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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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Special Edition: The Employment Rights Act in Plain English for Small Businesses
•Kate Underwood•Season 1•Episode 49
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In this episode of Buzzing About HR, I am cutting through the noise around the UK Employment Rights Bill and focusing on what actually matters for small businesses.
Because let’s be honest, there has been plenty of commentary, plenty of opinion, and plenty of people making it sound like the sky is falling. What most small business owners actually need is something much simpler. Clear decisions. Clear priorities. And a sense of what needs doing now, what can wait, and what is just noise.
So that is what this episode is about.
I walk through the employment law changes that should already be quietly working in the background, including flexible working from day one, carers leave, extended redundancy protection, tips and service charge rules, the duty to prevent sexual harassment, and neonatal care leave. I explain what these mean in practice, what managers actually need to say and do, and where small businesses often get caught out without realising.
Then we look ahead to what is coming next in 2026 and 2027. Changes to Statutory Sick Pay, predictable working requests, reforms to zero-hours and casual work, and a tougher approach to fire and rehire. We also get into the one that is making a lot of businesses sit up straighter. Unfair dismissal rights are dropping to six months.
I talk about what that really changes day to day, without panic and without overcomplicating it.
We also cover what is not happening, despite some of the headlines, and why sensible workplace boundaries still matter even when the law does not spell every single thing out for you.
By the end of this episode, you will have a much clearer sense of what to tighten up now, what to plan for next, and how to keep your business compliant without turning your weekends into one long HR admin session.
If you want to get ahead calmly and confidently, this episode will help you do exactly that.
Subscribe, share it with another owner-manager, and leave a review telling me which policy you know needs attention first.
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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.
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