Barely Legal, Morally Wrong?

What can businesses learn from elite sport about building successful teams?

Following a recent visit to The Open at Royal Birkdale, Alix and Mandy explore what it takes to bring together people with different skills, personalities and ambitions and get them working towards the same goal.

They discuss the importance of creating a shared purpose, defining individual roles and recognising that the strongest technical performer is not always the right person to become a manager.

The conversation also considers how leaders can create space for healthy disagreement, why collaboration does not always require consensus and how confidence and ego can contribute positively when they are properly channelled.

From the Ryder Cup and Formula One to Queen and the Carpenters, Alix and Mandy examine why successful teams need a balance of leaders, specialists, performers and people working behind the scenes.

They also discuss the importance of recruiting for the wider team rather than simply appointing people who resemble those already in the organisation.

The best teams do not eliminate difference. They harness it.

For Episode 10 of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix Meekison and Mandy Laurie are joined by their first special guest, Neil Hutchison from Room for Growth.

This episode explores one of the most common phrases in modern workplace culture: bring your whole self to work.

It sounds positive. It sounds progressive. It sounds like the kind of thing every good employer should want to encourage. But what does it actually mean when it meets the reality of employment law, HR responsibility, workplace boundaries, mental health, vulnerability, generational differences and organisational risk?

Neil brings a therapeutic perspective to the conversation, drawing on his work with individuals and business leaders to explore the human side of workplace issues. Alongside Alix and Mandy, he looks at the tension between authenticity and professionalism, why psychological safety is often misunderstood, and why boundaries matter just as much as openness.

The episode asks whether “bring your whole self to work” is always helpful, or whether the better aim is to create workplaces where people can bring the best version of themselves, with the right support, the right expectations and the right boundaries.

In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix and Mandy discuss Holidays and ask whether the traditional way we think about working time is still fit for purpose.

From annual leave and burnout to flexible working, childcare, public holidays and the reality of being constantly available, this is a thoughtful conversation about how modern working life has outgrown the systems designed to regulate it. They explore whether current rules around time off really reflect the world we now live in and what a more realistic, healthier approach to work might look like.

It is an honest discussion about boundaries, productivity, wellbeing and why proper time away from work still matters.

In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix and Mandy explore the realities of single parenting and the assumptions that still surround it.

Following on from their recent discussion on grief, they turn their attention to a topic that is often part of everyday life but rarely discussed openly. From the language used to describe single parents, to the judgement and stigma that can still exist, this episode takes a candid look at the experience both inside and outside the workplace.

Alix shares her own perspective, discussing the responsibility of managing everything alone, the lack of a safety net, and the practical and emotional challenges that come with it. The conversation also highlights the strengths that are often overlooked, including resilience, organisation and independence.

This episode also considers how workplaces respond to single parents, and whether current attitudes and policies go far enough to recognise the realities involved.

It is an honest and thought provoking discussion that encourages a more balanced and informed view of what it really means to be a single parent today.

In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix and Mandy explore one of the most personal and difficult issues any workplace will face: grief.

Prompted by the sad loss of Jen Hardy, founder of Cancer Card, they discuss how employers respond when someone is dealing with bereavement and whether workplace policies truly reflect the reality of loss. From time off after a death to delayed funerals, miscarriage, IVF, pet loss and anticipatory grief, this is a thoughtful and honest conversation about the many forms grief can take and the limits of legal protection.

It is a powerful discussion about what happens when life does not fit neatly into policy and why compassion at work matters just as much as compliance

In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong we use International Women’s Day as a springboard to ask a tougher question: are we making progress, or are we starting to slide backwards? We talk equal pay and the realities that still sit behind the headlines, the wider rollback of women’s rights in the US and what that signals culturally, and the quiet retreat from equality and diversity commitments in senior leadership. We also discuss whether quotas and positive action remain necessary tools, what “giving to gain” looks like in practice, and how childcare, parental leave and workplace dynamics shape confidence, opportunity and long term outcomes for women. Expect straight talking, real reflections and the final question we always ask. Was it barely legal or morally wrong.

In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong we unpack the difference between NDAs and FOIs and why they often work in opposite directions. We look at how FOI requests promote transparency for public bodies, when a subject access request can be used in the private sector, and the role of the Information Commissioner when disclosure is disputed. We discuss whistleblowing protections, proposed limits on NDAs in cases of harassment and discrimination, and the practical reality of confidentiality clauses, document dumps and liquidated damages. We also explore when an FOI can cut across confidentiality in the public sector and why trust still sits at the heart of most agreements. Expect straight talking, real examples and the final question we always ask. Was it barely legal or morally wrong.

In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, Alix Meekison and Mandy Laurie unpack clashing rights at work and beyond. They look at how the courts balance protected characteristics, why no single right automatically wins, and how disability and belief are assessed in practice. Along the way they revisit headline cases, from a guest house room refusal and the Northern Ireland cake dispute to the Miss Higgs social media ruling. They explore flags, free expression and when symbolism can create a hostile setting for staff, as well as day to day tensions around pronouns, taking the knee and professional duties to treat without bias. Expect straight talking, practical takeaways, and one simple question at the end… was it barely legal or morally wrong.

In this episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong we ask a simple question: does HR need a glow up? We look at how HR moved from the heroes of the COVID years to a function pulled in every direction. We talk about line managers off-loading people issues, the rise of D and I and whether the spend delivers, AI-written grievances, DSARs and FOIs that drain time, and the pressure to meet every need for every person. We also ask when HR can say no, what a fair pushback looks like, and why a safe space for HR matters.
Expect straight talking, practical takeaways, and one question at the end: was it barely legal or morally wrong?
This conversation is for information only and not legal advice. Subscribe for new episodes every month.

In this special episode of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, recorded live at the launch night of Meekison MacKinnon & McGhee, Alix and Mandy take the stage at Burness Paull LLP’s Edinburgh office for a conversation that goes back to where it all began.

They look at what inspired the creation of Barely Legal, Morally Wrong, the journey that led to Alix starting her own company, and the themes that continue to shape both her work and the podcast.

It is a lively, personal discussion filled with reflection, laughter and insight, offering listeners a closer look at the story behind the show and the person driving it forward.

This conversation is for information only and not legal advice. Subscribe for new episodes every month.