Fractional HR Consulting for San Diego Businesses

Yes, and many California requirements kick in at lower employee thresholds than federal law. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) covers businesses with five or more employees, far below the federal EEOC threshold of 15. The CFRA family leave law applies to companies with five or more employees as well. If you have even a handful of employees in California, state law almost certainly applies to you, and the requirements are more demanding than most small business owners expect.

A fractional HR consultant provides senior-level HR expertise on a project or ongoing basis, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time HR hire. For most small and mid-size San Diego businesses, this is the practical choice: you get experienced HR guidance exactly when you need it, without the salary, benefits, and overhead of a full-time HR director. Engagements can be structured as ongoing fractional support, a specific project (handbook build, compliance audit, investigation), or as-needed consultation.

Employment attorneys are the right call when a situation has escalated into a formal legal matter. We're the right call for everything that happens before that. Building the HR infrastructure that keeps situations from escalating in the first place, conducting workplace investigations before a concern becomes a formal action, supporting employees who want HR perspective but aren't ready to engage counsel, and resolving conflicts through dialogue rather than escalation. Many clients come to us specifically because they want a path that doesn't immediately involve attorneys. Important note: we are HR professionals, not attorneys. Our work is not protected by attorney-client privilege.

Both. This is one of the things that makes Neutral Ground Partners unusual. We work directly with employees who are navigating difficult workplace situations (harassment concerns, retaliation, a performance plan, a separation) and want independent HR guidance outside of their employer. Many employees aren't sure whether their situation calls for legal counsel; they just want an HR expert to give them an honest read on what's happening and what their options are. We provide that, confidentially.

Our primary focus is San Diego County and the broader Southern California region. We do offer remote consultations and work with California businesses outside of San Diego depending on the situation. If you're outside California, we're happy to have an initial conversation about whether we're the right fit.