Picture this. It's Tuesday, the 21st of October. I'm on a client call. Hazel, our well-being officer, tilts her head at my paws. The client says, Can we do it this way? It's faster. My HR brain says that breaks the rules. My sales brain whispers, we could lose the contract. Here's the question. What if playing it HR safe costs you clients? But bending the rules costs you much more? It's Black History Month, so fairness and inclusion are in the spotlight. Let's get this right. Welcome. Hello, I'm Kate. This is Buzzing About HR. Today we're talking about when HR advice seems to cost you clients. And how to keep the work, stay legal, and protect your people. It's UK only, plain English. No faff. Kettle on, let's crack on. Why this matters? Small businesses live and die by relationships. When a big client pushes, it's tempting to say yes. But one risky yes can end with a claim, a fine and damage to your name. You'll see lots of posts about equality this month. You may also hear quiet nudges to be commercial and look the other way. You do not have to choose between ethics and income. You need a simple way to hold the line and still be helpful. What helps and what doesn't? What helps is knowing your red lines and saying them out loud. Have safer options ready so you can offer a quick no, but we can do this instead. Practice a short script for tough calls. Write your decisions down so you can stand by them later. What hurts is vagueness. Wheel C turns into quiet exceptions, and quiet exceptions become the new normal. Culture, fit, is often code for biased policies that are ignored when money talks are not policies, they're wishful thinking. The basics, in plain English. The Equality Act 2010 bans discrimination in how you hire, pay, promote, dismiss, and treat people at work. It covers protected characteristics like race, religion or belief, sex disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, and marriage or civil partnership. Indirect discrimination also counts. That's when a neutral rule hits a group harder without a good reason. You are responsible if your staff or your agents harass someone at work. So set the tone, train people, and act fast when something happens. In recruitment, client preference is not a defence. There are very narrow occupational requirement exceptions. If you think you're in that territory, get advice first. Follow the ACUS codes. Fair steps and good notes make a good defence. And remember, many big clients build compliance into their contracts and tenders. If you cut corners and it blows up, they can drop you anyway. Bottom line, saying no to unlawful requests protects your business. Your brand is worth more than a short-term fee. How to stay commercial and compliant. Here's how I handle it in practice. First, I set three non-negotiables. For example, no discriminatory short lists, no unpaid overtime, no sham self-employment. Then I write two legal alternatives for each one so I'm never saying no without an option. I keep a simple traffic light risk rating. Red means unlawful. Amber means possible with conditions. Green means fine. Everyone in sales and ops understands it. I practice a short line for tricky moments. We can't do that, but here are two ways to meet your goal. I follow up with a short email setting out what was asked, what I recommend, and why I name who owns the decision, because the buck has to stop somewhere. With big clients, I agree the ground rules at the start: equality, fair hiring, hours, safety, and we both sign them. I give managers a quick refresh on discrimination, harassment, and fair process. With real examples, they'll recognise I keep a simple log of the tough asks we decline and the alternatives we use. If something feels really risky, I pause and get director sign-off before we move. And I tell the fairness story. Especially in Black History Month, I explain how these standards protect clients too. Fewer claims, better teams, stronger brands. If this feels heavy, breathe. A small slice of cake helps the courage, not the policy. Mini dramas solved in real life. Client says, No headscarves on reception. You say that's likely unlawful discrimination. We can't exclude people on religion. Let's agree a simple, safe dress code for everyone. Neat, branded, and inclusive. Client says, Can we get two days work unpaid to test them? You say we can't do unpaid work. We can run a short pay trial with clear tasks and capped hours, at least at the national minimum wage. Or we can use a skills task instead. Hiring manager says, They're great but not our vibe. You say which job criteria did they miss? Let's stick to skills and behaviours. If it's style, not substance, we're drifting into bias. Client says, Tell the team to reply at night, or we'll switch suppliers. You say we can set up a paid on call rotor, or we can promise next day responses. Both meet your need without burning people out. Sales says skip references, we'll lose them. You say we can do digital checks right now and give a conditional start. The process still happens just faster. Quick QA. Is the client asked for it? A defense? No. If it's discriminatory or unsafe, it's still on you. Who makes the final call? The person the buck stops with. HR lays out the law, the risks, the costs and the options, clearly and in writing. If it's lawful but risky, that person decides whether to proceed and owns the outcome. If it's unlawful, it's a no no matter who asks. Can we ever favor a protected group? Only in narrow positive action cases and never as quotas. Get advice before you try it. Do we need to put principles in contracts? Yes. A short clause on equality, safety, and whistleblowing helps you hold the line. What if a big client threatens to leave, offer legal alternatives? If they insist on unlawful terms, let them go. It's cheaper than a claim. How do we handle a borderline ask? Use the traffic lights. If it's amber, write down the conditions, time box it and review it. If it's red, stop. Should we train everyone on this? Yes. Sales, ops, HR, and line managers. One hour with real examples is enough to start. How do we balance DEI with commercial reality? Make DEI part of commercial reality. It lowers risk, improves hiring, and strengthens your brand track levers, grievances and bids one to prove it. Should we talk about Black History Month? Yes, but with action. Share your standards, look at your data, and fix the gaps. No token posts. What to have in place? Make sure your red lines are known. Keep your safer swaps handy. Practice your short script. Send notes after risky conversations and record who made the call and why. Put the principles into your client contracts. Train your managers and sales teams. Keep a log of tough asks and what you did instead. Once a month, review what worked and what needs to change. Before you go, decide your non-negotiables now. Offer legal alternatives quickly. Train the people who make the day-to-day calls and walk away from unlawful requests. Outro. Back to that call. Hazel tilts her head like she's saying, say it clearly, then stand by it. Here's the line: good HR keeps you in business. Bad shortcuts take you out of it. Hold the standard, offer options. Keep the client if you can. But if it's illegal or unfair, it's a no. If it's lawful but risky, the decision sits with the person the buck stops with. Once all the facts are on the table and the rationale is written down. If you're facing a sticky client, ask right now, book an HR chat. We'll map the risk, script the response, and keep you both compliant and commercial. I'm Kate. This is Buzzing About HR. Kettle on, standards up. See you next time.