Tag Archives: Small Businesses
A Day in the Life of a Head of People / People Director
People are often curious about what I actually do all day. The honest answer is that no two days look the same, but let me let you in on a fairly typical one. Come and sit in the passenger seat. … Continue reading
Low Risk. High Impact. The Business Case for Fractional HR.
Something I hear from founders quite a lot goes something like this: “I know I need proper HR support. I’m just not quite at the stage where I can justify hiring someone yet.” And I completely understand that instinct. Hiring … Continue reading
Growing Pains? Here’s what helps
There’s a moment every scaling business hits that nobody really warns you about. The moment when goodwill stops being enough. At the start everything works because everyone knows each other. The team is small. The founder is visible and present. … Continue reading
Psychological Safety – What does it look like?
🔇 We talk a lot about psychological safety in the workplace. But what does it actually mean in practice? It’s not about being nice.It’s not about avoiding difficult conversations.It’s not about wrapping people in cotton wool.
The Psychological Contract – What Does It Look Like In Practice?
A question I get asked so many time is whether a decision is in line with employment law. But far fewer ask me the question that REALLY determines business success: “How will this decision or action be perceived by the … Continue reading
Your Hiring Process Starts As Soon As The Ad Goes Live
To every founder and hiring manager out there, can I share something with you? A person’s opinion of your company as an employer starts forming the moment they decide to apply. Not when they walk through the door. Not when … Continue reading
ERA 2025 – The Disproportionate Impact on Small & Micro Businesses
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is coming, and the more I looked at it, the more one thing struck me: the businesses most exposed to it are the ones least likely to have anyone helping them through it. Big companies … Continue reading
Your First HR Hire Is Not a Junior Job.
There’s a piece of advice doing the rounds that’s going to cost founders dearly, as it lacks understanding about what a build actually needs. The really worrying thing is that it’s from a source that’s supposedly credible and so has … Continue reading
A Safe Place to Land
Some people believe HR is there for the business. Some believe they’re there for the staff. Some believe it’s somewhere in between. For me, if your HR and People function is being led the way it should be, it’s none … Continue reading
The Person at the Top Sets the Tone for Psychological Safety. And Tone Travels.
We talk a lot about psychological safety in HR circles. It has its own frameworks now, its own measurement tools, its own place on the engagement survey. Leaders go on training courses about it. Consultants get paid handsomely to come and assess it.
And yet, in every organisation I have ever worked in or alongside, the single biggest determinant of whether people feel safe to speak, to challenge, to bring their whole thinking to work, has never been a programme. It has never been a workshop. It has never been a carefully worded set of company values on a wall. Continue reading