What to brief a consultant so policies fit how your business runs
Brief your HR consultant properly before they start. Share your real operations, structure, pain points and current practices so policies fit how you actually work.
Most HR consultants will spend weeks gathering information they could have had in your first email. That hour you invest upfront—documenting your actual operations—cuts wasted back-and-forths in half and stops a consultant from writing policies that look textbook perfect but don't match how you work.
The consultant's job is to translate your business reality into formal policies. That requires them to understand what you actually do, not what an org chart suggests you do. If you hand them a wish-list or show them only your formal processes, they'll write for an idealised version of your company. Then you'll either ignore the policies or keep firefighting when they collide with real practice.
What drives what the consultant needs from you
A consultant asks for information in layers. They start broad—company size, structure, industry, any legal quirks—then narrow down to role clusters, decision-makers, common friction points and what matters most to your board or owners. That sequencing isn't bureaucracy; each answer shapes which questions come next.
They need to know your pain points because policy isn't just a legal shield. It's a tool. If you haven't told them that your team is split across two cities and you're drowning in leave clashes, they'll write a generic leave policy. If you mention it, they'll ask whether your current approval chain even works, whether time zones matter, whether you're losing people over inflexibility, and what would actually reduce the admin load. That context changes the policy they draft.
They also need to know where you're willing to be strict and where you'd rather be flexible. That's a values question, not a legal one. Some businesses want iron-tight performance management because they've had litigation trouble. Others want it light because they're high-trust or remote. Neither is wrong. But if the consultant doesn't know, they'll guess—and you'll end up rewriting half the policy set after you see the draft.
Documents and operational snapshots to prepare
Bring your current org chart, even if it's rough. Bring any existing policies, procedures or internal memos—even scrappy WhatsApp guidance counts, because it shows what people actually follow. If you've had a grievance, a dispute with an employee or CCMA interaction, mention it. Those real events are often more valuable than hypotheticals.
Write down your disciplinary history in outline: have dismissals held up, or has someone challenged you? What are your top three reasons people leave? If you're remote or hybrid, sketch your setup. If you have contractors, casual staff or outsourced functions—finance, IT, security—say so, because those roles often need different policy treatment. Document your leave practices, not your leave policy: who actually decides when someone can take leave, how far ahead do they ask, what happens when two people want the same time?
Bring your employment contract templates or get them from your current staff files. If you don't have one, say that. Bring payslips or a sample payslip, because it shows what deductions and benefits you run and what your payroll system is set up for.
How consultants use this to save you time and cost
When a consultant has this material before the first call, they arrive focused. They're not fishing. Instead, they'll ask targeted questions: "I see you've had three disciplinary outcomes overturned at the CCMA. What do you think went wrong with the process?" or "Your current leave memo says three weeks but your contract says four. Which is it, and has anyone pushed back?" Those questions get you to the real issue in minutes, not weeks.
They'll also spot gaps you didn't know mattered. You might not realise that your maternity practices don't align with your benefits scheme, or that your grievance process skips a step that the CCMA usually expects. A consultant sees those patterns across clients; you don't. But they can only spot them if you've given them a clear picture of what you're doing now.
Starting clean means your first draft is closer to final. You're not revisiting the same section twice because the consultant misunderstood your setup. When you're ready to engage a consultant on Strove, ask what pre-engagement brief they want and prepare it thoroughly. That clarity gets you a policy set that actually works.
Common questions
- What if I don't have any existing policies to show the consultant?
- Tell them. Describe what you're doing now instead—how you handle leave requests, discipline, performance reviews, even if it's informal. The consultant needs to understand your current practice, not your aspirations. They'll use that reality as the foundation for formal policies.
- Should I clean up our operations before bringing a consultant in?
- No. Show them what's actually happening, including the messy bits and contradictions. That's the whole point. The consultant's job is to systematise your real business, not to judge whether you're doing it 'right'. The cleaned-up version is what they'll help you build.
- How much detail do I need to provide about our team structure?
- Enough to show decision-making and role groupings. Your org chart, plus a sentence or two about what each area does and who reports to whom, is usually enough. If you have contractors, remote staff or split locations, mention those because they often affect policy design.
- What if we're growing fast and things change every few months?
- Tell the consultant that upfront. They can write policies flexible enough to scale without needing a full rewrite at 20, 30 or 50 people. But they need to know your current size and your expected growth to build in the right headroom.
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