St. Swift Consulting Ltd
Top Tips for SMEs and Scale Ups
By Jane Saint, Founder & Managing Director, St. Swift Consulting
In conversations with SME and scale up leaders, the same people challenges surface time and again, regardless of sector, size, or stage of growth. They are the issues that quietly drain time, energy, and confidence. They are also the point at which a Fractional (Part Time) HR Director (HRD) becomes not just helpful but essential.
Here are the clearest signs it might be time.
Your approach to managing people is reactive, not intentional
Leaders often say, “We know people are key to growth, but everything feels reactive.”
If you are constantly firefighting rather than planning, a Fractional HRD can help you build a clear, practical people strategy that supports your business ambitions.
Your structure is no longer fit for purpose
“We have outgrown our structure. Roles are unclear and decisions are slowing down.”
When accountability blurs and bottlenecks appear, it is a sign your organisation design needs attention. A Fractional HRD can help you reshape roles, clarify decision making, and create a structure that actually works.
Your leadership team is under pressure
“We are growing fast. The leadership team is stretched and not fully aligned.”
A Fractional HRD supports leaders to shift from reactive doing to intentional leading through real time coaching and leadership development. They also act as a sounding board for business owners while strengthening the team around them.
Your culture feels fragmented
“What used to feel like one team now feels disconnected.”
Culture naturally shifts as you scale. If you are noticing silos, tension, or a dip in morale, it is time to get ahead of it. A Fractional HRD can help you rebuild clarity, connection, and trust.
You are struggling to attract or retain great people
“We cannot find or keep great talent, and our best people keep getting poached.”
This is one of the biggest red flags. A Fractional HRD can help you strengthen your employer brand, recruitment approach, and retention strategy.
Performance conversations are being avoided
“We are avoiding tough conversations, and it is affecting morale and performance.”
Avoidance is costly. A Fractional HRD can help you build confidence, capability, and fair processes that support accountability.
There is no time for development or succession planning
“We have great people, but we are firefighting. Development keeps slipping.”
If capability building is always on the ‘later’ list, a Fractional HRD can help you create simple, sustainable development pathways.
You are navigating change, acquisition, or transformation
“We have acquired a company. It is exciting but unsettling.”
Change is where people risk is highest. A Fractional HRD brings calm, structure, and clarity, helping you integrate teams and protect culture.
You are concerned about wellbeing and sustainable performance
“I do not want growth to come at a personal cost for the team.”
A Fractional HRD can help you build resilience, address pressure points, and create healthier ways of working.
HR is still running on start-up systems
“We are scaling fast, but our HR processes have not kept up.”
If your systems, policies, or practices feel outdated or inconsistent, it is time for senior HR expertise to bring order, compliance, and simplicity.
The moment of truth
If several of these challenges feel familiar, you are not alone, and you do not need a full time HR Director to solve them. A Fractional HRD gives you senior expertise, strategic clarity, and practical support, flexed to the size and rhythm of your business.
If you would like to explore how Fractional HR support could help your organisation, it would be good to discuss this with you.
