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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:
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.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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Day One Rights Turn Week One Into Your Highest Risk Window
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Apr 07, 2026 |
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The Friday Flu: Sickness Patterns That Catch Small Businesses Out
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Mar 31, 2026 |
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Don’t Paste That: The AI Mistake That Could Leak Your Client List
|
Mar 24, 2026 |
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Stop Playing HR Cluedo: How to Run an Investigation Properly
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Mar 17, 2026 |
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“Can I Have a Word?” What to Do When Someone Raises a Concern
|
Mar 10, 2026 |
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Later Is Not a Strategy: 3 HR Mini Dramas Every SME Must Fix in 2026
|
Mar 03, 2026 |
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Small Business Survival Guide To The Employment Rights Act 2025
|
Feb 24, 2026 |
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Day-One SSP Is Coming: Sort Your Sickness Process Before It Sorts You
|
Feb 17, 2026 |
|
Fix The System, Not The Middle Manager
|
Feb 10, 2026 |
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Hiring Isn’t Tinder: Stop Swiping Right On “We’ll See If We Click”
|
Feb 03, 2026 |
|
Recognition Shapes Culture Faster Than Rules
|
Jan 27, 2026 |
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Farewell To The Paper Round
|
Jan 20, 2026 |
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The ERB Procrastination Trap: Why ‘Later’ Will Cost You
|
Jan 13, 2026 |
|
January Tsunami: Why People Quit
|
Jan 06, 2026 |
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What Worked, What Hurt, And What To Change In 2026
|
Dec 30, 2025 |
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Start 2026 Strong By Fixing Five Simple HR Jobs Today
|
Dec 23, 2025 |
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Special Edition: The Employment Rights Act in Plain English for Small Businesses
|
Dec 17, 2025 |
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How Small Businesses Can Build an Early Careers Pipeline That Actually Works
|
Dec 16, 2025 |
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How To Keep Morale High And Customers Happy When December Chaos Hits
|
Dec 09, 2025 |
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How To Get Ready For The UK Employment Rights Bill Without Drowning In Admin
|
Dec 02, 2025 |
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Autumn Budget 2025: What It Really Means for Small Businesses
|
Nov 26, 2025 |
|
Men’s Health at Work: Posters Don’t Fix Burnout
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Nov 11, 2025 |
|
Quiet Quitting Is Not the Problem. It Is the Warning Light
|
Nov 04, 2025 |
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Practical Ways To Support Menopause And Keep Teams Fair
|
Oct 28, 2025 |
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How To Keep Clients Without Breaking Employment Law
|
Oct 21, 2025 |
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From Cake Crumbs To Fair Perks: How To Spend HR Budget Where It Works
|
Oct 14, 2025 |
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Why Promoting Your Star Performer Can Backfire And What To Do Instead
|
Oct 07, 2025 |
|
Flu Jabs: Perk or Pressure?
|
Sep 30, 2025 |
|
Inclusion Without the Corporate Cringe
|
Sep 23, 2025 |
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"Be Reasonable”… But What Does That Actually Mean?
|
Sep 23, 2025 |
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Payroll Mistakes That Make People Leave (And How to Fix Them Fast)
|
Sep 09, 2025 |
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You Can't Fire Someone Just Because They Called You a Dickhead
|
Sep 04, 2025 |
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Dogs at Work: Lovely Idea or Hairy HR Problem?
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Aug 26, 2025 |
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A 50% Discount That Cost a Job (And Why the Appeal Failed)
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Aug 19, 2025 |
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Employment Rights Bill: What Changes When, and What to Do First
|
Aug 12, 2025 |
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Taming Rota Chaos
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Aug 05, 2025 |
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Fairness Means Clarity, Feedback, Then Decisions
|
Jul 29, 2025 |
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HR Paperwork That Actually Saves You
|
Jul 22, 2025 |
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Your First Week Sets The Truth About Your Business And Whether Good People Stay
|
Jul 15, 2025 |
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How Small Businesses Can Approve Leave Without Starting A Fight
|
Jul 08, 2025 |
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Counteroffers, Pay Pressure and Keeping Your Nerve
|
Jul 04, 2025 |
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Freelancer or Employee? The Label Will Not Save You
|
Jul 01, 2025 |
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We Change The Test, Not The Bar
|
Jun 24, 2025 |
|
Sexual Harassment Law Changed. Small Businesses Need to Catch Up
|
Jun 17, 2025 |
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Navigating the Complexities of UK Maternity Pay: A Small Business Guide
|
Jun 10, 2025 |
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Can a Well-Crafted PIP Save Your Business?
|
Jun 03, 2025 |
|
Cake, Crisis & Compliance: A Decade in HR
|
Jun 01, 2025 |
|
The Legal Minefield of Retracting Job Offers in the UK
|
May 27, 2025 |
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Between Algorithms and Empathy: The Future of HR
|
May 20, 2025 |
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Your Employees Don't Know the Difference Between FlexiTime and Flexible Working
|
May 13, 2025 |
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Build a Workplace Where Everyone Thrives Without Getting Stung
|
May 06, 2025 |
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The £17,000 Problem: Managing Absence in Small Businesses
|
Apr 29, 2025 |
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Verbal Job Offers: The Hidden Legal Traps
|
Apr 22, 2025 |
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HR's Secret Weapon: IP Protection Without the Legal Headache
|
Apr 15, 2025 |
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Sack Races, Sangria, and Solicitors: A Summer Party Manual
|
Apr 08, 2025 |
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Beyond Borders: Turning Immigration Headaches into Hiring Wins
|
Apr 01, 2025 |
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Beyond Compliance: The Human Side of Implementing Neonatal Care Leave
|
Mar 25, 2025 |
|
Employment Rights Bill : A Guide for Small Businesses
|
Mar 18, 2025 |
|
Salary Sacrifice: Beating the 15% NI Increase
|
Mar 11, 2025 |
|
Fair Pay or Favoritism
|
Mar 04, 2025 |
|
The Great Office Debate: Let’s Talk Hybrid and In-Office
|
Feb 25, 2025 |
|
Weathering the Storm: Strategic Approaches to Rising National Insurance for SMEs
|
Feb 18, 2025 |
|
Unlocking Success: Boosting Your Business with Mental Health Strategies
|
Feb 11, 2025 |
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Buzzing About HR: Navigating Redundancy with Compassion and Compliance
|
Feb 04, 2025 |
|
HR Without The Headache
|
Jan 30, 2025 |