HR Consultant in Minneapolis
The HR department you don't have yet. We keep you compliant, help you hire well, and sit beside you for the conversations nobody wants to have.
HR Services For Growing Teams
Fixed-fee projects for the things you need done once, and a monthly retainer for the things that never stop.
HR Audit & Compliance$1,800
A top-to-bottom review of your hiring paperwork, pay classifications, time-off policies, personnel files and required postings against federal and Minnesota rules. You get a written, prioritized fix list.
Handbooks & Policies$2,500
An employee handbook written in plain English for your business, plus the policies you actually need — time off, remote work, conduct, complaints — reviewed with your employment attorney.
Hiring & OnboardingFrom $1,500
Job descriptions, fair interview questions, scorecards, offer letters and a first-90-days onboarding plan, so every new hire starts the same way.
Employee Relations$175/hr
Coaching for difficult conversations, performance plans, workplace investigations and fair, documented separations when they're unavoidable.
Fractional HR ManagerFrom $1,400/mo
A named HR manager in your business one or two days a week — on site or remote — handling the day-to-day and reporting to you.
Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute conversation.
People First, Paperwork Second
Merrowby is a team of five HR advisors, each with more than a decade leading HR inside Minnesota companies — manufacturers, clinics, restaurants and tech firms. We started the practice because growing businesses kept hiring their first HR person too late, after something had already gone wrong.
We'd rather be early. We set up the basics properly, then stay close enough to spot trouble while it's still a conversation.
- Senioradvisors on every account
- Plain-Englishpolicies people actually read
- Attorney-readyrecords and files
When Owners Usually Call Us
You Just Passed 15 People
Crossing 15, 25 or 50 employees brings new obligations. What worked at eight people quietly stops being enough.
Your Handbook Is Old
Or there isn't one. A 2016 template probably doesn't match how you work, or what Minnesota now requires.
Someone Has To Go
And you want it done fairly, with the paperwork in order, and without a claim six months later.
A Complaint Just Landed
Harassment, pay, a manager conflict. It needs a calm, fair response this week, not next quarter.
Good People Keep Leaving
Exit conversations point to the same manager, the same pay gap or the same missing path up.
Pay Feels Inconsistent
Two people in the same role earn very different amounts, and nobody can quite explain why.
Call Today. We Respond Within One Business Day.
If something has already happened, don't wait for a scheduled call. Tell us briefly what's going on and we'll help you with the next step.
A Steady Start
A Free Conversation
Thirty minutes about your team, how you're growing and what's keeping you up at night. Confidential from the first minute.
The HR Audit
We review your files, policies and practices and hand you a plain-English list of what to fix first, and why.
Fix The Foundations
Handbook, job descriptions, hiring steps and records set up properly — usually within the first six weeks.
Stay Close
A monthly retainer or fractional HR manager keeps things current and gives you someone to call.
Hard Conversations, Handled With Care
Most HR work is quiet and preventive. Some of it isn't. When a complaint needs investigating, a performance problem has gone on too long, or a role has to end, we help you do it fairly, lawfully and humanely.
We prepare you for the conversation, sit in on it if you want us there, and make sure everything is documented properly afterward.
- ✓Impartial workplace investigations
- ✓Performance plans that give people a real chance
- ✓Separations handled with dignity and good records
What You Can Count On
One Advisor Who Knows You
The same senior person every time, who knows your people, your history and your plans.
Local Rules, Not Generic Advice
Minnesota and Minneapolis requirements built into your policies from the start — not bolted on from a national template.
Straight Answers
We'll tell you what the rules require, what's good practice, and when it's time to bring in your attorney.
Fees You Can Plan Around
Fixed prices for projects and a flat monthly fee for ongoing support. No surprise invoices.
What Clients Tell Us
We went from 14 to 40 people in eighteen months with no HR at all. Merrowby wrote our handbook, fixed three pay-classification problems we didn't know we had, and now runs our hiring like clockwork.
When we had our first formal complaint, I had no idea where to start. They walked me through every step, ran a fair investigation, and the team came out of it trusting us more, not less.
A fractional HR manager two days a week costs us a fraction of a full-time hire, and honestly she knows our people better than most HR directors I've worked with.
Common Questions
Do you replace an in-house HR person?
For most businesses under about 75 people, yes — a fractional HR manager covers what a full-time hire would, at a fraction of the cost. Larger clients often use us alongside an HR generalist.
Do you work on site?
Yes. We're in the North Loop and regularly work on site across the Twin Cities metro. Clients elsewhere in Minnesota work with us remotely, with visits when they're useful.
Is there a long-term contract?
No. Projects have a fixed fee, and retainers run month to month with 30 days' notice.
Are you employment lawyers?
No, and we'll always say so. We handle HR practice and policy, and we work alongside your employment attorney when a situation needs legal advice. If you don't have one, we can suggest a few.
Do you keep up with Minnesota law changes?
Yes. When state or local rules change — sick and safe time, pay transparency, required notices — retainer clients get a short summary and updated policies, not just a newsletter.
Is what we tell you confidential?
Completely. We sign a confidentiality agreement before any employee information is shared, and investigation files are kept securely and separately.
Can employees contact you directly?
Only if you want them to. Some clients give their team a direct line to their HR advisor; others prefer everything to go through a manager. We'll set it up your way.
Get An Honest Read On Your HR
Thirty minutes with a senior HR advisor. You'll leave knowing what needs attention first.
Talk To An HR Advisor
Tell us a little about your team and what's on your mind. Everything you share is confidential. We reply within one business day.
