managers navigating complex people situations without qualified support or documented processes.
The Approach
The engagement comprised two parallel workstreams, designed to give leadership both a documentary baseline and an honest picture of the lived employee experience, before any recommendations were made
The Recommendations
The findings were translated into a structured, workable programme, with each workstream directly evidenced by the review. The two highest-risk workstreams were recommended for immediate commencement.
01.
Every engagement starts with an honest picture of where you are now.
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Legal exposure
Outdated policies and missing key documentation.
HRIS underutilised
Subscribed to an HRIS platform but critical data gaps and core features unused.
Two workstreams. Four weeks. A complete picture.
Geographical disconnect
A cultural gap between multiple locations, with staff in one feeling less visible and less supported.
No performance framework
No objective setting, appraisal cycle, or capability process with inconsistent and unclear annual pay reviews.
Inconsistent onboarding
Genuine strengths in onboarding but uneven delivery across departments and no standardised framework.
02. Stakeholder Interviews
Qualitative interviews across all levels and office locations, from C-suite to individual contributors, to surface the real employee experience and understand strengths, pain points and cultural dynamics from the inside.
01. Document
& HRIS Review
Full audit of all HR policies, employment contract, company handbook, and the HRIS, assessing compliance, completeness, legislative completeness, and actual utilisation against capability.
Why it matters
Six areas. A clear priority order.
The review surfaced findings across six interconnected areas, some of which were anticipated.
Many HR engagements start with solutions. This one started with listening. The combination of documentation audit and structured interviews meant every recommendation could be grounded in both legal reality and lived experience, not assumptions about what a business of this size and type usually needs.
The leadership team were presented with both the compliance picture and the unfiltered voice of their people, making the prioritisation conversation straightforward.
What We Found
HR Compliance & Documentation
Several legally required documents were absent, including standalone grievance and disciplinary procedures and Health & Safety policy
Employment contract referencing outdated legislation
Policies embedded within the handbook rather than held as standalone documents, reducing their legal weight and employee accessibility
No version control, review dates, or named ownership on any document across the entire suite
HRIS
Right-to-work documentation absent for multiple employees
Employee contracts not uploaded; sickness records not finalised; demographic data incomplete
Performance management, document storage, and communication features entirely unused, limiting the platform's value to the business
Performance Management
No formal framework in place, with objective setting, appraisals, and career development absent or inconsistent across departments
Annual pay review experienced as unclear and inconsistent
No capability procedure, leaving the business legally exposed in any termination challenge
Culture & Ways of Working
Consistently reported and meaningful disconnect between geographical offices
Ambiguity around hybrid and flexible working creating inequity, frustration, and retention and recruitment risk
Frequent terminations without visible process creating background job insecurity, affecting morale and culture
The business had genuinely fantastic people and a culture worth protecting. The risks weren't a reflection of bad intent, they were a reflection of how fast the business had grown without the infrastructure catching up.
HR Compliance, Documentation & HRIS
Produce missing legally required documents; update all policies to current legislation; establish minimum HRIS usage standards and manager training. Highest priority.
02.
03.
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05.
Performance Management Framework
Company-wide objective setting, formalised one-to-ones, appraisal cycle, capability procedure, and a reformed pay review process. Highest priority.
Manager Capability Development
HR playbooks for key processes, targeted workshops, and clear decision-making boundaries to reduce C-suite involvement in day-to-day people matters.
Onboarding Framework
Standardise the onboarding experience across offices, including pre-arrival communications, 30/60/90 day plans, buddy system, and formal probation milestones.
Culture, Connection & Ways of Working
A hybrid working policy, structured cross-office contact, career progression framework, and benefits review, protecting the culture that makes the business a place people are proud to work.
From unknown risk to clear priority order.
The Outcome
In four weeks, the business moved from partial visibility, knowing that people issues existed but without a clear picture of their severity or source, to a structured, evidenced set of priorities with a clear programme of work to address them.
Stakeholder interviews across all levels and offices
Phase 2 workstreams scoped, costed, and prioritised
HR documents reviewed and assessed for compliance
Specific prioritised recommendations across 5 workstreams
The leadership team received a written report covering all findings, and a fully scoped Phase 2 proposal setting out exactly what needed to happen, in what order, and at what cost. The most important outcome: a clear, shared understanding across the leadership team of where the business stood and what it needed to do next.
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Who Is This For?
No dedicated HR function
This engagement is designed for growing businesses at a specific inflection point, where the team has scaled, but the HR infrastructure hasn't kept pace, and the leadership team suspects there are risks they can't fully see.
You don't have an in-house HR lead and people issues are landing with the CEO, COO, or line managers without qualified support.
Scaling faster than your processes
The business has grown significantly in the last two to three years and you know the people infrastructure hasn't kept up.
Something doesn't feel right
There are cultural or performance issues you can sense but can't fully diagnose and you want an honest, external picture before acting.
Preparing to scale further
Investment secured, expansion planned, or headcount set to grow and you want HR foundations that can support that growth without creating new risk.