Buzzing About HR
🎙️ Buzzing About HR
Straight-talking HR for the people doing payroll, sales and playing workplace therapist before lunch.
If you run a UK small business, or you're the HR-of-one trying to keep the wheels on, this podcast is for you.
No corporate jargon.
No "synergy."
Just real answers to the people's problems no one warned you about.
Hosted by award-winning HR expert Kate Underwood, each episode tackles the moments small business owners actually face:
- The employee who's brilliant at the job and causes chaos in the team
- The manager who avoids hard conversations until they turn into a bonfire
- The "small issue" grievance that suddenly becomes a formal complaint
- The sickness pattern is suspiciously linked to Mondays and payday
- The resignation that makes you think, " What did we miss?"
You'll get plain-English UK employment law, practical advice on performance, absence, hiring and retention, and grown-up culture conversations, all usable the same day. No theory. No paperwork museums. No advice that only works in big HR departments with unlimited budgets.
This is also a permission slip to lead like a human. Clear standards. Fair boundaries. Decent communication. Less drama. The goal is a calmer workplace, fewer sleepless nights, and a team that actually wants to stick around.
And yes, Hazel the office dog pops up too. Because nothing says "people management" quite like a judgmental stare from a Wellbeing Officer who's never written a policy in her life.
☕ Start here: take the FREE HR Health Check and see where your risks and your quick wins are hiding.
New episodes every Tuesday.
Buzzing About HR
Why Promoting Your Star Performer Can Backfire And What To Do Instead
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In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we are talking about a trap loads of businesses fall into. Someone is brilliant at their job, so they get promoted. Then everyone watches them slowly drown in rotas, one-to-ones, and awkward conversations they have never been taught how to handle.
You know the type. Amazing operator. Great doer. Knows the job inside out. Then suddenly they are managing people, and it all gets a bit wobbly.
This episode is about how to stop that from happening.
I start with the big tension most businesses face. Promote your star performer and risk destabilising the team, or keep them where they are and risk losing them altogether. The answer is not to guess and hope for the best. It is to build two clear paths. One for managers. One for specialists. Both with proper recognition, progression, and pay.
I talk through how to create a simple framework you can actually use. Clear criteria that people understand. Acting-up opportunities before you commit. Light training and mentoring. And goals that show whether someone can really lead, not just whether they are popular or confident in meetings.
We also get into the quiet ways this goes wrong. New managers are still doing their old job and burning out. Promotions based on who shouts the loudest or has been there the longest. Quieter, part-time, or less obvious talent is getting overlooked because they do not fit someone’s idea of what a manager looks like.
And yes, we cover the process side too. How to keep it fair, how to document decisions, and why ACAS guidance matters more than people realise when someone later says they were overlooked unfairly.
If you want to grow proper managers, keep your culture steady, and stop promotion decisions from feeling like a coin toss, this episode is for you.
Subscribe, share it with a manager or business owner who needs it, and leave a review if it helped you think about leadership a bit differently.
If you’re not 100% sure how your HR is really holding up, take our free HR Health Check. It’s short, jargon-free, and gives you a clear score on what’s working — and what needs a bit of love.
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If you're not sure how your HR is really holding up, take the free HR Health Check. It's short, jargon-free, and gives you a clear score on what's working and what could do with a bit of love.
Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss one, and leave a review if you've got thirty seconds. It honestly does help more small business owners find the show, and it's the cheapest good deed you'll do all week.
Got a question or need actual HR support? Find Kate at kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, or follow along on social.
Until next time, keep buzzing, and take care of your people.
Picture this. It's Tuesday, 7th of October, on my whiteboard. Star worker, manager. Hazel, our well being officer, looks at the arrow, tilts her head and barks. Twice. Here's the dilemma. If we promote our best doer, they might struggle as a manager. If we don't, they might leave. Welcome. Hello, I'm Kate. This is Buzzing About HR. Today,
The Promotion Dilemma
SPEAKER_00promoting the wrong people. How to avoid it and what to do if it happens. UK only. Plain English. No fluff. Let's crack on. Why this matters? National Work Life Week is in mid-October. People are asking for the next step. Promoting the wrong person hurts the team and the person. You lose a great doer and get a stressed manager. There is a better way. Benefits versus headaches. Get promotions right and you get good managers who can actually lead.
Why Getting Promotions Right Matters
SPEAKER_00Clear fair steps everyone understands. Strong teams and steady results. Get promotions wrong and you get a wobbling manager and a messy team. Claims of favorites and unfairness. More resignations and backfilling. The basics in plain legal. Keep it fair and open. Use clear job-related reasons for promotion. Give people a real chance to be considered. Make notes on what you decided and why. If someone complains, follow the ACAS guidance. Listen, respond, and keep records. Tribunal time limits are short, around three months, so be tidy with your paperwork.
Legal Basics In Plain English
SPEAKER_00How to do promotions without regrets. Two career paths, one for managers, one for specialists. Both can earn more. Write simple criteria. What a manager must do. Plan work, run one-on-ones, give feedback, handle absence, be fair, share the criteria, put them where everyone can see them, check readiness.
Two Paths: Manager And Specialist
SPEAKER_00Quick self-check, manager view, two peer comments. Try before you buy. Six to twelve weeks. Acting up. Train first. Short basics. Feedback, rotor slash plan, absence, fairness, simple numbers. Give a mentor, one name person for weekly check-ins. Set two to three goals. Clear and small. Run team huddle well, fix one process,
Trials, Training, Mentors, And Goals
SPEAKER_00complete one ones on time. Decide with evidence. Use the criteria, trial and feedback. Write a short note on why. Pay fairly. Confirm the new pay only if appointed. If it's not yet, give two growth goals and a date to review. Point to the specialist path too. If it goes wrong, step back quickly and kindly. Keep dignity. Move them to a role they can shine in. Check the pattern. Every quarter. Look at who gets chances. Fix any unfair blocks. Mini dramas and fixes. Two hats. You promote Sam but keep all their doer tasks. Sam burns out. Fix. Remove doer tasks during the trial. Protect time. Fewer, clearer goals. The popular choice. Everyone likes Leo, so you skip the checks. Three weeks later, missed one-to-ones and wrote a chaos. Fix back to criteria. Give training and
Decide Fairly And Pay Properly
SPEAKER_00a mentor. If it still slips, step back kindly. The hidden barrier. Your ready list favors long hours and loud voices. Part-time Priya never gets a look-in. Fix. Judge outcomes, not hours. Offer different ways to show the skill. Quick QA. Do I have to advertise internally? No, but it's safer and fairer. It also finds hidden talent. How long should a trial be? Six to twelve weeks. Short, focused, with protected time. Should I pay more in the trial?
Common Pitfalls And Fixes
SPEAKER_00Use a temporary allowance. Confirm base pay after appointment. What training is a must? Feedback. Planning slash rotor, absence basics, fair treatment, simple metrics. What if the team pushback? Listen. Explain the criteria. Fix specific issues fast. If someone fails the trial, will they quit? Not if you handle it well. Honest feedback. A respectful step back. And a strong specialist path. Can my best doer be a great manager? Yes, if they want it and you train and support them. Practical takeaways. Publish a manager path and a specialist
Quick Q&A On Process
SPEAKER_00path. Test the skills before you give the title. Protect time during trials. No double hatting. Train first, then promote. Review patterns. Fix blocks fast. Back to the whiteboard. Star worker. Arrow manager. Hazel tilts her head like she's asking, can they lead people?
Practical Takeaways And Close
SPEAKER_00And do they want to? That's the question to answer. National Work Life Week is the ideal time to tidy your promotion steps. Keep it simple. Keep it fair. Help people grow in the right direction. I'm Kate. This is Buzzing About HR. Kettle On, Standards Up. See you next time.
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