The Practical People Manager with Anna Thomas

Anna Thomas
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The Practical People Manager is the podcast for line managers, HR professionals, and business leaders who want to manage people well, with more confidence and less jargon. Hosted by HR Expert, Anna Thomas, each episode brings real conversations with experts and practitioners covering the topics that matter most at work, from mental health and neurodiversity to menopause and beyond. This is practical, people-first leadership. No fluff. Just honest conversations to help you listen better, lead with confidence, and support the people around you.

  1. 3d ago

    Alternative title: People Management Is a Skill: What Line Managers Need to Know About Trust, HR and Starting the Conversation

    In the final part of her conversation with Yohan Macdonald, founder of Great Minds Training, Anna turns to two of the most fundamental questions in people management: what is the real role of HR when it comes to mental health and wellbeing, and what does it actually take to build the trust that makes every other conversation possible? Yohan is clear that if HR is where a wellbeing strategy starts and ends, the organisation is already on the back foot. HR has a vital role as a connector and a support, but the conversations that matter most need to happen between managers and their people, not be handed upwards. Anna reflects honestly on how easy it is for HR professionals to step in and take over, and why that can actually rob managers of the very experiences that would build their confidence over time. The conversation moves into trust, and Yohan draws on Brené Brown's marble jar analogy to explain why trust is built slowly, through consistent small actions, and why a single act of betrayal can shatter it entirely. He makes the point that no one shares something meaningful with someone they do not trust, and that trust is something you earn through what you do, not what you say. Anna and Yohan also explore the question of whether people management is actually the right role for everyone. Yohan is refreshingly honest about what he has seen in training rooms and what it means when someone consistently meets resistance from their team. The answer, sometimes, is that people management is simply not the right fit. The episode closes with Yohan's three-word takeaway for every line manager listening: start the conversation. Find out more about Yohan's work, including his SAFE Conversation Framework and free wellbeing strategy assessment, at https://greatminds.training Connect with Anna:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hrInstagram: instagram.com/practicalmanagerTikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanagerThe People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

    Alternative title: People Management Is a Skill: What Line Managers Need to Know About Trust, HR and Starting the Conversation

  2. Sep 9

    ADHD Coaching, Workplace Conflict and What Great Inclusion Actually Looks Like (Part 3)

    In the final part of her conversation with Ellie Kay, ADHD and AuDHD coach and neurodiversity specialist, Anna moves into coaching, conflict, and what genuinely inclusive management looks like in practice. Ellie explains what ADHD coaching actually involves and why it is different from traditional coaching. For many people, especially those newly diagnosed, it starts with validation: finally feeling heard, understood, and released from years of shame about things that were never their fault. Ellie also introduces the concept of co-coaching, a facilitated three-way conversation between a coach, a manager, and an employee that can resolve tension before it ever reaches a formal process. The conversation gets into the specifics of what managers do that unknowingly causes harm. Cancelling meetings with no context, sending a message that just says "can we have a quick chat", or copying someone into a long email about an investigation without any warning. For someone with ADHD, these small things can derail an entire day. The fix, as Ellie makes clear, is often just a few extra words of context. Anna and Ellie close with a rapid-fire round that distils the whole conversation into practical, immediately usable takeaways: the one question every manager should ask, the one behaviour they should rethink, and the one leadership habit that creates real inclusion. Ellie also shares something personal: how her ADHD diagnosis helped her finally forgive herself for missing a smear test that led to cervical cancer in her 20s. It is a powerful reminder of why diagnosis matters, and why the shame that goes with undiagnosed neurodivergence has real consequences. Find out more about Ellie's work at https://www.elliekay.co.uk Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

    ADHD Coaching, Workplace Conflict and What Great Inclusion Actually Looks Like (Part 3)

  3. Sep 2

    What Managers Don't Know About Employment Law Could Cost Them

    In the final part of her conversation with Nic Elliott, Director and Head of Employment Law at Actons Solicitors, Anna moves into some of the most sensitive and fast-moving areas of employment law that managers are navigating right now. Nic breaks down the current legal position on sexual harassment, including the duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent it, and the incoming third-party harassment provisions that will extend liability to the behaviour of customers, clients, and contractors. He explains why a risk assessment is the foundation of any credible approach, and shares how his own organisation went about identifying where the risks actually sit. The conversation turns to menopause, where Nic draws on personal experience to bring the legal picture to life. He is clear on what managers should and should not do, and why the answer to the question of how a male manager raises menopause with a female colleague is simply: you do not. What you do instead is ask if they are okay, whether there is anything you can do to help, and create the conditions where someone feels safe enough to tell you what is going on. Anna and Nic also cover the new Fair Work Agency, which came into force in April 2026 combining several existing government bodies, and what employers need to know about its powers around holiday pay, sick pay, and national minimum wage compliance. The episode closes on the Employment Rights Act more broadly, and why Nic's advice to managers is straightforward: seek out training, ask for it if it is not being offered, and do not wait for the detail to be handed to you. Find out more about Nic's work at actons.co.uk Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

    What Managers Don't Know About Employment Law Could Cost Them

  4. Aug 26

    Menopause at Work: Performance, Absence, Legal Risk and Why Women Are Leaving (Part 3)

    Most managers have heard of mediation. Far fewer understand what it actually is or how to use it. In part two of her conversation with Pete Colby, founder of Pragmatism, Anna gets into the heart of it: what mediation really means, why it is fundamentally different from a grievance process, and how managers can use the same principles informally before conflict has a chance to escalate.Pete draws a clear distinction between mediation and grievance. A grievance looks backwards, trying to prove what happened and who was at fault. Mediation looks forward, helping people understand each other and agree on how things could be different. As Pete puts it, the question is never who said what two weeks ago. It is how do we want this to work going forward.Anna and Pete explore what it takes for a manager to stay genuinely neutral when they know both parties involved, and why that is one of the hardest skills to develop. Pete shares a remarkable story from his own mediation experience involving a doctor, a dress, and a disciplinary process that could have been avoided entirely if someone had simply asked the right question earlier. The lesson is the same one that runs through every episode: honest, curious conversations prevent most of the situations that end up becoming formal.They also get into the growing phenomenon of AI-generated grievances, some running to hundreds of pages, and why Pete's advice is not to panic about the document but to focus on the conversation underneath it.This is part two of a three-part conversation with Pete. Part three looks at how managers can spot escalating conflict earlier and what organisations can do to build a healthier culture around disagreement.Find out more about Pete's work at https://pragmatism-uk.co.ukConnect with AnnaGot a question or a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Anna would love to hear from you. Find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, or visit The People Expert to find out more about her work supporting line managers and HR professionals.LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/practicalmanager⁠ TikTok: ⁠tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager⁠ The People Expert: ⁠https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk⁠

    Menopause at Work: Performance, Absence, Legal Risk and Why Women Are Leaving (Part 3)

  5. Aug 19

    Workplace Mediation: What It Is, When to Use It, and How Managers Can Resolve Conflict Earlier (Part 2 with Pete Colby)

    Most managers have heard of mediation. Far fewer understand what it actually is or how to use it. In part two of her conversation with Pete Colby, founder of Pragmatism, Anna gets into the heart of it: what mediation really means, why it is fundamentally different from a grievance process, and how managers can use the same principles informally before conflict has a chance to escalate. Pete draws a clear distinction between mediation and grievance. A grievance looks backwards, trying to prove what happened and who was at fault. Mediation looks forward, helping people understand each other and agree on how things could be different. As Pete puts it, the question is never who said what two weeks ago. It is how do we want this to work going forward. Anna and Pete explore what it takes for a manager to stay genuinely neutral when they know both parties involved, and why that is one of the hardest skills to develop. Pete shares a remarkable story from his own mediation experience involving a doctor, a dress, and a disciplinary process that could have been avoided entirely if someone had simply asked the right question earlier. The lesson is the same one that runs through every episode: honest, curious conversations prevent most of the situations that end up becoming formal. They also get into the growing phenomenon of AI-generated grievances, some running to hundreds of pages, and why Pete's advice is not to panic about the document but to focus on the conversation underneath it. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Pete. Part three looks at how managers can spot escalating conflict earlier and what organisations can do to build a healthier culture around disagreement. Find out more about Pete's work at https://pragmatism-uk.co.uk Connect with Anna Got a question or a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Anna would love to hear from you. Find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, or visit The People Expert to find out more about her work supporting line managers and HR professionals. LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/practicalmanager⁠ TikTok: ⁠tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager⁠ The People Expert: ⁠https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk⁠

    Workplace Mediation: What It Is, When to Use It, and How Managers Can Resolve Conflict Earlier (Part 2 with Pete Colby)

  6. Aug 12

    Mental Health at Work: How to Build a Proactive Wellbeing Culture (Part 2 with Yohan McDonald)

    Most organisations think they are doing enough on mental health. They have an employee assistance programme, a cohort of trained mental health first aiders, and maybe a policy. In part two of her conversation with Yohan Macdonald, founder of Great Minds Training, Anna explores why that reactive approach is leaving huge gaps, and what a genuinely proactive wellbeing culture actually looks like. Yohan introduces The Bridge, his six-step consultancy programme, walking through how organisations can move from firefighting to strategy. It starts with a business audit, using existing HR data, absence figures, engagement scores, and exit interviews, to understand where the gaps really are. From there it builds through infrastructure, training delivery, and ongoing measurement, because as Yohan points out, if you cannot measure it, you cannot prove it is working. The conversation gets into the numbers. Research from Deloitte puts the average cost of poor mental health per employee at £1,230 a year, while a well-embedded proactive approach can return £6.30 for every pound invested. For senior leaders who need a business case, this episode provides one. Anna and Yohan also tackle psychological safety in male-dominated industries, where Yohan draws on two years delivering training almost exclusively in construction, the sector with the highest suicide rates in the UK. His experience runs counter to expectation: given the right environment and permission to speak, men do open up. The key is creating the conditions, not waiting for the moment. The episode closes on an important and often overlooked issue: the manager who cares too much. Yohan is clear on the need for boundaries, what a line manager's role actually is, where it ends, and why blurring those lines puts both the manager and the individual at risk. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Yohan. Part three looks at the role HR and people teams play in supporting line managers, and why people management is a skill that can always be developed. Find out more about Yohan's work at https://greatminds.training Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

    Mental Health at Work: How to Build a Proactive Wellbeing Culture (Part 2 with Yohan McDonald)

  7. Aug 5

    The Real Risks for Managers Who Don't Understand Neurodiversity (Part 2)

    What happens when a manager refuses to engage with neurodiversity training, dismisses reasonable adjustments, or simply never asks how they can help? In part two of her conversation with Ellie Kay, ADHD and AuDHD coach and neurodiversity specialist, Anna explores the real consequences for individuals, businesses, and the managers themselves. Ellie breaks down the three types of ADHD, hyperactive, inattentive, and combined, and explains what AuDHD looks like in practice when both ADHD and autism are present in the same person. Drawing on her own marriage as a vivid example, she brings to life just how differently these two brain types experience the world, and why that matters enormously in a workplace setting. The conversation gets practical around communication. Ellie explains why understanding how someone prefers to receive information, verbally, visually, or in writing, can be the difference between a team member thriving or shutting down entirely. She also introduces the concept of rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and why what might feel like a minor off-hand comment to a manager can feel like a physical blow to someone with ADHD, with consequences that can derail an entire working day. There is a clear message for managers here: getting this wrong is not just a people issue, it is a legal one. Failing to make reasonable adjustments, not having the conversations, and managing neurodivergent employees as though they are simply underperforming can and does lead to tribunal claims. But Ellie's overriding point is a hopeful one. You do not need all the answers. You just need to be curious, flexible, and willing to ask what would help. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Ellie. Part three explores ADHD and workplace conflict, co-coaching, flexible working, and sensory needs. Find out more about Ellie's work at https://www.elliekay.co.uk Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

    The Real Risks for Managers Who Don't Understand Neurodiversity (Part 2)

  8. Jul 29

    Absence Management: What Line Managers Need to Know to Get It Right (Part 2)

    Absence management is one of the areas managers find most uncomfortable, and most get wrong. In part two of her conversation with Nic Elliott, Director and Head of Employment Law at Actons Solicitors and a Legal 500-recognised employment law specialist, Anna gets into the practical detail of how organisations should be handling both short-term and long-term absence. Nic makes a strong case for return to work conversations as one of the most underused tools a manager has. Not a form to be filled in before the employee arrives, but a genuine check-in that can surface underlying issues before they escalate. He also explains why getting occupational health involved at the right time, and asking the right questions in that referral, makes a significant difference to the outcome, legally and practically. The episode covers long-term absence in detail, including when to make contact, how to keep someone connected to the workplace without it feeling oppressive, and the risks that come with group income protection policies. Nic shares a story that is as extraordinary as it is cautionary: an employee who was forgotten about for nineteen years, and the very particular problem that created. Anna and Nic also tackle intermittent absence, dependants leave, and the question managers always ask about reasonable adjustments: what does reasonable actually mean? Nic brings a refreshingly common sense approach to a genuinely complex area, including a memorable example of a bank cashier who requested to work from home. Throughout, the message is consistent: good records, early conversations, and the right medical advice will protect both the individual and the business. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Nic Elliott. Part three moves into some of the more sensitive areas managers may face, including protected characteristics, menopause, and documentation. Find out more about Nic's work at actons.co.uk Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

    Absence Management: What Line Managers Need to Know to Get It Right (Part 2)
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About

The Practical People Manager is the podcast for line managers, HR professionals, and business leaders who want to manage people well, with more confidence and less jargon. Hosted by HR Expert, Anna Thomas, each episode brings real conversations with experts and practitioners covering the topics that matter most at work, from mental health and neurodiversity to menopause and beyond. This is practical, people-first leadership. No fluff. Just honest conversations to help you listen better, lead with confidence, and support the people around you.

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