Making Fractional Work Feel Full-Service: How Tonyel Thompson Is Changing the HR Game in LA

Making Fractional Work Feel Full-Service: How Tonyel Thompson Is Changing the HR Game in LA

Part of Digital Reference's series: HR Consultants to Watch & Fractional CHROs Making Things Happen in LA. The Digital Reference Team was privileged to interview Tonyel Thompson face-to-face in April 2025. Tonyel is an LA HR Consulting Firm Founder, Fractional CHRO, and HR Consultant to Watch.

In a city defined by reinvention, Tonyel Thompson is doing just that—but in the world of HR. Based in Los Angeles, Tonyel is the founder and principal of a fractional HR firm (Real HR Hero) that’s quietly transforming how companies build and support their people operations. Since launching her business officially in 2019 (after years of consulting on the side), she’s built a practice that blends deep empathy, operational rigor, and a sharp eye for modern workforce dynamics.

Tonyel isn’t just offering HR support—she’s building infrastructure that flexes with a business’s growth. And in a post-COVID, remote-first world, her model has become more relevant than ever.

“Some of our clients want us to do it all,” she says. “From onboarding and payroll to benefits and compliance—we’re basically their full HR department. Others need more targeted help, like support during a performance issue or help offboarding someone. Every engagement is tailored.”

That flexibility is key. Thompson’s firm works primarily with companies between 25 and 250 employees—a sweet spot where internal HR is often underdeveloped but still mission-critical. These are businesses that may not be able to afford (or fully utilize) a senior HR team, but still need strategic support. For them, Tonyel offers the best of both worlds: fractional cost with full-spectrum service.

Beyond the Solo Consultant

One common misconception about fractional HR work is that it’s just one person parachuting in to fix problems. Not so in Tonyel’s case.

“Our clients aren’t just getting one HR professional. They’re getting a team,” she explains. “There’s a lead advisor, a backup, and a senior consultant for escalations and complex projects. That kind of redundancy is rare at our price point.”

The firm is largely virtual—an intentional choice from day one, not a pandemic pivot. While Thompson is open to onsite work for local clients, she believes strongly in the value of designing HR infrastructure that functions remotely.

“Even if you want someone at a desk in your office, your HR systems should work virtually. That’s how you future-proof,” she says. “And thankfully, more leaders are starting to see that.”

Serving the Right-Sized Clients

While Thompson’s team can support clients across industries, some are a better fit than others. Highly tactile environments, like manufacturing, often require full-time, onsite HR presence. But for companies in biotech, SaaS, creative services, or distributed teams—Tonyel’s model fits like a glove.

The firm’s value proposition especially resonates with founder-led or PE-backed businesses that need to grow fast without operational chaos. “We can drop in, stabilize things, and even help companies figure out when it is time to hire internal HR,” she notes.

Interestingly, she points out that many clients didn’t even realize HR could be outsourced until they were deep in a crisis or post-pandemic rebuilding phase.

“During COVID, people finally saw HR as more than paper-pushing,” she recalls. “They saw us as the risk managers, the culture carriers, the ones keeping things together. That changed everything.”

The Tech + Talent Conversation

Thompson is quick to acknowledge that new tools—AI, automation, virtual onboarding—have made it easier than ever to support clients remotely. But she’s equally clear-eyed about the platforms she sees as falling short. LinkedIn, for example, draws her ire.

“It’s expensive, clunky, and not built for true verification,” she says. “I once found someone using my photo to create a fake HR company. It took LinkedIn two months to take the profile down. That kind of delay erodes trust.”

Which is exactly why she’s intrigued by new approaches to digital reputation, like Digital Reference. The idea of using verified, structured data to build professional profiles—something closer to a portfolio than a resume—resonates deeply.

“There are all these tools for creatives and coders to show what they’ve built. But for HR leaders? For people people? We’re still on resumes. It’s outdated.”

She also offers sharp insight into how platforms could rethink verification:

“If someone adds an employer to their profile, the employer should have to verify it—or at least be given the chance to reject it. Otherwise, it gets auto-approved. That would make profiles way more trustworthy.”

A Human-First Approach to Growth

At the heart of Thompson’s work is a clear belief: companies do better when they care—really care—about the people inside them. And she’s seen firsthand what happens when HR is done right.

“What I love about fractional HR is the variety. I get to support so many different kinds of people and businesses. But more than that, I get to help companies that want to do better. That’s who we’re looking for—clients who care.”

For now, she’s content to keep growing at a sustainable pace, serving the kinds of companies that value strategy and heart in equal measure. Her firm isn’t trying to be the biggest. Just one of the best.

“We’re not cold-calling, trying to replace someone’s internal HR person,” she says. “We show up when there’s a real need. And usually, that comes from a referral—from someone we’ve already helped.”

In a city that’s long celebrated reinvention, Tonyel Thompson is offering something rare: consistency, credibility, and care in an often-overlooked part of business. And she’s proving that when it comes to HR, fractional doesn’t mean fractional value—it just means smarter delivery.

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