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.
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Hiring should show you who can do the job. Not who can cope best with a noisy room, a vague task, and a stopwatch.
In this episode of Buzzing About HR, I talk about neurodiversity in the workplace and how small, sensible changes can make hiring and day-to-day work better for everyone, not just neurodivergent employees.
Because this is where a lot of employers get stuck. They want to be fair, they want to do the right thing, but they are worried about saying the wrong thing, asking the wrong question, or turning the whole process into a paperwork marathon.
So we strip it right back.
We start with hiring. What are you actually trying to assess? If the role needs clear communication, problem-solving, and accurate updates, then test that. Not spelling under pressure. Not who performs best in a loud room with three people staring at them. I walk through how to redesign an assessment so it reflects the job properly, while still keeping standards high.
We also talk about reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. What “reasonable” actually means in real life. How to ask what someone needs without getting hung up on diagnosis. And why equal does not always mean identical.
Then we move into the workplace itself. Noise. Meetings. Vague instructions. Constant interruptions. All the little things that quietly make work harder than it needs to be. I share some simple changes that can make a big difference, like quiet work time, shorter written briefs, better meeting habits, and a basic manager approach that focuses on one thing. Spot the barrier, make an adjustment, check if it helped.
You will also come away with a simple do-next list. Rewrite one job advert. Split must-haves from learnables. Add an adjustments welcome line. Swap a generic pre-screen for a tiny real work sample.
The point is not to lower the bar. It is to make sure you are testing the right thing.
If you want stronger hiring, less chaos, and a workplace where more people can do their best work, this episode is for you.
Subscribe, share it with a hiring manager who needs a nudge, and leave a review telling us the first change you are going to make.
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.
And if you do it before 30th October 2026 you’ll get a bonus 7 Pillar Strategy-on-a-Page, tailored to help you manage HR brilliantly for the year ahead.
That’s it for today, but if you fancy a bit of friendly HR advice in your inbox (with zero waffle), come and join our newsletter.
We send out bite-sized tips, plain-English updates, and handy things you’ll actually use — no spam, no fluff.
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.
