Toxic High Performer: What To Do When They Deliver But Destroy

Your top performer hits every target but makes everyone else miserable. Here's how to handle a toxic high performer before it costs you the team. Listen now.

If your best performer is also your biggest problem, you're not alone — and you're not imagining it. Toxic workplace culture costs the UK economy over £20 billion a year, and 27% of SME employees have quit because of it. When someone is brilliant at the job but brutal to work with, it creates one of the hardest calls a business owner or manager faces: do the numbers justify the damage?

In this episode, Claire and Sarah work through exactly what to do when you've got a toxic high performer on your hands. You'll learn why hitting targets alone doesn't equal good performance, how to build the evidence you need before having the conversation, and what happens if the behaviour doesn't change. Whether you've been avoiding this situation for months or you're right in the middle of it, this episode will give you a clear, practical path forward.

• Hitting targets is only half of performance. What someone delivers and how they deliver it are both part of the picture. A toxic high performer who damages relationships and drives people out is not fully performing, whatever the numbers say.
• The commercial cost is real. Every good person who leaves because of one difficult colleague costs you recruitment fees, lost knowledge, and a signal to the rest of the team about what you're willing to tolerate.
• In small businesses, the impact lands harder. When your team is five to twenty people, one person's toxic behaviour shapes what everyone else thinks is normal. It becomes the culture.
• Evidence before the conversation. Vague feedback does not land with high performers. You need specific examples of behaviours, a clear picture of the impact, and an equally clear description of what good looks like going forward.
• Use what you already have. Competency frameworks, company values, and 360 feedback aren't just nice-to-haves — they give you documented standards to point to when the person says "but I'm generating the revenue."
• If the behaviour has been allowed for years, the individual deserves context. It's not fair to suddenly score someone down on behaviours they've never been pulled up on. Hold the mirror up, explain the impact, and give them a genuine chance to change.
• At some point, it becomes a choice. If genuine attempts to address the behaviour don't work, the question is what you're willing to accept in your culture — including the reality that anyone who works under that person is likely to leave within six months.

• [00:00] Is a toxic top performer really performing?
• [01:55] Why businesses avoid the conversation
• [05:30] What to do if they push back
• [07:19] Competency frameworks and 360 feedback
• [10:07] How to start tackling long-standing toxic behaviour
• [12:23] PIPs, documentation, and formal process
• [14:49] Small business vs big business: the difference
• [17:24] When behaviour doesn't change: the final decision

References

1. Breathe HR Culture Economy Report — referenced for UK toxic culture cost data and SME employee turnover statistics: breathehr.com

toxic high performer, managing difficult employees UK, toxic employee at work, high performer bad attitude, brilliant jerk workplace, HR advice for small business, managing toxic employees, performance management UK, toxic workplace culture, how to handle a difficult employee

How to Create an Inclusive Workplace: The Small Things That Make a Big Difference

Episode Summary

Inclusion isn't a policy document. It shows up in the small, everyday decisions — whether your team socials always end up at the pub on a Friday, whether there's somewhere quiet for someone to decompress or pray, whether a new mum returning from maternity leave has a private space to express milk. In this episode, Claire Cathcart and Sarah Ropek break down the practical, low-cost things that make people genuinely feel like they belong — and what you're communicating when you get them wrong.

The stats: CIPD research shows employees who feel included are significantly more engaged and far less likely to leave. A Deloitte study found 39% of workers have altered their behaviour at work just to fit in.

• Inclusion isn't about big EDI strategies — it's the small things people actually notice day to day.
• Team socials matter. Always Friday at the pub? That excludes single parents, non-drinkers, carers, and people with religious commitments.
• The Christmas party question — would calling it a winter social open the door to more of your team?
• Food is inclusion too. Halal, gluten-free, dairy-free — if you can accommodate it, why wouldn't you?
• Neurodiversity requires individual conversations, not blanket policies. Ask people what works for them.
• Onboarding is your best opportunity to understand what someone needs before they start working around your defaults.
• Culture comes from the top. If leaders aren't modelling this, it won't embed across the organisation.
• Most of this costs very little. What it takes is awareness and a willingness to ask.

Rethinking team socials — vary the format, time, and setting. Lunchtime events, non-alcohol-centred activities, and flexible timing open your social calendar to people who currently feel excluded from it — or attend out of obligation rather than choice.

Neurodiversity in practice — noise-cancelling headphones, flexible break patterns, quiet spaces. None of these are radical. Ask individuals what they need rather than assuming one approach works for everyone.

Onboarding — ask new starters early what they need to do their best work. Most won't raise it unless there's a safe space to do so. Building it into the offer stage is even better.

Leadership — if leaders aren't modelling inclusive behaviour, it won't filter down. Curiosity matters more than policy.

1. Audit your team socials — ask what people would actually enjoy, not what you assume.
2. Create a quiet space — somewhere to pray, decompress, or express milk sends a clear message.
3. Add a question to onboarding — "what do you need to do your best work here?"
4. Check your event catering — halal and allergen-friendly options are easy when you ask upfront.
5. Use surveys or focus groups to understand what your people actually value.

• CIPD Inclusion and Diversity research — cipd.org
• Deloitte Inclusion research — deloitte.com

Claire Cathcart — founder of the Elevate Hub, helping people professionals build strategic confidence and commercial impact.

Sarah Ropek — fractional HR specialist supporting small businesses and start-ups with practical, fit-for-purpose HR.

Got a question? Head to hrpodcast.co.uk to submit it for a future episode. Like, follow, and share if this was useful.

Tags: inclusive workplace, workplace inclusion, how to make employees feel included, diversity and inclusion at work, inclusive culture, employee belonging, HR podcast UK, neurodiversity at work, team socials inclusion, HR for small business

Most managers are promoted because they're great at the job — then expected to just know the people stuff. In this episode, Claire Cathcart and Sarah Ropek cover the HR basics every manager actually needs, where the line sits between HR's job and the manager's job, how to make policies less overwhelming, and what happens when managers avoid people issues altogether.

• Giving good feedback is the most important HR skill a manager can have — every other people process depends on it.
• Document conversations from day one. If it's not written down, it didn't happen.
• Managers should own the conversations, not HR. HR guides, advises, and supports — but doesn't manage for them.
• Managers don't need to memorise every policy — they need to know where to find them and when to ask for help.
• Policy summaries and fact cards are far more useful than a 20-page document nobody reads.
• Avoiding people issues carries real risk. A manager's effectiveness is measured by how well their team delivers — not just their own output.
• If something feels tricky, call HR early. They would always rather know than find out later.

The HR vs Manager divide — managers should lead conversations, investigations, and disciplinary hearings. HR prepares them, sits in for support, and keeps the process fair. Bringing HR into every performance conversation doesn't make a manager look capable — it undermines them.

Making policies work in practice — two tools that actually help: a one-page policy summary covering the manager's key responsibilities, and FAQ-style fact cards based on questions HR gets asked repeatedly. The goal isn't for managers to know everything — it's for them to know when to pick up the phone.

What happens when managers avoid people issues — if a performance problem has been running for a year and there are no documented conversations, HR has to start from scratch. Early, consistent action is always easier than a formal process later.

1. Teach new managers to give feedback first — it underpins everything else.
2. Document conversations as you go, even informal ones.
3. Create a policy summary or fact card for the processes managers deal with most.
4. Set a low bar for when managers should contact HR — before things feel formal, not after.

Claire Cathcart — founder of the Elevate Hub, helping people professionals build strategic confidence and commercial impact.

Sarah Ropek — founder of The Fractional HR Department supporting small businesses and start-ups with practical, fit-for-purpose HR.

Got a question? Head to hrpodcast.co.uk and submit it for a future episode. And don't forget to like, follow, and share.

Tags: manager training UK, employee performance management, documenting HR conversations, HR policies for managers, disciplinary process UK, HR for small business, new manager training, practical HR advice, employment tribunal risk

In this episode, Sarah Ropek and Claire Cathcart explore why performance improvement plans (PIPs) have developed such a negative reputation and whether the problem is the process itself or how it’s used.

Many employees see a PIP as a sign that their job is already at risk, but Claire and Sarah discuss why that perception exists and what often goes wrong in performance management before a formal process even begins.

They talk about why managers frequently introduce performance improvement plans too late, the importance of having clear expectations and early performance conversations, and how better training for managers could transform the way underperformance is handled.

The conversation also covers the legal and risk perspective for businesses, why documentation matters in performance processes, and how employment law changes may mean businesses rely more heavily on structured performance management in the future.

Claire and Sarah also explore the difference between large and small businesses when managing underperformance, and whether performance improvement plans need a complete rebrand to become a genuine tool for supporting employees rather than simply managing people out.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why performance improvement plans (PIPs) have such a bad reputation
• The common mistakes managers make when handling employee underperformance
• Why early conversations and clear expectations are critical for performance management
• How businesses can reduce risk and ensure a fair performance management process
• Whether PIPs need a complete rethink in modern workplaces

If you have questions you’d like Claire and Sarah to discuss in future episodes, get in touch – they’d love to hear from you.

International Women’s Day Special: Careers in HR, Confidence & Building Your Own Business

In this International Women’s Day episode, Sarah Ropek and Claire Cathcart step away from their usual Q&A format for a more personal conversation about their careers in HR, the decisions that shaped them, and why they both chose to start their own businesses.

With more than 20 years of experience each, they reflect on working in both large corporate environments and smaller businesses, how career priorities evolve over time, and the realities women still face when balancing ambition, leadership, and family life.

They also explore the role great leaders, mentors and coaching can play in career development, alongside honest reflections on confidence, imposter syndrome, flexible working, and career progression for women at work.

• Why choosing a great boss can be more valuable than chasing a big brand or job title

• How mentors, coaching and varied HR roles can accelerate career development

• The ongoing challenges around flexible working and part-time roles

• Why authenticity is a powerful leadership skill

• How to reframe imposter syndrome and self-doubt in your career

• HR professionals developing their careers

• Women navigating leadership and career progression

• Anyone considering starting their own HR consultancy

• Leaders who want to better support women at work

  
  

International Women’s Day • Women in HR • HR careers • Leadership development • Flexible working • Part-time roles • Mentorship • Coaching • Imposter syndrome • Women in leadership • Starting an HR business

The Employment Rights Act is reshaping UK employment law in 2026 and 2027 - but what does this major legislation change actually mean for your business?

In this episode of The HR Podcast Expert Sessions, Sarah Ropek and Nic Elliott break down the biggest employment law reforms in years. Discover what's coming first, including day-one statutory sick pay and the new Fair Work Agency, plus what's on the horizon with fire and rehire restrictions and the reduction of unfair dismissal qualifying periods to six months. Learn the practical implications of these employment law updates for HR teams and business leaders, including unintended consequences you need to watch for. Sarah and Nic share actionable steps employers can take now to prepare for the Employment Rights Act, from reviewing employment contracts and terms and conditions to building manager capability.

Whether you're an HR professional, business owner, or employment law specialist, this conversation gives you the clarity and confidence to navigate upcoming workplace legislation changes. Ready to future-proof your HR practices? Listen now.

Nic Elliott - LinkedIn

Hiring the wrong person can cost up to 3x their salary. This episode covers the real causes of bad hires and practical fixes for your recruitment process. Listen now.

If you've ever looked at a new starter three months in and thought "this isn't who I interviewed," you're not alone. According to the REC, the wrong hire can cost up to three times their salary — and in a small business, the damage goes further than money.

In this episode, Claire and Sarah work through where the recruitment process actually breaks down: rushing to fill a vacancy, skipping a proper person specification, relying on gut feel without testing it, and getting onboarding wrong once someone starts. You'll come away with practical steps to make better, more consistent hiring decisions.

• Most hiring mistakes start before the interview. A vague or absent job description means you don't know what you're looking for. A proper job description and person specification is the most important step before any role goes live.
• Don't just replace the person who left. Think about what the team actually needs now — not a carbon copy of whoever walked out.
• Hiring too fast is a real risk. Pressure to fill a seat quickly leads to cut corners. A slightly longer process almost always costs less than fixing a wrong hire.
• Gut feel is useful — but test it. Gut feel comes from experience, not guesswork. What makes it unreliable is ignoring red flags because you like the candidate. Back instincts up with structured questions and detailed notes.
• Get more people involved. Informal touchpoints — a phone screen with a different team member, greeting them on arrival — give a rounder picture without adding unnecessary interview stages.
• Promises of future promotion are risky. Hiring for potential only works with genuine development support. Vague timelines are a common reason good people leave early.
• Onboarding determines whether someone sticks. Explaining how the business works and what success looks like isn't optional — it's what turns a good hire into a lasting one.

• [00:01:05] The real cost of a wrong hire
• [00:01:28] What does a wrong hire actually look like?
• [00:04:05] Why job descriptions matter more than you think
• [00:06:20] How to structure the interview process
• [00:10:21] Why onboarding determines whether someone stays
• [00:11:57] The risks of hiring for future potential
• [00:15:56] Gut feel, interview notes, and bias
• [00:18:27] Practical steps to stop hiring the wrong people

References

1. REC (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) — referenced for the cost of a wrong hire (up to 3x salary): rec.uk.com

hiring mistakes UK, wrong hires small business, recruitment process UK, bad hire cost, culture fit hiring, job description person spec, onboarding new employees, hiring for potential, interview process UK, HR advice for founders

Why HR Still Matters Even With Great Managers

Good managers don't remove the need for HR in small businesses. Here's what HR actually does, when to get support, and what the risks are if you don't. Listen now.

Your managers are competent, your team is happy, one-to-ones are happening — so what exactly is HR adding? It's a fair question, and one Claire and Sarah hear regularly from small business owners. But good management and good HR aren't the same thing, and confusing the two can leave your business exposed in ways you'd never anticipate. In this episode they unpack the genuine role of HR in a small business, why the cost of not having it can far outweigh the cost of getting it in place, when the right time to bring in HR support actually is, and where the line sits between what your managers should handle and what needs proper HR expertise behind it.

• Great managers and HR serve genuinely different purposes — one does not replace the other. HR's role is to create and manage the processes, systems, and legal frameworks that allow people to do their jobs well. That's a specialism in its own right, just like finance or IT, and it shouldn't sit on a manager's plate on top of everything else they're already doing.
• The financial risk of skipping HR is real and growing. Employment tribunals are expensive before you even factor in legal fees — and with tribunal compensation awards increasingly uncapped, the downside of getting things wrong is only heading in one direction. One in four tribunals, according to Acas, could have been avoided with clearer processes.
• Seemingly innocent management decisions can create serious legal exposure. Asking a candidate in an interview whether they have children, or verbally declining a flexible working request in a corridor conversation, can both trigger claims. Managers shouldn't be expected to know all of this — that's what HR is for.
• There are three natural trigger points to bring in HR support: when you hire your first employee, when you introduce your first management layer, and when the volume of people activity — recruiting, onboarding, performance conversations — becomes too much to handle informally.
• The HR vs "People & Culture" naming debate is largely a distraction. Culture belongs to the whole business, not one function. HR's job is to shape and embed it through processes and systems — but the managers living it every day, in every conversation, are the ones who make or break it in practice.
• HR that hides behind policy and says "computer says no" isn't the right HR for a small business. The best HR support for growing businesses asks "what do you want to happen?" and works backwards from there — finding a path that's legally sound without being unnecessarily rigid.

• [00:00] Intro and today's question
• [01:01] What HR actually does — a working definition
• [03:38] The real cost of getting it wrong
• [05:10] Why you can't just train managers to replace HR
• [06:24] When should small businesses bring in HR support?
• [08:00] What happens when HR arrives and managers push back
• [11:37] Who actually owns company culture — HR or managers?
• [15:23] Long-term risks of delaying HR support

Resources

1. CIPD — cited for the statistic that 46% of managers don't feel confident handling employee relations issues
2. Acas — cited for the finding that one in four employment tribunals could have been avoided with clearer processes
3. The HR Podcast website — thehrpodcast.co.uk

why do I need HR if managers are good, role of HR in small business UK, HR vs managers responsibilities, when to hire HR small business, employee relations support UK, employment tribunal risk small business, outsourced HR UK founders, HR podcast UK small business, people management advice UK, why HR matters for business growth

Can You Contact Employees on Sick Leave? UK Absence Guide

Think you can't contact an employee on sick leave? You can — but how you do it matters. This episode covers UK absence management done right. Listen now.

You can contact an employee who's off sick. That's the short answer — and it surprises more managers than it should. What you can't do is contact them in a way that feels pressuring, poorly timed, or comes from the wrong person. 33% of UK workers who've been off sick say they felt pressured to return early, and only one in four managers feel confident handling long-term sickness absence.

In this episode, Claire and Sarah cover what reasonable contact looks like for short-term versus long-term absence, how to handle a fit note that says "no contact," what to do when absence follows a grievance, when to involve occupational health, and why the language you use in those first conversations matters more than most managers realise.

• You can contact employees on sick leave — the key word is reasonable. There's no rule banning contact. What gets managers into trouble is contacting too frequently, too formally, or through the wrong person.
• Set contact expectations on the very first call. If you don't agree a check-in frequency from the start, requesting weekly updates when a fit note arrives feels like a sudden shift in approach — and will unsettle the employee.
• Short-term and long-term absence need different approaches. A couple of days off doesn't need daily check-ins. Once fit notes start arriving, agree a sensible rhythm — fortnightly or monthly for serious conditions.
• Who contacts the employee matters as much as the contact itself. If there's a live grievance against the line manager, that manager must not be the one reaching out.
• A "no contact" fit note doesn't leave you completely in the dark. You can reach out through a trusted family member, or bring in occupational health to advise on the right approach.
• Share as little as possible with the rest of the team — and ask the employee what they're comfortable with first. Medical information is sensitive personal data.
• Absence triggers are benchmarks, not automatic escalation routes. The goal is always to understand what's behind the absence and support a return to work.

• [00:45] Can you contact someone off sick?
• [02:44] Handling a "no contact" fit note
• [04:13] Absence after grievance or performance issue
• [05:22] When to bring in occupational health
• [07:07] Short-term vs long-term: different approaches
• [08:51] Setting contact expectations from day one
• [10:23] What to tell the rest of the team
• [11:45] Absence triggers and using judgement

contacting employees on sick leave, managing sick leave employees, absence management UK, sickness absence law, fit note no contact, occupational health referral, long-term sickness absence, Bradford Factor small business, HR advice managers, employee sick leave rules

Probationary Period Purpose: What UK Businesses Need to Know

Is your probationary period actually working? This episode covers what probation is for, how long it should be, and what changes in January 2027. Listen now.

If your probation reviews get forgotten or treated as a formality, you're running a risk that's about to get significantly bigger. 22% of UK employees say they didn't receive any formal check-in during their probation, and most probationary issues stem from unclear expectations, not poor capability.

In this episode, Claire and Sarah cover what a probationary period is actually for, how long it should last, whether internal promotions should trigger one, what happens when a review gets missed, and how the Employment Rights Act — coming January 2027 — changes the stakes entirely.

• Probation exists for both sides. It's a shared window for employer and employee to figure out if they're right for each other — with a mutual understanding that employment could end if it's not working.
• Six months is the preferred length — but January 2027 changes the maths. From that date, unfair dismissal rights kick in at six months. Reviews need to happen at four months, with a two-month extension option built in.
• Don't apply probation to internal promotions. If someone has over two years' service and is promoted internally, a formal probation period is legally and practically problematic. What happens if it doesn't work out?
• A missed review isn't a disaster today — but it will be. Currently, most missed reviews result in a quiet pass. Under the new rules, without documented performance conversations before six months, your options narrow significantly.
• Act on performance concerns early, not when you have enough evidence. Post-January 2027, there won't be time to gather data. If something feels off, the conversation needs to happen immediately.
• Extending probation can genuinely work. Employees who were borderline at six months and given extra time have gone on to be strong performers. The new legislation makes extensions riskier — which is a real loss.
• If you don't have a probation process, build one before 2027 — and pair it with a performance management process that works beyond the probationary period.

• [01:19] What is probation actually for?
• [02:26] How the Employment Rights Act changes things
• [05:38] Internal promotions and probation
• [07:19] How long should probation last?
• [11:16] What to do if you missed the review
• [13:00] Big vs small business: is it different?
• [15:34] Should you extend probation?
• [17:18] Final advice before January 2027

probationary period UK, employee probation review, Employment Rights Act 2027, unfair dismissal six months, HR best practices UK, probation length UK, performance management probation, hiring and onboarding UK, HR podcast small business, probation process small business