HR Voices Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 28h October 2024

Episode 35: Performance Management as a Strategic Tool

Guest: Lucinda Carney, Founder of Actus Software and Host of HR Uprising Podcast

In this episode of HR Voices, Mary Asante  is joined by Lucinda Carney, a trusted partner of HR Independents and a renowned expert in performance management. Lucinda shares her wealth of experience, discussing how businesses can use performance management as a strategic tool to enhance both individual and business-wide success.

In this episode we cover:

• Demystifying Performance Management: Lucinda breaks down the buzzwords and discusses how performance management is often misunderstood, explaining why it's much more than an annual appraisal.
• Performance Management as a Continuous Process: Learn how ongoing conversations, clear goal-setting, and regular feedback form the backbone of an effective performance management system.
• Aligning Performance with Strategic Goals: Discover how performance management can ensure everyone is working towards the same business objectives and how it helps smaller businesses, in particular, to grow and mature.
• The Manager’s Role in Performance Management: Lucinda emphasizes the importance of equipping managers with the skills to support their teams, particularly in difficult conversations around underperformance.
• Overcoming Challenges: The episode also addresses common objections from leaders and managers, including the time investment required for regular performance check-ins, and how to overcome these barriers by embedding performance management into the company culture.

Key Takeaways:

• Performance management should be a year-round, cyclical process rather than a one-time event focused solely on appraisals or bonuses.
• Effective performance management helps align individual goals with the overall strategic direction of the business, particularly for SMEs.
• Regular people-focused conversations can drive engagement, productivity, and ultimately, business success.
• Training managers in effective communication, coaching, and handling difficult conversations is key to making performance management work.

Top Tips from Lucinda Carney:

1. Make Performance Management a Strategic Tool: Align the process with the business's strategic goals and ensure managers are clear on expectations.
2. Equip Managers with Skills and Confidence: Give managers the training and tools they need to carry out effective performance management.
3. Engage Employees in the Process: Encourage employees to take ownership of their own development and performance by fostering open, two-way conversations.

Thanks for listening to HR Voices!

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review.

HR Voices Contact: hrvoices@hrindependent.co.uk

www.hrindependents.co.uk

HR Voices Podcast

Hosted by Charlotte Allfrey and Mary Asante

DATE: 14/10/2024

Episode 34: A Roundup of HR Insights and Key Learnings from Episodes 29-33

In this special roundup episode of HR Voices, hosts Charlotte Allfrey and Mary Asante reflect on their conversations with various industry experts from episodes 29 to 33. They discuss key takeaways, actionable tips, and the valuable insights gained over the past few episodes.

In this episode we cover:

- Episode 29: Employee Benefits with Dave Sykes

- Key Takeaways: Dave Sykes from Big More Benefits discussed how a well-communicated employee benefits package can enhance employee retention and satisfaction. He introduced the Four Ps Framework: Provision, Protection, Preventative Measures, and Perks, emphasising the importance of tailoring benefits for small businesses without necessarily incurring significant costs.

- Notable Insights: The critical role of communication in ensuring employees understand and value their benefits package, and how offering benefits can enhance an employer’s brand.

- Episode 30: Conflict Resolution with Tony Monday (In Memoriam)

- Key Takeaways: Tony Monday, the “Maverick Mediator,” passionately advocated for early intervention in workplace conflicts. Sadly, Tony passed away shortly after recording this episode, and in honoring his legacy, Mary and Charlotte reflect on Tony’s dedication to conflict resolution.

- Notable Insights: Mediation is a powerful tool to resolve workplace disputes. Creating a safe, confidential environment is key to successful mediation, and early intervention can prevent conflicts from escalating into formal grievances.

- Episode 31: The Power of Niching with Nick Poninski

- Key Takeaways: Nick Poninski, the “Influential Consultant,” explored the importance of niching for HR consultants. He emphasised that consultants who specialise in a specific area can stand out in the marketplace and establish themselves as experts.

- Notable Insights: Niching makes it easier to market services, become a thought leader, and target specific pain points for clients. However, HR consultants also value flexibility and may hesitate to niche early in their careers.

- Episode 32: Recruitment Strategies with Matt Edge-Wilkins

- Key Takeaways: Matt Edge-Wilkins of Talent Seeker shared how recruitment has evolved, stressing the importance of balancing automation with a personal touch to ensure quality hires.

- Notable Insights: The benefits of headhunting and targeting passive candidates for quality talent acquisition, and how a strong employer brand can attract top talent.

- Episode 33: Menopause in the Workplace with Sally Sidani-Wilkinson

- Key Takeaways: Sally Sidani-Wilkinson, from Rebalance by Sally, discussed the importance of raising awareness around menopause in the workplace. She emphasised the need for empathetic support, education, and tailored strategies to retain and support employees going through menopause.

- Notable Insights: Menopause affects individuals in diverse ways, and organisations should implement clear policies, normalise discussions, and offer support strategies to foster an inclusive work environment.

Key Reflections from the Roundup:

- Employee benefits are more than just a salary add-on—they can make a business more attractive to top talent.

- Early mediation in workplace conflicts helps reduce long-term disruption and foster a positive working environment.

- Niching can help HR consultants stand out, but flexibility in services can be crucial, especially early in a consulting career.

- Recruitment is not just about filling a role but about finding the right cultural and skill fit, emphasising quality over quantity.

- Support for employees going through menopause is not only beneficial for individuals but can help retain experienced talent and foster inclusivity.

Thanks for listening to HR Voices!

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review.

For more insights and updates, visit www.hrindependents.co.uk

Thank you.

HR Voices

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 10th June 2024

Episode 25: Creating supportive environments for pregnant women and maternity returners. 

Guest: Lisa Thompson of Mountain HR

In this episode of HR Voices, we delve into the challenges faced by pregnant employees and new parents and offer practical advice for creating an inclusive and supportive workplace environment.

In this episode, we cover:

• Understanding the challenges that pregnancy and returning to work can bring. 
• How HR Independents can help businesses support women at work
• HR’s role in looking for unconscious bias and challenging it when it comes up
• How to set maternity returners up for success

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamountainthompson/ 

www.mountainhr.co.uk  

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 27th May 2024

Episode 24: Demystifying Occupational Health Assessment

Guest: Magnus Kauders of Occupational Health Assessment

In this episode of HR Voices, we discuss how occupational health assessments can be useful tools to help HR consultants and employers to manage health challenges that employees may be facing.

We look at some of the common issues and problems that HR professionals and employers may face when you're working with occupational health.

We cover:

• What is occupational health?
• How occupational health can be used as a tool to support employees who may require reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
• Identify the appropriate time to ask for occupational health support
• The five or six essential questions to ask an occupational health expert when seeking their support
• How to interpret occupational health reports.

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. www.hrindependents.co.uk

https://occupationalhealthassessment.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/occupational-health-assessment/

HR Voices

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 13th May 2024

Episode 23: Employment Law Update

Guest: Claire Taylor-Evans, Employment Law Practitioner and Partner of Boyes Turner

In this episode of HR Voices, we discuss the recent changes in employment law that came into effect in between January and April 2024. We also look at future legislation due to come into effect later on in the year.  

In this episode, we cover:

The recent changes in employment law in the UK including:

• Holiday reform and holiday pay calculations
• Introduction of Carer’s Leave
• Family friendly rights extend the entitlement to be offered suitable alternative roles to pregnant employees and those on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave in a redundancy situation.   
• Paternity leave to be taken as two-non consecutive blocks of one week and at any point during the first year of the birth or the adoption of their child. 
• Flexible working reforms including Day 1 rights and the right to make up two requests per year. 
• Increases to statutory payments 
• Increase in fine from £20,000 to £60,000 for employing illegal workers

We also cover the proposals to bring more legislation into effect later on in the year. These include:

• Duty to prevent sexual harassment, which is expected to come into force in October 2024
• Fire and rehire 
• Predictable hours entitlement for workers on zero-hours contract and other atypical contracts

Employers are urged to update their policies and procedures, train their managers and to keep accurate records.

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

http://www.boyesturner.com 

A podcast for independent HR and people professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: Monday 29th April 2024

Episode 22: Building Resilience into Your Business Recap & Thoughts

In this episode of HR Voices, Mary and Charlotte discuss the key takeaways from their chats with our guests on episodes 17 to 21 and offer their thoughts as experienced HR and People Consultants.

In this episode, we cover:

• The blueprint for building resilience into your business for long-term success. 
• The importance of personal resilience and looking after yourself as a business owner.
• How building resilience into your business right from the onset ensures that your business is sustainable and scalable. 
• The essence of value-based pricing and why it is vital to business resilience. 
• The marketing matrix, choosing the right marketing strategy for you and your business. 
• Niching and Specialising. 
• Mindset - resilience through adapting an entrepreneur mindset to achieve success. 

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryasante/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-allfrey/

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 15th April 2024

Episode 21: Developing Resilience in Leaders and Organisations

Guest: Ben Rendle

In this episode of HR Voices, we dive into how business owners and leaders can develop resilience. 

In this episode, we cover:

• The benefit of competing on value.  You have to build the case for your value through your messaging all the way through your engagement with your clients. 
• The importance of money mindset in running a successful business. 
• The switch between an employee mindset to business ownership and entrepreneurial mindset. 
• Different price options and a clear value pathway for pricing. 

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

https://inspireddevelopment.net/

https://www.facebook.com/inspireddevelopmentltd

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lynda-folan-a241061b/

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 15th April 2024

Episode 21: Developing Resilience in Leaders and Organisations

Guest: Ben Rendle

In this episode of HR Voices, we dive into how business owners and leaders can develop resilience. 

In this episode, we cover:

• The benefit of competing on value.  You have to build the case for your value through your messaging all the way through your engagement with your clients. 
• The importance of money mindset in running a successful business. 
• The switch between an employee mindset to business ownership and entrepreneurial mindset. 
• Different price options and a clear value pathway for pricing. 

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

https://inspireddevelopment.net/

https://www.facebook.com/inspireddevelopmentltd

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lynda-folan-a241061b/

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 1st April 2024

Episode 20: 

Guest: Anneve Hutchison, co-founder of The Corporate Escape Club

In this episode of HR Voices, we explore how to build resilience into your business through marketing. 

In this episode, we cover:

The importance of developing a marketing plan that works for you and your business. Marketing is a matrix and every activity links together in order to build a thriving business long-term. To build resilience into your business, you’ll need to

• Build a strong and robust pipeline
• Network in the right rooms
• Specialise or niche in your area of expertise
• Be able to consult and advise on deeper issues. 

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

www.thecorporateescapeclub.co.uk 

www.linkedin.com/in/anneveh

www.linkedin.com/company/the-corporate-escape-club 

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 18th March 2024

Episode 19: How to structure your business for resilience and efficiency

Guest: Mark Lumley, Freeths LLP.

In this episode of HR Voices, we discuss the importance of creating, protecting and increasing the value of your business by putting the right systems and processes in place. 

In this episode, we cover:

• Copyrights and intellectual property
• Risk management
• Terms and conditions
• Client engagement

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

https://www.freeths.co.uk/people/mark-lumley/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-lumley-98a2979/ 

A podcast for independent HR and people, professionals, and the businesses they support.

Hosted by Mary Asante and Charlotte Allfrey of HR Independents Ltd.

DATE: 04/03/2024

Episode 18: Developing Resilience in Leaders and Organisations

Guest: Dr Lynda Folan, Inspired Development

In this episode of HR Voices, we dive into how business owners and leaders can develop resilience. 

In this episode, we cover:

Resilience as a prerequisite for effective leadership. Dwelling on Lynda’s research, we look at three key areas that you need to develop from a resilience perspective. 

• locus of control
• Self concept wellbeing (emotional intelligence)
• Constructive thinking 

Lynda also shares three tips for building or increasing your resilience. 

Thanks for listening to HR Voices! 

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you could leave us a review. 

www.hrindependents.co.uk

https://inspireddevelopment.net/

https://www.facebook.com/inspireddevelopmentltd

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lynda-folan-a241061b/