Skip to content
human-resources.org

The top 5 HR companies in Plymouth

Plymouth's options are fewer than comparable cities, so national providers with regional advisers matter more here.

Region
Devon
Nation
England
Population
264,000
Providers reviewed
12

The shortlist

  1. Avensure logo

    Avensure

    Featured partnerUK-wide

    Outsourced HR, employment law and health & safety provider for UK employers.

    Head office
    Manchester
    Founded
    Est. 2011
    Team size
    51-200 staff
    • HR Outsourcing
    • HR Consultancy
    • Employment Law Support
    • Health & Safety
    Read profileVisit website
  5. Croner logo

    Croner

    UK-wide

    Outsourced HR, employment law and health & safety advice for UK employers.

    Head office
    Hinckley
    Founded
    Est. 1941
    Team size
    201-500 staff
    • HR Outsourcing
    • HR Consultancy
    • Employment Law Support
    • HR Software
    Read profileVisit website

The Plymouth HR market

Plymouth's economy centres on marine, defence, and health, with a large naval base and dockyard presence. Choice of genuinely local HR consultancies is thinner than in Bristol or Exeter, which makes national providers with a South West adviser a practical default.

Who employs people in Plymouth

Local demand for HR support follows the local employer base. In Plymouth that is weighted towards defence and naval, marine and manufacturing, healthcare, higher education, with employers such as Babcock International (Devonport), University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Princess Yachts setting the terms other local employers are benchmarked against. Below the UK median, with dockyard and defence engineering above it. The practical consequence for anyone buying HR here: a defence and marine base with long contract cycles, so TUPE on contract renewal is a recurring local event.

Fees, tribunals and travel in Plymouth

Expect £150-£375 a month for a retained fixed-fee arrangement covering an employer of 10-50 staff, and £500-£950 a day for project consultancy. Claims brought by Plymouth staff are normally heard at Exeter, so representation at that venue is worth pricing separately when you compare quotes. On attendance: Plymouth advisers cover the far South West; Exeter and Bristol firms will bill the drive.

Local firms versus national providers

Of the 12 providers we reviewed for Plymouth, 2 are headquartered in the city (Astute HR Solutions, HR On Call (Plymouth)), 1 cover it from a regional base and 9 are national firms. Local firms tend to be cheaper on site visits and more flexible on contract length; national providers tend to win on insurance-backed tribunal cover and out-of-hours advice lines.

Narrow it down by service

Also serving Plymouth

  • MoorepayHR Outsourcing · HR Consultancy · Payroll

    Payroll and HR software and outsourced services for UK businesses.

  • CiphrPayroll · HR Software · Recruitment

    HR, payroll, recruitment and learning software platform for UK organisations.

  • Peninsula Business ServicesHR Outsourcing · HR Consultancy · Employment Law Support

    UK provider of outsourced HR, employment law and health & safety services for employers.

  • CitationHR Outsourcing · HR Consultancy · Employment Law Support

    HR, employment law and health & safety compliance services for growing UK businesses.

  • The HR DeptHR Outsourcing · HR Consultancy · Employment Law Support

    Franchised network of local outsourced HR consultants for UK SMEs.

  • Sage PeopleHR Software · Recruitment

    Cloud HR and talent management system for mid-sized and multinational organisations.

  • Natural HRPayroll · HR Software

    Cloud-based HR and payroll software for small to mid-market businesses.

Common questions

How much does outsourced HR cost in Plymouth?
For an employer of 10-50 staff in Plymouth, retained outsourced HR usually lands at £150-£375 a month on a fixed-fee contract, and project consultancy at £500-£950 a day. Local pay context matters: below the UK median, with dockyard and defence engineering above it. The single biggest price variable is whether tribunal representation and insurance are inside the fee or charged separately.
Where would an employment tribunal claim from Plymouth be heard?
Claims brought by Plymouth employees are normally heard at Exeter. That matters when you compare quotes: ask whether representation at that venue is included, who attends, and whether preparation time is capped.
Do I need an HR company based in Plymouth?
Not always, but you have the option: 2 of the 12 providers we reviewed for Plymouth are headquartered here (Astute HR Solutions, HR On Call (Plymouth)), and 9 are national firms covering the city. Local matters most for on-site disciplinaries, redundancy consultation and investigations - Plymouth advisers cover the far South West; Exeter and Bristol firms will bill the drive.
What HR issues come up most for Plymouth employers?
Plymouth's employer base is weighted towards defence and naval, marine and manufacturing, healthcare, higher education, with employers such as Babcock International (Devonport), University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Princess Yachts anchoring the local market. In practice that means a defence and marine base with long contract cycles, so TUPE on contract renewal is a recurring local event. When you shortlist, ask for examples in defence and naval and marine and manufacturing specifically rather than generic case studies.
What should I check before signing an HR contract?
Ask for the minimum term and notice period, whether you get a named adviser or a general advice line, whether tribunal representation and insurance are included, whether documents are drafted for you or handed over as templates, and what happens to your contracts and handbook if you leave. Fixed-fee national providers commonly use three- to five-year terms; negotiate that before signing.
How did you rank these Plymouth providers?
We reviewed 12 providers with a genuine presence in or serving Plymouth and ranked on verifiable evidence: trading history, whether coverage of Plymouth is real rather than a landing page, breadth of service lines, professional accreditation, and whether published claims can be corroborated from a primary source. Placement in the ranked shortlist cannot be bought.

All cities