Buzzing About HR

By Kate Underwood

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Category: Management

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Episodes: 65

Description

🎙️ 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 team
  • The manager who avoids tough conversations until it turns into a bin fire
  • The “it’s only a small issue” grievance that suddenly becomes a formal complaint
  • The sickness pattern that is suspiciously linked to Mondays and payday
  • The 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.


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