HR services for Manchester businesses and charities

Pragmatic, people-focused outsourced HR support for growing SMEs and charities across Greater Manchester, without the cost of building an in-house HR team.

Book a free HR review call
Rob and Nicci Birley, Directors of Cornerstone Resources, smiling at the camera standing at a table

Some of the Manchester businesses and charities we've worked with

Alexander Windows logo
ABP logo
BB Huddds logo
Bollington Brew logo
Christian Jobs logo
Kanga logo
Kinetik logo
Mayfair Chippy logo
Finclusion logo
Ready Media Group logo
CMF logo
Embassy logo
Milapfest logo
Ming logo
PPM logo
Samaritans Purse logo
The Womens Center Stockport logo

Growing a business or charity shouldn't mean drowning in HR admin

You didn't take on a growing team so you could spend your Friday afternoon asking chatGPT to work out whether you're allowed to dismiss someone who's been off sick for three months and ending up down a rabbit hole of confusing legal advice.

Once your team hits double digits, the HR questions get harder and the cost of getting one wrong gets bigger. Most SMEs and charities in Manchester don't have the budget for a HR manager and even in-house HR personnel can leave you exposed the moment something complex lands on their desk, or they're on leave.

That's where we come in.

Cornerstone Resources is an outsourced HR consultancy based in Stockport, working with SMEs and charities across Greater Manchester. We give you direct access to a HR Consultant and Advisor, for a fraction of what it costs to hire in-house, with no long-term contractual tie-ins or hidden costs.

Testimonials

Trusted by leaders across the UK

Hear how we help businesses and charities build confident, compliant teams.

Having just taken over the management of a small company after working in the NHS for over 20 years I felt very much out of my depth with no HR department to call on. I was then recommended Cornerstone Resources who have been amazing. I cannot speak highly enough of them. Their availability, information, support, patience and advice at just the right level I am so grateful for. I certainly can recommend them to anyone who is looking for HR support.

Esther Barr

General Manager

Eventide Care Home

We are so pleased with the HR support and expertise that Cornerstone bring to our operations. Their knowledge and resources are excellent, their approach is friendly and productive, and the result is an excellent-value package that works perfectly for Swift. If you want the security of a competent HR consultancy, with a holistic and caring approach, then we strongly recommend this company.

Martin Lawson

Director

The Swift Organisation

We have found Nicci and Cornerstone Resources to be fantastic to work with. Her flexible approach and ability to understand our specific needs enables us to get on with our day to day, confident that we have the best professional HR advice available. Nicci truly took time to understand our business and we are very grateful for all the support she has offered to us over the last two years. I would highly recommend Cornerstone Resources and have found them to be invaluable to us, so we can focus on the delivery of our services.

Ameera Fletcher

Director

Cre8 Macclesfield

Cornerstone go above and beyond when it comes to providing their HR consultancy service, their support both professionally and personally has greatly helped our company navigate its way through these past 18 months. When the Government's advice for employers was often contradictory and ever changing Nicci and the team provided comprehensive guidance underpinned with all the documentary records and communications required. A consultant who really listens, understands our business, and can quickly turnaround workable effective solutions is invaluable and this is exactly what Cornerstone does. Having Nicci and Rob with their wealth of HR experience and knowledge to lean on is empowering and we look forward to a long and productive association with them.

Sharon Hooley

Director

PATS

We highly recommend using Cornerstone Resources HR Consultancy. Having used them for nearly two years, we always value the approach and expertise they bring and their investment in understanding the needs of our organisation to offer a bespoke and tailored service.

Catherine Proudman

Central Support Team Leader

Ivy Manchester

I have worked with Cornerstone for around 18 months. They have been a great support offering excellent, up-to-date advice. I always get a quick response to an email or call back if she is unable to take a call. Very professional and personable. Thankyou.

Debbie Moore-Grundy

Manager

The Hollies

Nicci and the team are great to work with. They're efficient, knowledgeable, reliable and provide well-balanced advice. Their experience shines through, going the extra mile whenever a situation calls for it. Not only that, but they do it all with a great sense of humour, which is just what's needed sometimes! I would recommend them and their services without hesitation.

Lauren Tutton

Director

Alexander Windows

We have been working with Cornerstone for over 6 months now and it has been been fantastic to work with Rob and his team. I have been very happy with the level of response, turn around times and resource that has been provided. The company provides reliable HR support and services that have really enhanced our working practices and saved us time in terms of resources.

Alice Hulley

Director

Your Hospitality Group

Our HR services and consultancy are with Cornerstone Resources, and we have had a brilliant experience, with very patient, responsive and knowledgeable support from Rob, and it really feels like he's part of our organisation, not a separate entity. Their support during the shutdown and changing environment of employment laws has been timely and informative, and we're really happy to recommend them for guidance and support.

Alok Nayak

CEO

Milap

These guys at Cornerstone Resources are amazing, so helpful, professional and turn things round so quickly and nothing is too much of a problem. Their HR knowledge is awesome and they have provided structured guidance during these challenging business times. Totally reliable and I would recommend Cornerstone Resources to any business wanting an outsourced HR function. AMAZING

Mark Porter

Managing Director

Fix8 Group

I've worked with Rob on an employment issue and found him to be extremely professional, both in his understanding of the case and also the manner in which it was handled. As a small business with no HR department, in the future it'll be beneficial to be able to call on his expertise and navigate through various issues as they arise, knowing there will be a cost effective solution available.

Martin Taylor

Director

Peloton Events

As a small business owner, it is invaluable to have someone like Cornerstone Resources on hand to help with the tricky employment issues. Highly recommend.

Stephen W.

Director

Swift Tree Services

Highly recommend Cornerstone to anyone looking for HR support. They have been hugely helpful to our charity over the last few years, most recently helping us with the recruitment of a key staff role. The way Nicci has made the effort to really understand us as an organisation has been so valuable, and the communication, professionalism, and responsiveness from her has been outstanding. It's resulted in the recruitment of a brilliant new staff member that we're thrilled to have on board.

Matt Williamson

Google

Would highly recommend, brilliant service. Employed Cornerstone Resources for a complex disciplinary case recently and I couldn't have been more thankful for their guidance and expertise. Julie was the Senior Consultant I worked with, and she was wonderful. I was so impressed by how quickly she understood the intricacies of the case and the people involved. I'm very grateful to Julie for being able to work on the case with such little notice. As a small business owner, I felt out of my depth with the complex disciplinary case - Julie relieved a lot of the stress for me, from the moment she jumped on board.

Nicola Barter

Google

We engaged with Cornerstone as we are an SME looking to develop our People and HR strategy and function. The support we have had is fantastic. The support is flexible and fits our business need and circumstances. Cornerstone help keep us on track in our implementation of things despite our ongoing day-to-day distractions. Couldn't imagine being without their support now.

Paul Topping

Trustpilot

The team at Cornerstone listen so well to help deliver solutions that are contextually appropriate. This sets them apart. The tension between professional and relational is managed very well. Thank you for all your advice and help in creating an environment that allows employees to thrive.

Mark Steele

Google

Cornerstone have been our go to HR Consultants for all our HR related issues since August 2023. They are very professional and experts in what they do. Their services are tailored to your specific business needs above all else they are very affordable for any size of the business. We would highly recommend them especially for new start up businesses like ours.

Winston

Trustpilot

I have attended a few of Cornerstone's training courses now and they have been very professional, extremely informative and really relatable. I have been on management training courses for over 35 years but these courses with Cornerstone have been invaluable and I would highly recommend engaging with Cornerstone HR Services and their training courses. Outstanding!

Mandy Blow

Trustpilot

Service pillar 1

Outsourced HR for Manchester SMEs and charities

Our outsourced HR service gives you access to experienced HR consultants, available when you need them, without the overhead of an in-house HR function.

  • Employment contracts, policies and handbooks that meet current UK employment law
  • Recruitment and induction support as your team grows
  • Managing performance, sickness absence and capability processes
  • Handling disciplinary matters, grievances and investigations
  • Redundancy, restructure and change management

We work with organisations on a retained monthly basis or as a fixed-fee project, depending on what you need.

Book a free HR review call

Service pillar 2

Leadership development and staff training

Most people get promoted into management because they're good at their job, not because they've been trained to lead people. Our leadership development workshops close that gap, with practical, evidence-based training that helps your managers lead with clarity and confidence.

  • Leading with clarity, accountability and trust
  • Managing difficult conversations professionally
  • Building psychological safety within a team
  • Supporting wellbeing while maintaining clear expectations
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace
Book a free HR review call

Who we are

The people who will pick up the phone

Nicci Birley headshot
Rob Birley headshot

No call centres, no generic advice. Just pragmatic, people-focused HR support from local professionals who love Greater Manchester and want to see its businesses and charities thrive.

Nicci BirleyCo-founder, Senior HR Consultant, Leadership Coach

Nicci is co-founder and co-owner of Cornerstone Resources, as well as a People Manager and HR Director. She's still closely involved in the day-to-day support given to clients, alongside growing the business with Rob.

Rob BirleyCo-founder and Senior HR Consultant

Rob is a co-founder and director of Cornerstone Resources. His work spans Finance and Business Development, alongside client work across business and charity sectors, with a particular focus on employee relations and reward and benefits.

Meet the full team

Why choose us

Why Manchester businesses and charities choose us

  • Based on your doorstep in Stockport, working across Greater Manchester
  • Rated five stars on Google and Trustpilot
  • No long-term contractual tie-ins or hidden costs
  • Experience supporting both commercial SMEs and charities, not just one or the other

People management training

Transform how your managers lead people

We run practical workshops for management teams who want to lead people well, with clarity, resilience and confidence.

Speak to us about supporting your business or charity

Whether you've got an immediate HR issue, want to explore retained support, or you're looking to invest in training for your managers, we'd love to hear from you.

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Or call us on 0161 647 7990, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Your questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Most SMEs don't need a full-time HR director, but they do need reliable access to HR expertise. Outsourced HR gives you contracts, policy advice, case management and support with difficult situations, for a fraction of the cost of an in-house hire.

An in-house HR manager gives you one person's knowledge and availability. Outsourced HR gives you a whole team, so you're not exposed when something complex comes up or your HR contact is off sick or on leave. It also tends to cost significantly less than a full-time salary, once you factor in recruitment, training and cover.

It depends on your headcount and how much support you need. We offer both retained monthly partnerships, priced around the hours you need each month, and fixed-fee project work for one-off issues like a policy review or a specific case. We'll give you a clear quote after understanding your situation on a free review call.

Yes. We support commercial SMEs and charities across Greater Manchester, and we understand that charities often have additional governance and trustee considerations that a generic HR provider might miss.

We'll talk through your current HR set-up, any live issues or risks you're carrying, and what support would actually make a difference. There's no obligation, and no hard sell. It's a genuine conversation to work out if we're a good fit.

Yes. Alongside retained monthly partnerships, we offer fixed-fee project support, so you can start with a specific piece of work, like a handbook review or support through a disciplinary process, before deciding whether a retained arrangement makes sense.

Have a question not answered here?

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