Upgrading or downgrading? This guide details exactly what you gain or lose at each tier. Every package builds on the one below it — upgrading adds depth, capacity, and strategic firepower.
Help Desk & Guidance
Who answers your HR questions
- Email-based HR support (business hours)
- Response within 24 business hours
- Guidance on employee relations, discipline, attendance
- Access to StrataHR knowledge base & resource library
+ Growth Adds
- Priority response within 4 business hours
- Direct phone/email access to your named HR Partner
- Proactive outreach — HR Partner flags issues before they escalate
+ Strategic Partner Adds
- Same-day response SLA for urgent matters
- HR Partner attends leadership/all-hands as embedded HR rep
- Executive escalation path for sensitive matters
Dedicated HR Partner
Named point of contact
— Not included
- Named fractional HR professional assigned to your account
- Attends up to 2 leadership meetings/month
- Strategic advisor, not just reactive support
- Continuity — same partner learns your culture & team
- Senior HR Partner with executive-level experience
- Attends up to 4 leadership/board meetings/month
- Acts as de facto VP of HR for your organization
Policy Review & Updates
Keeping your policies current
- Annual review of up to 5 existing policies
- Employee handbook gap analysis
- Federal & state regulation alignment check
- Written recommendations (implementation is client-led)
+ Growth Adds
- Review of up to 15 policies per year
- StrataHR drafts updated language — not just recommendations
- Bi-annual policy audit cycle
- Manager communication templates for policy rollouts
+ Strategic Partner Adds
- Unlimited policy reviews — on-demand
- Full employee handbook ownership & rewrite
- Multi-state compliance support
- Policy training delivery to managers & staff
Compliance Monitoring
Staying ahead of labor law
- Monthly federal/state law change alerts
- I-9 & FLSA classification guidance
- EEO/OSHA basic monitoring checklist
- ACA compliance reminders
+ Growth Adds
- Proactive compliance calendar — deadlines flagged in advance
- Wage & hour risk audit
- Required posting compliance (federal/state/local)
+ Strategic Partner Adds
- FMLA/ADA/LOA administration & tracking
- EEOC filing support
- HR audit readiness (annual internal audit)
- Litigation risk assessment with legal referral network
Onboarding Templates
New hire readiness
- New hire paperwork packet (offer letter, I-9, W-4, direct deposit)
- Employee handbook acknowledgment form
- 30/60/90-day onboarding plan template
- New hire orientation checklist (IT, benefits, intro meetings)
- Equipment & system access request form
- Manager's new hire guide
+ Growth Adds
- Role-specific onboarding tracks (sales, ops, leadership)
- Custom 30/60/90-day plans built per hire
- HR Partner reviews each onboarding plan before start date
- Preboarding communications sequence (before day 1)
+ Strategic Partner Adds
- Automated onboarding workflows via HRIS
- Digital e-signature document collection
- Offboarding protocols (exit interviews, equipment return, COBRA)
- Knowledge transfer planning for departing employees
Recruiting Support
Open role capacity
— Not included
Up to 3 Concurrent Roles
- Job description writing & multi-board posting
- Applicant screening & shortlisting
- Interview scheduling & coordination
- Structured interview guide creation
- Offer letter preparation & negotiation support
Full TA Function — Unlimited Roles
- Everything in Growth, no role cap
- Proactive talent sourcing (LinkedIn, job boards, referrals)
- Employer brand development & job ad optimization
- Recruiting pipeline reporting & analytics
- Vendor/agency management & negotiation
- Offer-to-start onboarding handoff
Performance Management
Review systems & accountability
— Not included
+ Growth Adds
- Custom performance review template (annual & mid-year)
- Review cycle calendar & deadline tracking
- Rating scale & competency framework design
- PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) templates
- Manager training on delivering reviews effectively
+ Strategic Partner Adds
- Goal-setting framework (OKR or MBO) deployment
- 360-degree feedback process design
- Performance calibration facilitation across managers
- Succession planning tied to review outcomes
L&D Programs
Training & development
— Not included
— Not included
Strategic Partner Only
- Learning needs assessment across departments
- Custom training program design (manager, compliance, DEI)
- LMS selection, setup, or optimization
- Quarterly training calendar & facilitation schedule
- Training effectiveness tracking & reporting
HR Tech & HRIS
Systems & tools
— Not included
Optimization
- Audit of current HRIS, ATS, and HR tools
- Workflow optimization recommendations
- Integration guidance between HR systems
- Configuration support for existing tools
- Tool selection advisory if switching platforms
Full Implementation
- HRIS selection & end-to-end implementation
- Data migration & historical records transfer
- Employee self-service portal setup
- Automated onboarding/offboarding workflows built out
- Manager & employee training on new system
- Ongoing system admin support
HR Review Cadence
Check-in frequency & depth
Monthly Call
- 60-minute monthly HR review call
- Open issues triage & priority setting
- Call notes & action items delivered post-meeting
Quarterly Roadmap Review
- Monthly check-in (as in Essentials)
- 90-minute quarterly strategic planning session
- HR priorities & OKR alignment
- Workforce planning discussion
- Written quarterly HR roadmap delivered after each session
Monthly Executive HR Briefing
- Everything in Growth
- Monthly C-suite HR report (board-ready format)
- Headcount & turnover analytics
- Compensation benchmarking updates
- Strategic HR risk assessment
- HR metrics dashboard maintained & updated monthly
Benefits Administration
Employee benefits management
— Not included
— Not included
Strategic Partner Only
- Open enrollment planning & management
- Benefits vendor selection & negotiation support
- Employee benefits communications & education
- 401(k) / retirement plan coordination
- COBRA, FMLA, ADA leave administration
- Benefits benchmarking against industry peers
Best For
Small businesses (1–25 employees) needing foundational HR support, compliance basics, and structure without a full-time HR hire.
Growing companies (25–75 employees) actively hiring, managing performance, and needing a strategic HR partner in their corner.
Scaling organizations (75+ employees) that need a fully built-out HR function — recruiting, benefits, tech, L&D, and executive-level reporting.
What You Feel
"I have HR on call and I'm covered if something goes wrong."
"I have an HR partner who knows my business and is actively helping us grow."
"HR is a competitive advantage — I have enterprise-level people operations without the enterprise overhead."