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PCO / HR & People Advisory Practice Protection
HR & People Advisory · Practice Protection · South Africa

HR & People Advisory Practice protection when the principal cannot give instructions.

For HR consultancies, labour / employee-relations advisers and outsourced people-services firms where sensitive files, deadlines and client knowledge may sit with one principal consultant.

Start the free HR & People Advisory assessmentView Diagnostic pricing
The practical problem

Trusted people are not the same as tested authority.

PCO looks at what must keep working when the normal decision-maker is unexpectedly unavailable and unable to give instructions — who steps in, what they may do, which systems they can use, what limits apply and what still depends on a professional, provider or formal approval.

Practice structures

The Diagnostic changes with the way the practice is structured.

01 · Structure

Sole HR consultant

One consultant holds most client context and delivery responsibility.

02 · Structure

Small advisory practice

Two or more consultants share cases, client deadlines and systems.

03 · Structure

Outsourced people-services firm

Multiple consultants, payroll / HRIS interfaces and client teams create broader handovers.

Profession-specific focus

What PCO would examine in a hr & people advisory practice.

Sensitive employee data
Client case files
Labour deadlines
HRIS / payroll access
Client mandates
Handover notes
Consultant capacity
Supplier / operating payments
Questions that matter

The Diagnostic tests the operating reality, not just whether a document exists.

Examples from the HR & People Advisory pathway:

01If the principal consultant becomes unexpectedly unavailable and cannot give instructions before a disciplinary process, labour deadline or major client meeting, who has enough context to coordinate the next step?
02Can another consultant access the relevant case file without gaining unnecessary access to every employee record?
03Who may communicate a recommendation to the client, and who may not make commitments outside the agreed mandate?
04If payroll or HRIS administration is part of the service, are named users and approval roles available without the principal’s credentials?
05Are case histories and open action lists documented well enough that a colleague can understand why decisions were made?
Practice Protection Diagnostic fees

Three structures. A defined entry price for each.

The Diagnostic price reflects the amount of work normally created by the profession and structure. Guided Protection Review and Practice Protection Plan fees are scoped only after the Diagnostic.

Sole HR consultant
R4,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Small advisory practice
R5,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Outsourced people-services firm
R7,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Standard published scope: one legal entity and an ordinary small-to-medium professional practice. Multi-entity groups, more than 10 professionals, or more than two operating locations / branches are confirmed by PCO before payment.
The full Diagnostic

Twelve protection areas have to work together.

01Decision responsibilityWho normally decides, who can step in, and where decisions must escalate.
02Professional eligibilityRegistration, scope, competence, supervision or other eligibility required for regulated work.
03Client / patient / matter handoverWhat is live, urgent, incomplete or at risk if the principal stops giving instructions.
04Records & information custodyWho may see records, what must stay confidential, and how access is controlled.
05Systems & authenticationNamed-user access, portals, MFA, recovery routes and single-person credential dependencies.
06Money & payment limitsBanking, payroll, suppliers, refunds, client money where relevant, approval limits and backups.
07Contracts, mandates & approvalsWho may instruct, approve, sign, vary, renew or escalate commitments.
08Providers & third partiesBanks, SARS, regulators, laboratories, insurers, vendors and other external dependencies.
09Deadlines & renewalsFilings, court dates, project milestones, licence renewals, audits and client promises.
10Staff & operating coordinationWhat managers and staff may do, where their limits sit, and what cannot be casually delegated.
11Escalation & prohibited actionsWhat must not be done without the principal or required professional/provider approval.
12Evidence, testing & reviewWhat proves the arrangement exists, who accepted the role, and whether access and fallbacks were tested.
How it works

From free indication to a controlled plan.

01Free AssessmentFive profession-specific questions and a mini report.
02Practice Protection DiagnosticPCO tests the full 12-area pathway and produces findings.
03Guided Protection ReviewResponsibilities, limits, evidence and fallbacks are worked through.
04PPP + NEXUSApproved arrangements become a managed Practice Protection Plan.
Important boundary: neither the free assessment nor the Diagnostic verifies that a POA, bank mandate, professional registration, provider permission, system entitlement or other arrangement is legally or operationally effective merely because the client says it exists. PCO identifies and tests the dependency; the relevant adviser, institution, regulator or provider confirms what only they can confirm.
Two useful starting questions

Would the practice know what to do tomorrow?

01If the principal consultant becomes unexpectedly unavailable and cannot give instructions before a disciplinary process, labour deadline or major client meeting, who has enough context to coordinate the next step?
02Can another consultant access the relevant case file without gaining unnecessary access to every employee record?
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