A shift manager with a clean record was unfairly dismissed for giving a colleague a 50% staff discount for takeaway food instead of the policy-compliant 20%. The tribunal ruled that the appeal process failed to consider proportionality, treating negligence as deliberate dishonesty and ignoring the employee's long service.

• Long-serving shift manager allowed 50% discount on takeaway food when policy only permitted 20%
• Business dismissed for gross misconduct after CCTV and till logs confirmed the breach
• Tribunal found dismissal unfair due to proportionality issues
• Appeal stage failed as a safety net by not reconsidering facts and sanctions
• Five key failures: poor appeal process, blurring intent vs negligence, thin documentation, lack of consistency evidence, unclear policy understanding
• Small business playbook: make policies crystal clear with examples, follow fair ACAS processes, check proportionality, maintain thorough evidence, use proper manager prompts
• Consider using an independent appeal chair when no uninvolved senior manager is available
• Template provided for effective staff discount and free meal policy

If you need an independent appeal chair or a quick check of your policy and letters, get in touch with Kate Underwood HR and Training. We'll keep your cases fair, defensible and unfried.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

Feeling overwhelmed by the Employment Rights Bill landing in your inbox? Take a deep breath – you've got time. The latest legal roadmap outlines changes rolling out in stages between 2025 and 2027, not crashing down tomorrow.

This episode cuts through the complexity with a clear timeline of what's changing and when. We start with union-related measures at Royal Assent (likely late 2025), moving to the April 2026 changes including day-one rights to paternity leave, sick pay from day one with no lower earnings limit, and the establishment of the Fair Work Agency. By October 2026, we'll see bans on certain fire and rehire practices and a legal duty to prevent harassment, followed by day-one unfair dismissal protection and flexible working rights.

Rather than tackling everything immediately, I'm advocating for a "phased readiness" approach. Map your existing policies against future requirements, use August's quieter pace to review one area like sickness or harassment prevention, and set up a simple tracking system. Some businesses are managing this perfectly with basic spreadsheets or Trello boards that assign each change to the relevant quarter – creating a living plan rather than a last-minute scramble.

We bust common myths along the way (no, you don't need to implement everything now), answer pressing questions about the Fair Work Agency and policy updates, and share practical examples of businesses getting it right. August gives you the perfect opportunity to review, plan, and tackle easy wins before autumn's inevitable chaos arrives.

Download my 10-point employment rights readiness checklist from the show notes or kateunderwoodhr.co.uk – it's the simplest way to stay on track without the stress. Remember, small consistent actions now prevent expensive headaches later.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we are tackling one of the biggest time drains in small businesses. HR paperwork that looks official, feels heavy, and completely fails you the moment something goes wrong. If your records live across policies, screenshots, folders and WhatsApp messages, this one is for you.

This episode is about getting you out of the paperwork snowstorm and into something far simpler. Records that are short, signed, dated and easy to find. The kind that protect your people and protect you when it really matters.

We start by calling out the two extremes that cause the most pain. No records at all, or mountains of paperwork nobody reads. I explain why clear, focused evidence completely changes the tone when regulators or tribunals get involved, and why less really is more when it comes to documentation. You will also hear a real world example where proper training records and signed acknowledgements made the difference between a tragic accident being treated as exactly that, and it becoming something far more serious.

We then break down what UK employers actually need to keep, without drowning you in legal jargon. I turn it into five simple buckets that make sense for small teams. People basics. Pay and time. Conduct and performance. Health and safety. Data and fairness. No fluff. Just what genuinely carries weight.

To make this workable for tiny businesses, I show you how to split responsibility so everything does not land on one person. Owner. Buddy. Payroll. Safety support. Admin help. Simple ownership stops things slipping through the cracks.

You will leave with a clear picture of the documents that really matter. Things like contracts, right to work checks, induction checklists, training records with proof, risk assessments that name actual controls, accident and near miss logs, short conduct notes, grievance outcomes and a clean leaver checklist. Not pretty folders. Useful evidence.

We also fix the everyday dramas that trip businesses up. The signed policy nobody follows. The verbal warning that only exists in someone’s memory. Training delivered with no proof. A harassment poster with no action behind it. A grievance buried in WhatsApp. For each one, I share a simple, repeatable fix that turns chat into something you can actually rely on.

If you are ready to swap noise for clarity and sleep better knowing your records would stand up if tested, this episode will help you get there.

Follow the show, share this with another owner or HR team of one, and leave a quick review telling me your biggest paperwork win.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we start with a first day that far too many people recognise. No logins. An induction from 2016. A team who did not know someone was starting, let alone their name. And by lunchtime, that new hire is already wondering if they made a mistake.

A messy first day tells people everything they need to know about your business. And it is rarely the message you want to send. This episode is about turning that chaos into a simple, repeatable onboarding system that helps good people settle, feel valued and actually stay.

If you run a UK small business or you are the HR team of one, this is a practical blueprint you can put into action straight away. We break onboarding down into five clear stages. Before they start. Day one. Week one. Month one. And the first 90 days. Nothing fluffy. Just what needs to happen, when, and who owns it.

I talk through why the first week matters more than most businesses realise. It builds trust, cuts mistakes and stops people quietly disengaging before they have even found their feet. We also cover the UK legal basics that need to be right from the start, including contracts on or before day one, right to work checks, correct pay, basic health and safety and handling personal data properly. Getting these right early builds instant credibility.

Then we get practical. I show you how to split onboarding roles across tiny teams without overwhelming anyone. Owner, buddy, IT, payroll and even virtual assistants all have a part to play. You will hear what a realistic first day actually looks like, including a calm start time, meaningful work before lunch and a clear finish with a plan for tomorrow.

You will also get quick wins for both on site and remote starters. Simple things like a one page day one plan, a booked lunch with friendly faces, short screen recordings for common tools and daily buddy check ins that stop small worries growing into big problems. I share simple scripts and templates you can reuse, from welcome messages to those slightly awkward wobble conversations that can make or break confidence.

We also talk about spotting early signs that someone might leave. Silence in meetings. Repeated small errors. Eating lunch alone every day. And more importantly, what to do within the first seven days to turn things around. Clear milestones keep it fair and focused, with simple goals, check ins and decision points that protect both the business and the individual.

Build onboarding once and run it every time. That is how culture becomes visible. Ready beats winging it. Kindness beats chaos. And cake always works better when there is a plan.

If this episode helped, follow the show, share it with a founder who is hiring, and leave a quick review so more small teams can find a calmer way to onboard.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

In this episode of Buzzing About HR, we are talking about that moment every small business owner dreads. The kettle is on, payroll is tight, and an email lands with a counteroffer attached. July has a habit of doing this. Budgets are already set, cover is thin, and suddenly, competitors are dangling a bit more money or a promise of Fridays off.

Instead of panic-matching and accidentally setting fire to your pay structure, I walk you through a calm, repeatable way to make fair pay decisions that keep good people without breaking trust across the rest of the team.

We start with equal pay in plain English. Same work, similar work or work of equal value means the same pay. And when someone says “the market rate”, I explain what evidence actually looks like and why gut feel does not count.

From there, I take you through a simple decision flow you can use every single time. Pause and set a review date. Check the legal baseline. Be clear about the reason for any change. Look at who sits around that role already. Sense check gender pay risk. No drama, just structure.

We then talk about choosing the right tool for the situation. Sometimes it is a short-term retention payment. Sometimes it is moving the rate for the role and bringing everyone who meets the bar with it. Sometimes it is a step up with clear expectations, or a temporary allowance with a start and end date. The key is matching the solution to the problem, not just throwing money at the loudest moment.

I also call out the traps that cause chaos if you are not careful. Pay compression that quietly demotivates team leads. Secret pay rises that turn into a queue. And the dangerous pattern where threatening to leave becomes the only way people feel valued.

You will hear practical manager scripts you can use straight away, a quick cost check to compare matching versus replacing, and real-world examples that show how to keep one person without triggering a chain reaction. The aim is deliberately boring. Boring, fair and repeatable is what keeps businesses safe.

If you run a small business or you are the HR team of one, this episode gives you a toolkit you can use today to bring daylight to pay decisions, reduce risk and stop rumours before they start.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

Have you ever hired someone who invoices monthly, works regular hours, and calls themselves a freelancer? That seemingly straightforward arrangement might be putting your business at serious financial risk. I'm shedding light on the murky world of employment status and why getting it wrong could lead to eye-watering tax bills and tribunal nightmares.

Walking through the New Forest with my dog one morning, I received a simple client question about a freelance designer that sparked this vital conversation. The truth is, labels like "freelancer" mean nothing if the working reality suggests employment. HMRC doesn't care what's written on paper—they care about how the relationship actually functions day-to-day.

This isn't just theoretical. TV presenter Adrian Chilles faced a £1.7 million claim from HMRC despite invoicing through his limited company. Kay Adams endured multiple tribunal rounds defending her freelance status with the BBC. Even Premier League referees have been caught in this web. The message is clear: no business is too small for HMRC scrutiny when it comes to disguised employment.

I've developed a five-step freelancer sanity check that could save your business thousands: use the HMRC CEST tool and document the results; look beyond contracts to assess control and substitution rights; examine whether mutual obligation exists; review how long they've been with you; and avoid questionable tax schemes. Remember my buzzword: status is not static. A genuine freelance relationship can evolve into employment over time if you're not vigilant.

The smart businesses I work with implement regular checks—like reviewing any freelancer doing more than 10 hours weekly every three months—and aren't afraid to reclassify when necessary. Getting this right isn't just about avoiding HMRC problems; it's about treating people fairly and sleeping easier at night. Need help reviewing your freelancer arrangements? Reach out at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn before that innocent-looking freelance relationship becomes an expensive headache.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

Hiring should reveal real skill, not who can sprint through a noisy, time-pressured hoop. We take a hard look at neurodiversity in UK workplaces and show how to swap tick-box gestures for simple, lawful changes that raise the bar for everyone. From the Equality Act 2010 to recent tribunal cases, we translate legal duties into day-to-day steps you can use this week without drowning in paperwork.

We start by reframing assessment around outcomes. If the role needs problem solving on the phone and clear ticket updates, test that. You will hear a practical redesign of a service coordinator process, replacing a spelling test with a short call snippet, three bullet updates, extra time and a quiet space. We cover what “reasonable” really means—cost, practicality and effectiveness—and why you can ask about needed adjustments without probing diagnoses. Along the way we share cases that endorse narrative formats, extra time and redeployment in the right circumstances, plus scripts to reduce nerves by telling candidates exactly how you will assess.

Inside teams, the gains are immediate. A daily deep work hour, noise control, tight meeting hygiene and short written briefs cut errors and stress while improving output. We talk through a manager’s one-pager—spot the barrier, pick an adjustment, check the result—and a simple adjustments log that stays factual and shared. You will leave with a do next list: rewrite one live job ad, split must-haves from learnables, add an adjustments welcome line to every touchpoint and swap generic pre-screens for a tiny real work sample.

The throughline is clear: equal does not always mean identical. Change the test, not the bar, and you will hire stronger, more diverse teams who do better work with less chaos. If you found this useful, follow the show, share it with a hiring manager who needs a nudge and leave a quick review telling us the first change you will make.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

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Ready for the biggest shake-up in UK employment law in years? The Employment Rights Bill is no longer just a proposal – it's passed through the Commons and is in final review, with some provisions coming into force as early as late 2025.

The countdown has started on transformative changes that will affect every small business owner in the UK. From April 2026, employees will have day one rights to unfair dismissal protection, flexible working, and parental leave. The two-year service requirement? Gone. Non-disclosure agreements that silence harassment claims? Invalid. "Fire and rehire" practices? Soon to be automatically unfair.

But there's no need to panic. This episode breaks down exactly what's changing and when, separating confirmed provisions from those still under consultation. We explore the practical implications for zero-hours contracts, statutory sick pay reforms, and new leave entitlements including bereavement leave for early pregnancy loss.

Beyond just explaining the law, I walk you through specific actions to take now: reviewing contracts and handbooks, rethinking workforce planning if you rely on zero-hours arrangements, auditing your use of NDAs, and preparing your budgets for potential increased costs.

I've also tackled common misconceptions – no, extending probation periods won't protect you from unfair dismissal claims once the new rules take effect. And yes, these changes represent an opportunity to create more respectful, secure workplaces that benefit everyone.

Small businesses that prepare methodically now will avoid the panic later. Take it step by step, starting with your biggest risk areas. The businesses already adapting are seeing improved staff security, better scheduling, and more engaged teams.

Have questions about implementation timelines or how specific provisions might affect your business? Get in touch at kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn for personalised support. Remember: stay proactive, stay decent, and always plan before you panic.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

Have you caught up with the Worker Protection Amendment yet? Since October 2024, all UK employers have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work - and there are no exemptions for small businesses.

Whether you're running a boutique design agency, a local shop, or a growing startup, this law applies to you. And as real tribunal cases demonstrate, the financial and reputational costs of getting it wrong can be substantial. From Tesco's £45,000 payout to an £18,000 bill for a small London salon owner who dismissed concerns as "just jokes," the consequences are tangible and significant.

This episode breaks down exactly what "reasonable steps" means for your business. You don't need complex systems or a dedicated HR department to comply - but you do need updated policies, some form of training, clear reporting routes, and a workplace culture that takes harassment seriously. I'll walk you through practical, manageable actions that protect both your team and your business.

We'll bust common myths (no, "banter" isn't a defence; no, being small doesn't exempt you), tackle listener questions about night outs and customer interactions, and share success stories from real small businesses who've gotten this right. Prevention truly beats panic - both ethically and financially.

Ready to take sexual harassment prevention off your worry list? This episode gives you everything you need to create a workplace where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to focus on their actual jobs. And if you need personalized help implementing these steps, remember I'm here to support you. Visit kateunderwoodhr.co.uk or message me on LinkedIn to learn how we can work together.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!

Drowning in maternity paperwork? Feeling like you're juggling flaming spreadsheets while trying to decipher HMRC emails more terrifying than overdraft notifications? You're not alone.

Today's episode dives deep into the complex world of UK maternity regulations and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), transforming this often-dreaded HR challenge into a manageable process for small business owners. With approximately 600,000 mothers claiming SMP annually and a shocking 77% experiencing some form of discriminatory treatment, getting this right isn't just about compliance—it's about creating a supportive workplace culture that values employees through major life transitions.

We break down the financial advantages many businesses miss: the ability to reclaim 92% of SMP costs from HMRC, rising to an impressive 108.5% for qualifying small employers. You'll get a plain-English rundown of the relevant UK legislation, including the Employment Rights Act 1996, Equality Act 2010, and the freshly-minted Redundancy Protection regulations extending safeguards to 18 months post-birth. Through cautionary tales of real tribunal cases—where mishandled maternity situations led to compensation awards upwards of £350,000—you'll understand the costly consequences of getting this wrong.

The heart of the episode offers my battle-tested 12-step maternity management process, covering everything from the moment an employee shares their news through to their successful return to work. We tackle persistent myths (no, employees don't have to repay SMP if they don't return, and no, small businesses aren't exempt from regulations), and answer your burning questions about everything from milk storage requirements to partner attendance at antenatal appointments.

Whether you're currently supporting an employee through maternity leave or want to prepare for future situations, this episode provides the practical guidance and confidence you need. Subscribe to Buzzing About HR for more straightforward advice that turns HR headaches into opportunities to strengthen your business while staying firmly on the right side of employment law.

Thank you for tuning in to Buzzing About HR with Kate Underwood!
If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps us grow and reach more people like you.

Have questions or need HR advice? Reach out to Kate Underwood HR & Training at www.kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email us on [email protected] or follow us on social media for more tips, resources, and updates.

Until next time, keep buzzing and take care of your people!