What is the difference between adhoc and retained HR support?

In this article we seek to share with you what the differences are between adhoc and retained HR support for your Day Nursery, Pre-school or Out of School Club.

Adhoc Support

The biggest benefit of this form of support is that it offers the client the ultimate in flexibility. There’s no contract to sign, you will ‘pay as you go’ much in the same way that this kind of phone contract works.

If someone just needs a second opinion or wants to buy a couple of hours support, then this is an ideal solution.

A good question to ask when deciding that this form of support is best for your Day Nursery, Pre-school or Out of School Club is what happens when you buy time. Will it be added to a timesheet? Does it expire if I do not use it immediately? What can I use it for?

Retained HR Support

This kind of support differs from adhoc in the sense that you are asking to be given support on an as needed basis for a period of time. Whereas when you need assistance as an adhoc client you might find that the HR Consultant is on holiday or unavailable to assist you, with retained because you have signed a contract it is down to the HR Consultancy to make sure you have assistance when you need it.

With a retained HR Support contract you will be agreeing to pay a set amount each month/year for a defined service or defined amount of time. If you sign a contract that gives you say for example 3 hours of support per month, do ask what happens if that 3 hours is exceeded in a given month. Can you carry forward unused time as well? As discussed in another article, these contracts are normally for 1, 3, 5, or even in some cases 7 years, please know what you have signed up for, before you sign the contract.

The beauty of retained is the relationship you build with your provider. They get to know you, you get to know them. You won’t have to repeat yourself! For most businesses its about looking after retained clients as they will recommend you to people they know.

In summary the adhoc relationship is flexible but they may not be around if the independent HR consultant is on holiday as they wouldn’t know you needed support, whereas the retained HR support is there for the duration of the contract and will get to know you and your business.