Buzzing About HR

Kate Underwood
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🎙️ Buzzing About HR Straight-talking HR for real businesses (the kind where you are doing payroll, sales, and playing therapist before lunch). From Kate Underwood HR & Training, this podcast makes the people stuff make sense, without the corporate jargon and “synergy” nonsense. Hosted by award-winning HR expert Kate Underwood, each episode is designed for real life. You know, the moments nobody prepares you for: The employee who is brilliant at the job but chaos in the teamThe manager who avoids tough conversations until it turns into a bin fireThe “it’s only a small issue” grievance that suddenly becomes a formal complaintThe sickness pattern that is suspiciously linked to Mondays and paydayThe resignation that makes you think, “Wait… what did we miss?” This is practical HR for small businesses and busy leaders. We talk performance, absence, hiring, retention, culture, motivation, and how to stay on the right side of UK employment law without turning your business into a paperwork museum. Expect straight answers, real examples, and steps you can actually use the same day, not theory that only works in perfect-world HR departments with unlimited budgets. It’s also a permission slip to lead like a human. Clear standards, fair boundaries, decent communication, and 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” like a judgemental stare from a Wellbeing Officer who has never written a policy in her life. ☕ Start here: Take the FREE HR Health Check and see where your risks (and quick wins) are hiding.

  1. 2D AGO

    Farewell To The Paper Round

    In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we start with something small that quietly disappeared, and took more with it than we realised. The paper round. Not as nostalgia, but as a reminder of how many young people used to learn routine, responsibility, and judgement long before they stepped into adult workplaces that now expect a lot and explain very little. In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we start with something small that quietly disappeared, and took a lot with it. The paper round. Not as a misty-eyed trip down memory lane, but as a reminder of how many young people used to learn the basics of work before they ever stepped into adult jobs that now expect confidence, judgement, and common sense from day one. We talk through a real moment on a manufacturing floor where a young apprentice made a poor judgement call just as a VIP tour walked past. It could have ended in blame or punishment. Instead, it forced us to stop and ask a better question. Had we actually taught what “professional” looks like, or had we just assumed they would know? That one moment changed how we approached induction. We got much clearer about boundaries, humour at work, how to speak up, how to treat colleagues and leaders, and where the lines really sit. The result was growth, confidence, and someone who stayed and learned, rather than someone who left feeling ashamed or confused. It was a good reminder that when the gap is knowledge rather than intent, guidance works far better than discipline. From there, we zoom out and look at what early work looks like now. Retail Saturdays are rarer. Hospitality roles are harder to come by. Paper rounds have all but gone. In their place are online selling, tutoring, creative gigs, app work, and side hustles. Some of these are brilliant. Many are unstructured, unsupervised, and offer very little feedback, which means young people miss out on learning how work actually works. This episode is really about rebuilding that first step into working life. Short, structured shifts. Holiday roles with a clear purpose. Clear expectations. And mentoring that turns a first job into a safe place to practise being an adult at work, rather than a sink or swim experience. We also talk through the practical bits for UK employers. What you can and cannot ask under-18s to do. Working hours. Permits. Pay. And the standards that should never drop, no matter how young someone is. Safety. Respect. Clarity. And paying people properly. If you hire young people, this is about building a pipeline and doing something genuinely positive for your community. If you are a parent or teacher, it gives you language to push for roles that teach responsibility without overwhelming teenagers. And if you are a young worker, there are practical tips for finding structure, building confidence, and understanding how effort links to reward at work. Subscribe for more honest conversations about work, share this with someone who hires teens, and leave a review with your first job story. I would love to hear what you learned. Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    13 min

  2. JAN 13

    The ERB Procrastination Trap: Why ‘Later’ Will Cost You

    Deadlines that sit a couple of years away can feel comforting. Plenty of time. Nothing urgent. Until the small, everyday habits quietly harden into rules you never meant to create. In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we look at the UK Employment Rights Bill and why the real risk for small businesses is not the legislation itself, but what happens in the meantime. The vague conversations. The informal promises. The inconsistent decisions that feel harmless now but come back to bite later. Kate talks through how ERB risk really builds in day-to-day working life. The kitchen table agreement that turns into a formal dispute. The “we’ve always done it this way” approach that collapses the first time it is challenged. And how to prepare sensibly, without panic, policy overload, or spending your weekends rewriting documents you do not yet need. A big theme running through the Employment Rights Bill is reasonableness. Not being nice. Not saying yes to everything. But making decisions that fit your business, applying them consistently, and being able to explain them calmly and clearly. You will hear practical examples of what a reasonable no sounds like, why blanket refusals on flexible working are risky, and why copying big-company HR approaches often backfires in small teams. Kate also shares a quick consistency sense check that reveals hidden risk in minutes. If two people in the same role ask for the same thing, do they get the same answer, and can you explain why? If not, that is where problems start long before the law ever changes. To keep this manageable, the episode sets out a phased approach to ERB readiness that works for small businesses. Right now, the focus is on habits rather than paperwork. Clear language. Agreed working patterns. Managers who feel confident having proper conversations instead of avoiding them. Later comes alignment, making sure contracts match reality and decisions are recorded properly. By the time the bigger changes land, you should be refining, not firefighting. And this is where many businesses struggle. Not with policies, but with managers freezing in the moment when someone asks for flexibility, raises a concern, or pushes back on a decision. If that sounds familiar,  Cake, Coffee and Compliance is designed for exactly this gap. Launching in March, it helps managers handle tricky conversations with confidence, apply rules consistently, and make reasonable decisions without panic or second-guessing. You can register here to find out more about Coffee, Cake and Compliance and be the first to hear when it opens: https://kateunderwoodhr.co.uk/cake-coffee-compliance Subscribe, share this episode with a fellow business owner or manager, and as you listen, ask yourself one simple question. Which habit do you need to fix first? Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    14 min

  3. JAN 6

    January Tsunami: Why People Quit

    Your inbox says “quick chat,” and suddenly January feels like a wave you didn’t see coming. In this episode, Kate unpacks why resignations spike at the start of the year, how to tell the difference between a normal January wobble and a genuine culture problem, and what small businesses can do in the next two weeks to steady things without launching a huge programme or making promises you cannot keep. We start with the human truth. Clarity follows a break. People come back after time off, the job market wakes up, and all the questions they parked in December come back loud. From there, we look at what really drives exits in small teams. Manager inconsistency, constant busyness with no outcomes, fuzzy roles, thin recognition, values not matching reality, and ongoing rows about flexibility. Then we get practical. You will hear a simple retention reset you can do fast. A 30-minute risk scan to spot hotspots, stay interviews that surface what actually keeps people, and quick visible fixes that rebuild trust quickly. We talk about supporting managers properly with clear expectations, short training, scripts, and weekly check-ins so you do not lose them. We also cover how to simplify roles, set five clear priorities, pause the non-essential, and cut the “urgent” clutter that drains everyone. We tackle pay and progression with honesty, too. What you can improve when cash is tight, when a counteroffer helps, and how to stop resignations becoming contagious by communicating calmly and early. To make it easier, there is a lean resignation checklist to standardise handovers, lock down access, and keep team messages neutral and steady. Make January the turning point, not the fire. Subscribe, share with a fellow small business leader, and leave a review telling us the first change you will make this week. Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    12 min

  4. 12/30/2025

    What Worked, What Hurt, And What To Change In 2026

    In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we are doing a proper year end reset for small business owners and managers. Not the polished “new year new you” stuff. The real kind. Because year end rarely feels neat when you run a small business. One person goes off sick, someone resigns with no warning, and the policies you meant to sort in March are still sitting there quietly judging you. By the time you hit late December, it is easy to feel like you have dropped the ball. This episode is here to reset that story. We look at what actually worked for SMEs in 2025, what caused the most stress behind the scenes, and what small changes will make 2026 calmer and clearer. One theme comes up again and again. Clarity beats chaos. When expectations are clear and conversations happen early, performance becomes manageable. When standards are vague, everything turns into drama. Managers get frustrated, employees feel unsettled, and everyone ends up walking on eggshells. We also talk about onboarding, because it is one of the cheapest ways to keep good people. I cover how to make week one feel steady and welcoming, how to name one go to person so new starters are not left guessing, and how to explain what good looks like in plain English so people can actually hit the mark. Then we get honest about flexibility. Flexible working can be brilliant when it is agreed properly, written down, and reviewed. It becomes a mess when it is based on vibes, done differently depending on who asks, or quietly unfair. I talk through how to keep it consistent, when you can say no, how to explain the business reason, and how to keep trust high even when the answer is not what someone wants. We also tackle something that quietly cost a lot of businesses in 2025. Avoidance. The feedback that did not happen. The patterns everyone noticed but nobody named. The “they are fine” situations that are not actually fine, and slowly drain time, energy and margins. I share a simple reset you can do in January to get back in control without turning it into a big drama. And yes, we talk about tribunal fear too, because it hangs over a lot of small business decisions. Doing nothing is often riskier than doing something properly. Most problems blow up because of delay and inconsistency, not because someone acted early, fairly, and with clear notes. We finish with a look at what is coming next in season two. Hiring without regret. Keeping good people without overpromising. Managing sickness before it spirals. Tackling long running performance issues. And staying on top of employment law changes calmly, without losing your weekends. If you are ready to move out of survival mode and into something steadier, this is your reset. Subscribe, share it with another small business owner, and leave a quick review so more SMEs can find a saner way to run their teams. Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    14 min

  5. 12/23/2025

    Start 2026 Strong By Fixing Five Simple HR Jobs Today

    In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we drop into that familiar end of year moment. It is the 23rd of December. The calendar has slid onto the floor, budget papers are wedged under a mug, and the to do list looks like it is multiplying when you are not looking. If December chaos has a habit of following you into January, this episode is designed to stop that happening. This is a calm, practical reset to help you step into 2026 feeling organised rather than already behind. Over a brisk, biscuit fuelled hour, I share the wins that really mattered in 2025 and the people practices that kept small teams functioning when everything else felt busy. Things like tighter onboarding, fair pay decisions, and training that actually leaves a trail of proof instead of just good intentions. We also tackle the Employment Rights Bill in human language. What is already live. What is coming next. And what that actually means for your business day to day. I translate the law into practical actions you can take now, including clearer offer letters, simple day one information, manager scripts that explain tricky topics without causing a revolt, and short, sensible training with tiny quizzes so reasonable steps mean something in real life. If January usually starts with firefighting, I give you five very specific moves to steady things fast. Blocking short diary slots to tidy your handbook, sweep payroll, and brief managers. Building a one page people list that shows rates, start dates and probation milestones. Creating an onboarding starter pack that makes new hires feel welcome and useful on day one. And picking the role with the highest churn so you can redesign its first 90 days properly. We also run through the questions that tend to come up at this time of year. What to update now versus later. How to prove training without making it a drama. What really applies to tiny teams. Why apprenticeships still make sense. And how to explain frozen tax thresholds using net pay examples that people actually understand. Looking ahead, I also flag what data is worth capturing for predictable hours, probation outcomes and future changes, so you are not scrambling later. This episode is about simple preparation that saves you time, stress and avoidable mistakes. If you want help choosing tools that give you time back, you can book a discovery call via the show notes. And if you prefer to quietly prepare in the background, join the newsletter and I will nudge you when key dates land. Subscribe, share this with another owner who needs a calmer January, and tell me which of the five moves you are going to do first. Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    15 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    Special Edition: The Employment Rights Bill Explained in Plain English for SME's

    In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we turn down the noise and focus on what really matters. The UK Employment Rights Bill is full of big headlines and bigger opinions, but small businesses need something much simpler. Clear decisions, clear steps, and no late nights trying to decode legislation. This episode is about cutting through the chaos and translating recent rule changes into something you can actually use. Not theory. Not political noise. Just what applies to you, what is already live, and what is coming next so you are not caught out. We look at the rules that should already be in place and quietly working in the background. Flexible working from day one. Carers leave. Extended redundancy protection. Tips and service charge rules. The duty to prevent sexual harassment. Neonatal care leave arriving next year. I explain what these mean in practice, what managers actually need to say, and where businesses tend to slip without realising. Then we look ahead to what is coming down the line in 2026 and 2027. Changes to sick pay. Predictable working requests. Reforms to zero hours and casual work. A tougher stance on fire and rehire. And the one that is making most business owners sit up straighter. Unfair dismissal rights dropping to six months. We talk about what that really changes day to day, without panic and without drama. I also flag what is not happening, despite the headlines, and why setting sensible boundaries at work still matters even when the law does not force it. This is about staying compliant while keeping your business workable and your weekends intact. You will come away with a clear sense of what to fix now, what to plan for next, and how to keep things simple. Think practical actions like tightening up your handbook, making probation periods actually meaningful, briefing managers without overwhelming them, and avoiding nasty surprises in future budgets. If you want hands on help reviewing your policies, choosing affordable HR tech, or resetting probation and people processes before the six month rule lands, this episode will help you get ahead calmly and confidently. Hit play, pop the kettle on, and let’s make sense of the Employment Rights Bill without the stress. Subscribe, share this with another owner manager, and leave a quick review telling me which policy you know needs attention first. Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    19 min

  7. 12/16/2025

    How Small Employers Can Build A Resilient Early Careers Pipeline In A Shaky UK Job Market

    In this episode of Buzzing About HR, I want to talk about something that is getting lost in the headlines. Hiring might be slowing down, confidence might be wobbling, but small businesses can still build a really solid early careers pipeline without spending a fortune or exhausting their teams. This one is for anyone who has noticed fewer decent applicants, people disappearing halfway through the process, or managers saying they simply do not have the time or headspace to train someone new. I talk honestly about why higher unemployment does not automatically solve your hiring problems, and why things like transport, working hours, confidence and basic skills still get in the way for a lot of capable people. We look at how to take the panic out of early careers hiring and turn it into something steady and repeatable. I walk you through how to design one starter friendly role that actually adds value within the first few weeks, how to write a clear job advert that separates what someone must have from what you can train, and how a short work task can tell you far more than a polished interview ever will. Mentoring is a big part of this conversation. I share how businesses are using experienced people, sometimes those nearing retirement, to coach and pass on knowledge without carrying the full workload. We talk about pairing that with a buddy for the everyday questions so new starters feel supported and managers are not firefighting. I also explain a simple 90 day plan that builds confidence and skills gradually, with clear check ins and a sensible decision point at the end. We cover inclusion in a very practical way too, things like flexible interview times, written instructions, protected learning time and small adjustments that help people settle and stay. If you are fed up with churn and the idea of the perfect candidate who still needs retraining, this episode will help you hire for potential, build skills properly and keep the people you invest in. If this sounds useful, subscribe, share it with a manager who needs a calmer hiring plan, and leave a quick review telling me one thing you will try differently. Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    20 min

  8. 12/09/2025

    How To Keep Morale High And Customers Happy When December Chaos Hits

    In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we step straight into the festive chaos that hits every small business in December. Hazel is asleep under a pile of Christmas lights, the inbox is bursting with last minute shifts and mystery calendar blocks, and everyone is only one rota change away from losing the plot. If December normally feels like a burnout buffet mixed with fairy lights, this episode is your life raft. I take you through the real reasons things go wrong at this time of year and how to spot the pressure points before they explode. You will hear how tiny signs in your rota, your inbox and your team’s mood can tell you exactly where the trouble is hiding. We look at the classic Christmas crunch moments every manager knows too well. The sudden leave requests. The people who are off but somehow still online. The one person with all the logins on a ski lift. Suppliers who quietly disappear. Payroll deadlines that creep into the night. And the silent build up of pressure that tips good people into snapping or shutting down. More importantly, we focus on what you can do right now to make December calmer, kinder and more manageable. Think simple fixes that protect real time off, stop the constant firefighting and keep customers happy without burning out the same three people. This is practical, plain English support you can use today. We also tackle the grey areas that always come up at this time of year, from fair leave rules to sickness on holiday, bank holidays, remote working calls and how to keep trust high when everyone is tired. You will leave with a short, clear list of what to put in place this week so your team, your customers and your sanity all make it into January in one piece. If you want the tools I talk about in the episode, you can grab the Holiday Absence Toolkit. And if December is already wobbling, book a discovery call and we will map one win for the week so you are not doing this alone. Hit play, pop the kettle on and let’s make this the calmest December you have had in years. with the one-page template, cover drill worksheet, handover note, and ready-to-use scripts. If you’d like eyes on your plan, book a discovery call and we’ll map one win for this week. Subscribe, share with a manager who needs a calmer December, and tell us: which fix will you try first? Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood! If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you. Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on buzz@kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates. Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

    16 min
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About

🎙️ Buzzing About HR Straight-talking HR for real businesses (the kind where you are doing payroll, sales, and playing therapist before lunch). From Kate Underwood HR & Training, this podcast makes the people stuff make sense, without the corporate jargon and “synergy” nonsense. Hosted by award-winning HR expert Kate Underwood, each episode is designed for real life. You know, the moments nobody prepares you for: The employee who is brilliant at the job but chaos in the teamThe manager who avoids tough conversations until it turns into a bin fireThe “it’s only a small issue” grievance that suddenly becomes a formal complaintThe sickness pattern that is suspiciously linked to Mondays and paydayThe resignation that makes you think, “Wait… what did we miss?” This is practical HR for small businesses and busy leaders. We talk performance, absence, hiring, retention, culture, motivation, and how to stay on the right side of UK employment law without turning your business into a paperwork museum. Expect straight answers, real examples, and steps you can actually use the same day, not theory that only works in perfect-world HR departments with unlimited budgets. It’s also a permission slip to lead like a human. Clear standards, fair boundaries, decent communication, and 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” like a judgemental stare from a Wellbeing Officer who has never written a policy in her life. ☕ Start here: Take the FREE HR Health Check and see where your risks (and quick wins) are hiding.

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Underwood
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Buzzing About HR
  • Show Website
    Buzzing About HR