The correct question should be how much return on investment will a business gain from having a human resources consultant. Each HR Consultant is different and charges according to their area of expertise. The potential fines for non compliance with Fair Work should be enough to encourage re thinking the question. There is also the tax deduction available for hiring a HR consultant as well as the potential savings of losing great staff and having to hire new ones. There is no one size fits all typical consulting fee you pay for the expertise, experience and education of the consultants. For example a senior experience human resources consultant will charge anywhere from $165 per hour to $250 plus per hour, but most prefer to cost out projects in advance to give the client an estimate of the likely total cost per project or they may provide a retained service which will be costed out according to what is included.

Totally agree with Sonia.

Employment Contracts done by an employment lawyer will cost between $3.5k-$4.5k.

Fines for breaches of the Fair Work Act or your Modern Award is up to $63k for the business and $12 600 personally for the owner or manager.

We help clients build Employee Assets, I believe that you employees are your greatest asset and also potentially your greatest liability.

I think you need to think about what it would mean for you if you don't hire the best, manage them for optimal performance and exit your non performers then it is costing you way more than a HR Consultant.

Many consultants nowdays package up a process for example a Performance Management Package for $2750 versus failing the Unfair Dismissal test it costing you up to 6 months of the employee salary.

Training varies greatly on whether it is bespoke or numbers of employees etc but half day might be $700 and full day $1000- $8000.

Happy to chat live if this would help, Natasha

The outcome of the project or service offered will determine how much the cost should be. This aligns with the previous responses. It would be amiss to also not acknowledge the academic and educational aspects of the consultant. Some work very hard to stay ahead in their ability, learnings, knowledge, and education and bring additional expertise alongside workplace experience. 

@Jane Jones and @Paulette McCormack sorry for my tardy response, for some reason I did not receive notice of your comments. Yes it is important to note a person's qualificaitons to be giving advice. You would not want a brain operation from someone who has no qualifications in the field of brain surgery. Having said that, though, experience is also important. I have come across people who have Phd's in education, but lack the ability to teach others. I believe, It comes down to having qualifications and experience of relevance. Not to mention, a personality that fits well with the customer and their team. We dont all get on well with each other, so looking around and talking to a few different providers is a good idea to check the fit.

Great conversation and some important things to note here on the things that to consider when looking to hire a HR consultant.  An interesting point there @Paulette McCormack on upskilling and keeping up to date with educational. Do you agree @Sonia King @Natasha Hawker - Thanks for the contribution.