HR Consulting Retainers

HR Consulting Retainers for Ontario Employers

Most Ontario employers between 10 and 100 employees cannot justify a full-time HR hire but face real HR and employment law risk every day. A retainer provides Q.ARB-credentialed HR access -- the kind of expertise that usually costs $90,000 a year in salary -- on a month-to-month basis, without the overhead.

No lock-in contracts. Cancel with 30 days' written notice. Always.

Retainer Tiers

Essential

$800 to $1,200/month + HST

Up to 4 hours per month

--Email and phone advisory support
--HR and employment law questions
--Policy review and compliance questions
--Employee relations guidance
--Response within one business day

Employers who need a reliable HR resource for day-to-day questions without ongoing project work.

Most Common

Advanced

$1,500 to $1,900/month + HST

Up to 10 hours per month

--Priority response
--Policy development and drafting
--Accommodation request support
--Discipline guidance and documentation review
--One on-site visit per quarter
--Quarterly compliance check-in

Employers actively managing HR projects, employee relations issues, or ongoing compliance work.

Enterprise

$2,000 to $3,000/month + HST

Up to 20 hours per month

--Same-day priority response
--Strategic HR partnership
--Full policy suite development
--Unlimited on-site visits in Eastern Ontario
--HR infrastructure build-out
--Collective agreement interpretation and grievance support

Employers who need a substantive, ongoing HR relationship -- comparable to a part-time in-house HR function.

All tiers are month-to-month. Workplace investigations are quoted and billed separately.

What Retainer Hours Can Be Used For

--Employment standards questions (ESA, OHSA, OHRC)

--Harassment and accommodation advice

--Progressive discipline guidance and documentation review

--Termination planning and package review

--Policy review and compliance questions

--Contract review and hiring guidance

--Return-to-work and modified duties support

--Grievance and employee relations advice

--Ministry of Labour inquiry response

--General HR advisory -- whatever comes up

Not included:

Workplace investigations require a separate engagement. They are quoted on a flat-fee basis and billed independently from retainer hours. This separation protects the independence of the investigator.

Month-to-Month Terms Are Not the Norm

Most HR consulting subscription services require multi-year contracts and include significant penalties for early termination. The business model is built on lock-in. Aegis 360 HR operates on the opposite premise: if the retainer relationship is not working, you should be able to end it without a lawyer.

The tradeoff is that month-to-month terms require the relationship to earn renewal each month. That is a constraint that produces better service, not worse.

Retainer FAQs

What can I use my retainer hours for?+

Retainer hours can be used for HR advisory calls, employment law questions, policy review and drafting, accommodation request guidance, discipline and performance management advice, employee relations issues, compliance questions, contract review, and general HR support. Workplace investigations are quoted and billed separately.

What happens if I need more hours than my retainer includes?+

Additional hours beyond your monthly retainer are billed at an agreed out-of-scope hourly rate. If you consistently need more hours than your retainer includes, Aegis 360 HR will recommend upgrading to the next tier.

Can I cancel the retainer?+

Yes. Every retainer is month-to-month. You can cancel with 30 days' written notice. There are no cancellation fees, no lock-in periods, and no penalties. This is a firm policy, not a negotiating point.

Is a workplace investigation included in my retainer?+

No. Workplace investigations require a separate engagement and are quoted and billed on a flat-fee basis regardless of which retainer tier you are on. This separation protects the independence of the investigation -- the investigator should not have an ongoing retainer relationship with the employer on the same file.

How quickly will you respond to a question?+

Essential tier: within one business day. Advanced and Enterprise tiers: priority response, typically same business day for questions received before noon. Urgent matters -- active workplace incidents, imminent regulatory deadlines -- are handled same day across all tiers.

Not sure which tier fits your organization?

Book a free 20-minute consultation. Scott Tracze will assess your situation and recommend the right tier -- or tell you honestly whether a retainer makes sense at all.

Book a Free 20-Minute Consultation