HR Consulting in Denver

I work with small businesses in Denver and across the metro area, from Aurora and Lakewood to Thornton and Westminster. Most of my work happens by phone and video, and I'm there in person when the work calls for it, like trainings and some leadership meetings.

Maybe you're the owner who became the HR department by default, or the office manager it landed on. I start by learning how your business runs, then build the right level of HR support around what you actually need.

Who's behind HRish

I'm Allisha McCartney, Founder & HR Consultant at HRish Solutions, based in Colorado Springs. I bring over 16 years in HR and a bachelor's degree in business management, with a concentration in HR management. You can read more about me on the About page.

HR consulting for Denver businesses

Do I need a handbook yet? Am I paying my Denver team members the right rate? How do I handle this complaint without making it worse? In most small businesses, those questions fall on owners and managers who already have full plates. You shouldn't have to choose between figuring out HR on your own and signing up for a large, expensive, or overly complicated HR solution.

Denver is one of the areas HRish serves, and my work is built for people-first businesses with up to about 150 team members, with a sweet spot between 25 and 100. Owners just starting out, teams under 15 and nonprofits are welcome too, and if some of your people work outside Colorado, I have experience doing HR in all 50 states.

The work might be a handbook and the Colorado and federal rules that apply to your size, or a hiring process and a first 90 days that keeps good people. I'm not a recruiting or staffing agency; I design your hiring process and support it. For one client, a small law firm, I turned a 95-page handbook written by a large HR and legal services company into a practical, polished 26-page handbook that still covered everything needed.

What's different about HR in Denver

Denver sets its own minimum wage for work done in the City and County of Denver, and it's higher than Colorado's statewide minimum. The rate changes every year on January 1, when the city adjusts it based on the Consumer Price Index, which means a pay rate that was right in December can fall short in January.

Denver Labor, a division of the Denver Auditor's Office, enforces the city's minimum wage and its civil wage theft rules. Employers have to make sure everyone performing work within Denver is paid all earned and lawful wages, and Denver Labor may open a wage investigation without waiting for a complaint. You'll find this year's rate, the exceptions and an address finder for checking whether a work location is inside the city on Denver Labor's minimum wage page.

Across the metro, Denver's rate follows where the work happens, so a business based in Aurora or Lakewood with team members who work in Denver may owe the Denver rate for that work, while work outside the city is generally covered by the statewide minimum unless another local minimum wage applies. Colorado's labor department tells employers to use the highest minimum wage that applies. Denver's rules list exceptions too, such as a team member who works fewer than four hours a week in Denver or only travels through the city while working.

This isn't legal advice. When a question needs an employment attorney, I'll work with one on your behalf. The local rules on this page were last checked in October 2026.

Outsourced HR support in Denver

Outsourced HR with me means an HR department you can actually rely on, without having to hire one internally. I answer HR questions as they come up, handle leave administration, keep employee files in order, track compliance deadlines and coach managers through employee situations. I work alongside you and your managers, and the team stays yours.

I also take on the harder moments, like conflict on the team, a complaint that needs a neutral investigator, or a mediation, which I can run remotely or in person. That side of the work is my Employee Relations & Engagement support.

Most clients pick a small group of people who contact me directly, and front-line team members go through their manager. Email usually gets an answer within one to two hours, and a phone call usually reaches me right away unless I'm in a meeting. The full day-to-day list is on my HR Operations Support page.

Fractional HR in Denver

Some businesses need more than answers to HR questions. They need someone at the leadership table thinking about people, structure and the next round of hires, and fractional HR gives you that without a full-time hire. Right now I offer 15, 25 or 40 hours a month, and I'm flexible when a business needs something different.

Leadership meetings are mostly virtual, and I'm open to meeting in person now and then. If you're between HR managers or directors, I can step in on an interim basis, mostly remotely, while you hire, and I'll even help train the new hire. For ongoing fractional work, a monthly partnership is the best fit, and if the big question is who to hire next, my workforce strategy support plans headcount, pay and structure before growth forces it.

Leadership training and executive coaching in Denver

Being good at the work and being good at leading the people who do it aren't the same skill. I offer first-time manager training, difficult-conversation coaching, harassment-prevention training and team building workshops, each built around what your team is dealing with. There's no such thing as a certified harassment-prevention course in Colorado, and my trainings are compliant with federal and most state guidelines.

Manager compliance sessions can also cover retaliation, leave and accommodation, documentation, terminations, and pay transparency with wage and hour compliance, which ties back to Denver's local wage rules if any of your people work inside the city.

If you want executive coaching, my version is one-on-one coaching for owners and senior leaders, with the length and cadence agreed up front. Virtual is my first choice, and in person works too, depending on the group size, the timing and location, and the subject. I always follow up with check-ins afterward, and you'll find more on my Training & Development page.

Payroll and HR administration support

I don't process payroll. I help with the HR work around it: wage and hour compliance, choosing a payroll provider if you need one, and keeping records in order. For a Denver business, the city has its own requirements. Denver's rules say employers must pay the appropriate wage and keep payroll records for three years, and the city rate changes every January 1. My post on Colorado wage and hour laws and the COMPS Order covers the statewide side.

I'm not a benefits broker, but I'll help you find one, choose plans that fit your team and get through enrollment. If you're wondering how long to keep other HR records, my HR & Payroll Record Retention Toolkit lists the general federal and state requirements with my recommendation for each. If payroll and HR admin questions are piling up, tell me what's going on.