Frequently Asked Questions

Fractional HR leadership brings CPO or CHRO level judgment into a company that doesn't need, or isn't ready for, a full time HR executive. A senior leader diagnoses what's really wrong, builds the plan and does the work with you, and you pay a fraction of what the full time seat costs.

Many fractional HR providers sell a set block, often 10 to 30 hours a month, and bill more when you go over. I don't count hours. You pay one flat monthly fee for a defined scope we agree on up front, and I put in what the build needs, which in a heavy stretch can be up to about 25 hours a week.

Put "urgent" in your message, or say so when you book, and you'll hear back within four business hours. Most clients start exactly this way, with one thing that can't wait, like a termination, a complaint or a leave question nobody can answer. We deal with that first, then look at what caused it.

Yes, and doing it right is most of the work. I review the reason and the records, flag anything that belongs with an employment attorney, and build the plan with you, including the script, the steps, final pay timing and answers to the questions your employee and your team will ask. Most of the time I set your managers up to run the meeting with confidence on their own, and when it calls for it, I'll join by video. I'm not a lawyer, and when you need one, I'll tell you who I'd call.

Urgent employee issues get a reply within four business hours, just put "urgent" in your message or say so when you book. Everything else gets an answer within one business day, and once we're working together, you'll typically hear back within six business hours and have my cell for a real emergency. There's no ticket queue and no junior handoff, because you get me.

The first conversation can usually happen right away. Once the proposal's signed, a build typically starts within one to two weeks, and sometimes within a few days when it can't wait.

You'll work with me. I learn your business, I don't hand you off to someone junior, and I don't disappear after the kickoff call. When something needs a specialist, like an employment attorney or a benefits broker, I'll tell you who and why.

Companies with roughly 12 to 350 employees, usually white collar teams with no HR person, or an HR gap because the last one left. They need executive level HR judgment but don't need, or can't justify, a full time HR executive yet.

I start with a conversation, then diagnose what's really going on, scope the work and send a proposal. After intake and an assessment, you get a 90 day roadmap broken down by week, risk, priority and owner, and we build it together, hands on. I'm a practitioner, so the work actually gets done instead of landing in a binder.

Contracts run 3, 6 or 12 months, depending on what we're building. Most start with a 90 day build, because that's long enough to fix what matters and make it stick. Most clients keep working with me after that, by choice.

One flat fee a month for a defined scope, agreed before anything starts, with no hours counted and no surprise invoices. For senior level work, it usually lands around a quarter to a third of what a full time VP of HR costs in the first year.

You get a senior leader who's sat in the C suite and built the budget, someone who does the work instead of handing you a report, and someone who'll tell you the truth, including when you don't need me.

For most startups, fractional wins early. You get senior judgment without carrying a full time executive's salary, bonus and search fee. When the daily work really does fill a seat, I'll write that job description and help you hire for it, even though it means you'll need me less.

Think People Culture does. Bill Brown works directly with Series A and Series B founders as a fractional CHRO, building the people function, the Compensation Philosophy and the managers who run it, so the company scales without the HR chaos.

Think People Culture offers fractional HR leadership built around your company's stage, size and timeline, with contracts of 3, 6 or 12 months and one flat monthly fee.

I work virtually with companies across the United States, and I know California employment rules well, which is where a lot of owners get burned. When training or culture work calls for it, in person sessions can be arranged.

Yes. If you need a second set of eyes on one decision, we can set up a single advisory session. Plenty of people who start there come back for a build, because one fix usually points to three more.

Absolutely. I help founders build talent infrastructure that scales without bloating the org chart with HR roles they don't need yet.

Probably. I've worked across tech, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services and nonprofits. People problems look a lot alike from one industry to the next, the window dressing changes and the core issues don't.

If your workplace culture relies on wall art of soaring eagles to inspire greatness, we have bigger problems to solve. Real culture happens in everyday interactions, not in laminated declarations of "values" that nobody can remember without squinting at the break room wall. Let's build something authentic instead. (But if you really love that eagle poster, we'll find it a nice home... somewhere else.)

Whatever actually fits your situation, I don't push any one tool. I'll help you choose and set up tech that solves a real problem, not the shiny thing that looked great in the demo and turned into shelfware six months later.

By business results like lower turnover, faster hiring, better engagement and managers who handle things without calling you. We set the measures at the start and track them on the roadmap, so everyone knows what success looks like, and yes, that includes fewer 2am texts about HR emergencies.