Common questions we get asked
What we do, what we will tell you belongs somewhere else, and how a first conversation actually works. If yours is not here, ask it directly.
Working with us
What the practice is and how an engagement actually starts.
What does Third Voice Consulting do?
Third Voice is an HR consulting practice in Chico, California. We work with growing organizations and their leaders on HR strategy and organizational development, employee relations and performance management, HR operations and California compliance, and the difficult conversations that sit underneath most of it.
Who do you usually work with?
Organizations that have grown past the point where informal HR works, along with the HR teams and business leaders inside them. We also work with individuals preparing for a difficult conversation of their own.
Do you only work with organizations in Chico?
No. We are based in Chico and work throughout the North State, across California, and remotely. California employment law is our home ground, and most of what we do travels well beyond it.
How does an engagement start?
With one message and a conversation. There is no proposal deck and no onboarding period. You tell us what is happening, and we tell you honestly whether we are the right people for it.
What if you are not the right fit?
We will say so on the first call and point you somewhere better. That happens, and saying it early is cheaper for everyone involved.
Can we bring you in for a single conversation?
Yes. Some of our work runs for months and some of it is one call before a meeting on Thursday morning.
Who will we actually be working with?
Denise and Amy. There is no account team, and nothing gets handed down to a junior consultant after the first meeting.
Services and areas of expertise
What we take on, what we do not, and who we will point you to instead.
Do you provide legal advice?
No. We are HR practitioners. We work alongside employment counsel and will tell you plainly when a question belongs with a lawyer rather than with us.
Do you handle payroll or benefits administration?
We are not a payroll bureau or a benefits broker. Denise has built payroll, compensation, and benefit structures from the inside, so we can advise on design and on the systems around them, but we do not run them for you.
Do you do recruiting or place candidates?
Not as a search firm. We do work on the structure a role sits in, the job description, the hiring process, and the decision itself.
Can you conduct a formal workplace investigation?
We help you plan and run a fair internal process and prepare the person conducting it. Some complaints call for an independent investigator or employment counsel instead, and we will say so when we think that is where you are.
Do you deliver training for a whole staff?
Yes. Harassment prevention, manager development, and difficult conversations are the ones we deliver most often, on site or remotely.
Pricing and projects
How engagements are priced, structured, and run.
How are you priced?
It depends on the scope, and it goes in writing before anything starts. We would rather understand the work first than quote a number that has to change later.
Do you work on retainer or by project?
Both. Some clients keep ongoing access for the questions that come up week to week. Others bring us in for one defined piece of work and we close it out.
Do you meet in person?
In the North State, often. Elsewhere, by video. Some of this work genuinely goes better in a room, and we will tell you when we think it is one of those.
How quickly do you respond?
Messages go straight to Denise and Amy rather than into a queue. If something is happening this week, say so and we will tell you honestly what we can do.
Is a first conversation an obligation?
No. It is a conversation about what is happening and whether we can help. There is no obligation on either side.
Questions about a specific piece of work
Each service page carries its own set: what it covers, how long it takes, and where it stops.
Still not sure whether we are the right people?
Ask. We will tell you honestly, and if the answer is no we will point you somewhere better.