HR consulting · Connecticut · Newington, Greater Hartford and statewide

HR consulting in Connecticut, for the owner who is still the HR department.

If you run a Connecticut business with somewhere between 10 and 75 people and nobody whose actual job is HR, this page is written for you. It covers what HR consulting costs here, which Connecticut rules already reach a company your size, and how to tell whether you need help at all.

Who this is for

Owner-run companies that have outgrown "we'll figure it out."

This work is built for manufacturers, contractors, restaurants, retailers, medical and dental practices, and professional firms across Connecticut. The common thread is size, not industry. Somewhere past 10 people the handbook someone downloaded stops fitting, a good employee becomes a first-time manager with no training, and compliance turns from a vague worry into a real exposure.

I'm Erin Glover, SHRM-SCP. I spent thirteen years in-house before starting Glover & Co., at startups, mid-sized companies, and a Fortune 100 insurer, and I've supported employees in all fifty states. I work from Newington, which puts most of Greater Hartford within a half hour, and I take on companies anywhere in the state.

Where I work

Greater Hartford: Newington, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Berlin, New Britain, West Hartford, Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Bloomfield, Windsor, Middletown and Cromwell.

Statewide: New Haven County, the shoreline, Fairfield County, the Naugatuck Valley and eastern Connecticut, mostly by video with on-site days when the work calls for them.

The question everyone asks first

What does HR consulting cost in Connecticut?

Most firms make you call to find out. My fees are flat, transparent, and the same for every client, so here they are.

ServiceWhat it isFee
The Readiness ReadA short, structured diagnosis of where the real trouble lives, with a written recommendation you keep whether or not we go further.$3,000 flat
The FoundationThe build: roles and reporting, policies that fit how you actually work, a Connecticut compliance baseline, and first-time manager readiness. Done alongside you over about five weeks.$5,000 a month, 90-day minimum
Fractional People PartnerA senior HR partner two scheduled business days a month, on call in between, with the full Concierge library included.$5,000 a month, 3-month minimum
Working SessionsSixty minutes with me when one question outgrows a template.$250 a session
The ConciergeThe tool library on subscription: triage, documentation builders, the Role Library, and one live hour with me each month.$149 a month, or $1,490 a year

For comparison, a full-time HR manager with the breadth to be a department of one costs a small Connecticut employer roughly $105,000 to $145,000 a year once payroll taxes and benefits are added, based on BLS wage data for Connecticut and BLS employer cost data for establishments under 50 workers. The full math is on the fractional page. Whether you need that seat yet is a fair question, and the honest answer for many 30-person companies is not yet.

Connecticut specifically

The rules that reach a company your size, whether or not you've heard of them.

Federal law mostly leaves small employers alone until 50 people. Connecticut does not wait that long.

  • 3 employeesSexual harassment prevention training becomes mandatory for every employee, two hours and interactive, with new hires trained within six months of starting. (CGS 46a-54)
  • 1 employeeConnecticut's own family and medical leave law applies to nearly every employer in the state, so a 20-person company has job-protection obligations that federal FMLA would not impose until 50. CT Paid Leave registration and the 0.5% payroll contribution apply at one employee as well.
  • 11 employeesPaid sick leave under the 2024 amendments reached employers with 11 or more people on January 1, 2026. On January 1, 2027 it reaches everyone. One hour for every 30 worked, up to 40 hours a year.
  • Every job postingFrom October 1, 2026, under Public Act 26-12, the wage or wage range has to appear in the posting itself, along with a general description of benefits. Until then, the range goes to applicants on request or before an offer. This applies at one employee, internal postings included.
  • Next business dayWhen you discharge someone, Connecticut requires final wages no later than the next business day. A Friday afternoon termination with "we'll add it to next payroll" is one of the most common small-employer wage violations in the state. (CGS 31-71c)
  • $16.94 an hourThe 2026 minimum wage, rising to $17.48 on January 1, 2027. Tipped cash wages for servers and bartenders have not moved since 2017, so the tip credit a restaurant has to document grows every January.

Educational, not legal advice. Each of these has details and exceptions, and the right answer for your company depends on facts I don't have yet. That is what the first conversation is for.

How to tell

Do you actually need an HR consultant?

Not every company does. These are the signs I see most often in the ones that do.

Your best employee just became a manager.

They were promoted because they were good at the work, and now they're handling a performance problem alone with no training and no documentation. The first one of these usually goes fine. The second one is where companies get sued.

The handbook is a template.

It was downloaded, or borrowed from a friend's company in another state, and it has never been read against Connecticut law. It may promise things you don't do and skip things the state requires.

You're the one people come to.

Every leave request, every pay question, every "can I talk to you about someone" lands on the owner's desk. That is time you're not spending on the business, and it is judgment calls made without a second opinion.

You got a letter.

From the Connecticut Department of Labor, CHRO, or a lawyer. Reaching out at this point is later than ideal but far from too late, and the first thing I'll do is help you understand what you're actually looking at.

Not sure? The HR Fit Check is free, takes ten questions, and tells you honestly what shape of support fits your headcount and state. Sometimes the answer is less than you feared.

Questions I get

Straight answers, before you have to ask.

How much does an HR consultant cost in Connecticut?

It depends on the shape of the work. At Glover & Co., a one-time diagnostic (The Readiness Read) is $3,000 flat. Ongoing fractional HR support is $5,000 a month with a three-month minimum. A single working session is $250, and the Concierge tool library is $149 a month. Every fee is flat and stated before we start, so you know the number in advance and it doesn't move.

Does a 20-person Connecticut company really need HR?

It needs HR structure, which is different from an HR department. At 20 people you are past the threshold for mandatory harassment training, paid sick leave, Connecticut FMLA, pay transparency in postings, and Paid Leave contributions. Somebody has to own those. It does not have to be a full-time hire, and for most companies this size it shouldn't be yet.

What is fractional HR, and how is it different from a PEO?

Fractional HR is a senior HR person working for your company part of the time, making judgment calls as if they were on staff. A PEO is a co-employment arrangement that runs payroll and benefits through its own entity; it handles transactions well and rarely handles a difficult manager or a reorganization. A company can keep its payroll provider or PEO and add fractional support for the judgment layer; the two are not in competition.

Which parts of Connecticut do you serve?

I'm based in Newington and work in person across Greater Hartford: Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Berlin, New Britain, West Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, Farmington, Avon, Simsbury and the surrounding towns. I work with companies statewide, including New Haven, the shoreline and Fairfield County, mostly by video with on-site days as needed.

My employees are in more than one state. Can you help?

Yes. I've supported employees in all fifty states and the local rules beneath them, so a Connecticut company with people in Massachusetts, New York or Florida is a normal engagement, not a special one.

What happens in the first conversation?

You tell me what's going on and I ask questions. There is no pitch. If the honest read is that you need less than you feared, I'll say so, and you'll leave with a clearer picture either way. Email erin@gloverco.ai and we'll find a time.

Real HR structure for a Connecticut business that has never had it, without the cost of a department.

Write to erin@gloverco.ai with a sentence or two about your company. I read every one myself.