The Plumm Pod

What if HR wasn’t just support... but your biggest brand asset?

In today’s episode, we sit down with Jessie, People Director at one of the UK’s most innovative creative agencies, to uncover how HR can redefine brand strategy from the inside out.

Jessie shares her journey from hairdressing to HR leadership, and how she’s tearing up the traditional rulebook to build a people-first workplace rooted in trust, creativity, and culture.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why onboarding is your most powerful brand moment

How to turn your team into your greatest advocates

The secret to getting buy-in from senior leadership

Why Gen Z are changing everything about workplace culture

This isn’t compliance. This is creativity. This is culture.

And it’s time HR took its seat at the table.

👉 If this inspired you, share it with someone who needs to hear it and don’t forget to subscribe.

Chapters

00:00:00 – The Hairdresser Who Became HR

00:01:45 – Learning the Hard Way in the NHS

00:04:10 – HR IS Brand Strategy

00:05:00 – Bringing Company Values to Life

00:07:35 – Listening: The Most Underrated Strategy

00:09:05 – Building a Culture That Retains

00:11:20 – Why Only 31% Align With Company Values

00:13:00 – Recognition That Actually Works

00:14:45 – From Team Members to Brand Ambassadors

00:16:10 – Designing Culture for Gen Z

00:18:40 – Human-First HR Strategy

00:20:40 – How to Start Thinking Creatively

00:22:00 – The Power of Diverse Teams

00:24:00 – Why Candidates Choose You

00:26:40 – What Gen Z Really Want at Work

00:28:30 – Managers Are the Secret Weapon

00:30:00 – Getting Senior Leadership Buy-In

00:32:40 – What I’d Tell My Younger Self

Jessi

They’re the most powerful people in your company… and the most overlooked.

In this episode, we sit down with Chelsea, Head of People at Tomorrow, whose approach to middle management has transformed team performance and culture. From scaling challenges to personal breakthroughs, Chelsea reveals what most leaders get wrong about middle managers and what to do about it.

Here’s what you’ll learn

Why middle managers shape your company culture more than your CEO

The real reason managers burn out (and how to stop it)

How Tomorrow built one of the UK’s top workplaces by focusing on its “squeezed middle”

The three powerful qualities Chelsea looks for when identifying future leaders

This isn’t theory. It’s a masterclass in the people strategy most companies ignore, until it’s too late.

👉 Subscribe for more honest, unfiltered conversations with the people rewriting the rules of work.

Chapters

00:00:00 – From Retail Floors to Head of People

00:03:16 – Learning Business From the Inside Out

00:05:13 – Why Middle Managers Hold the Power

00:07:10 – The Hidden Cost of Neglecting Managers

00:09:01 – Embedding Culture Through the Squeezed Middle

00:10:32 – From High Turnover to Top 10 Workplace

00:12:18 – The Mistakes We Made Scaling

00:13:51 – The Power of Monthly Reflection

00:15:36 – Fixing Feedback and Growth Conversations

00:16:55 – Why Radical HR Experiments Sometimes Fail

00:18:53 – Becoming a Manager is a Career Change

00:20:41 – No Training for Micro-Moments

00:22:33 – Avoiding Burnout Through Small Wins

00:24:25 – Building Great Leaders from Within

00:26:09 – The Three C’s of Great Management

00:27:44 – Creating Paths Beyond Management

00:29:35 – Essential Skills, Not Soft Skills

00:31:00 – Growth Plans That Actually Grow People

00:33:03 – Making Purpose Tangible

00:34:43 – The Manager’s Impact on Retention

00:36:33 – Advice to Her Younger Self

In this episode, we sit down with Christine, Head of Talent & People at a pioneering quantum computing start up, to explore her unexpected journey from studying psychology during a global recession to leading people strategy in one of tech's most innovative sectors. Christine shares what it means to bridge the gap between talent acquisition and HR, the challenges of scaling a team from 12 to 100, and why retention is just as strategic as hiring.

We dive into:

Why HR wasn’t the original plan and how Christine found her way back to it

The real differences between recruitment and talent acquisition

How people teams can (and should) collaborate to improve onboarding and retention

Conducting painful but powerful audits to build HR foundations

Mental resilience, imposter syndrome, and defining your leadership philosophy

This episode is packed with candid insights for anyone navigating the intersection of recruitment, people ops, and start up growth.

Whether you're an aspiring HR leader or just wondering how to grow your career in people roles, Christine’s story will inspire and ground you.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:12 Journey into HR and Talent Acquisition

05:16 Understanding the Role of Head of Talent and People

08:46 The Shift from Recruitment to Talent Development

10:54 Collaboration Between Talent Acquisition and HR

13:21 Navigating Imposter Syndrome in HR

15:36 Continuous Learning in the People Space

17:08 Challenges in Transitioning Roles

20:03 Balancing Energy and Empathy in HR

22:39 Team Dynamics and People Operations

25:35 Conducting Audits for Operational Efficiency

28:44 The Importance of Employee Feedback

30:19 Advice for Transitioning Between Roles

36:41 Final Reflections and Advice for the Future

Welcome to The Plumm Pod, where we dive into the human side of work. This week Georgia sits down with senior people leader Kayleigh Davies to unpack how HR has moved from dusty personnel files to data-driven people experience and why start-ups can’t afford to keep treating culture as a perk wall.

Kayleigh’s journey from ancient-history graduate to AI-sector HR strategist gives her a unique lens on:

- Moving from compliance-heavy personnel to outcome-focused people experience

- The limits of the Ulrich model and the rise of subscription-style employee journeys

- Why “seat at the table” means asking sharper commercial questions, not simply attending the meeting

- Practical ways to diagnose people priorities when the business has none

- Swapping beanbags for measurable impact, turning onboarding scores into revenue wins

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of a People Strategy

02:32 The Evolution of HR

11:13 Navigating the Post-COVID HR Landscape

21:17 Understanding Business Goals

23:01 The Role of People Experience in HR

30:33 Advice for Future HR Leaders

Unlock the secrets of neuroinclusion and build a workplace where every neurodivergent employee can thrive. In this episode of the Plumm Pod, host Georgia Dixon, sits down with Lucy Wilson (Neurodiversity Inclusion Specialist & Founder, Mindshift Empowerment) to explore practical strategies for embedding diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) across the entire employee life cycle from inclusive recruitment and onboarding to performance feedback, advancement and ERG programmes.

Highlights you’ll learn:

Why inclusive job descriptions and skills-based hiring widen your talent pool and boost innovation

How transparent, streamlined interview processes reduce anxiety for autistic and ADHD candidates

Simple onboarding tweaks that cut first-week stress and improve employee retention

The power of structured, bias-free feedback for managers and leaders

Funding and supporting employee resource groups (ERGs) to drive real cultural change

Whether you’re an HR leader, people manager, or business owner, this conversation is packed with actionable tips to create a truly neuro-inclusive workplace and strengthen your overall employee experience.

Sam

In this insightful episode of the Plumm Pod, host Georgia chats with Jag Gill, a People Operations Leader, to explore the evolving landscape of HR.

Discover what People Operations really means, how it differs from traditional HR, and why agility and transparency are key to modern workforce management.

Jag shares his journey from photography to recruitment to PeopleOps, offers practical advice for HR professionals embracing change, and explains how a holistic, data-driven approach can transform employee retention and engagement.

Whether you're new to PeopleOps or looking to future-proof your HR strategy, this episode is packed with actionable insights and candid reflections on navigating today’s people-centric workplaces.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to Transparency in PeopleOps

01:00 – Jag Gill’s Journey: From Photography to People Operations

02:30 – What is People Operations?

04:00 – PeopleOps vs Traditional HR

06:00 – Moving from Reactive HR to Proactive PeopleOps

08:20 – Why Modern Businesses Need PeopleOps

10:30 – Embracing Agility and Transparency in HR

13:00 – Driving Retention and Engagement with Systems Thinking

15:00 – Getting Started with Systems Thinking in HR

17:30 – Changing Mindsets for the Future of Work

20:30 – Communication Strategies in PeopleOps

24:30 – Advice for Early Career PeopleOps Professionals

26:20 – Trusting the Process: Career Reflections

27:50 – Bringing Personality to Your Professional Identity

When the world went remote, many organisations thrived, yet some are still wrestling with return-to-office mandates. In this episode of The Plumm Pod, host Georgia, sits down with remote-work specialist Grace Nichols to unpack the myths and mindsets behind location-flexible work.

Grace shares her unexpected journey from would-be barrister to HR leader, the burnout that pushed her to redesign her work life, and why autonomy over time is the new currency of success. Together they explore:

The real drivers of productivity (hint: it isn’t presenteeism).

Remote-first vs remote-friendly, why the difference matters for culture, communication and career growth.

Common missteps companies make when demanding a full office return and what HR can do instead.

Practical ways to build intentional in-person moments, mentor programmes and environments people want to work in.

How trust, transparent “why” messaging and the right workspace can turn hybrid into a competitive advantage.

Whether you’re an HR professional rethinking policy, a leader worried about performance, or a team member craving flexibility, this conversation offers fresh insights and actionable advice to help you design work that works for everyone.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Remote Work and HR

02:59 The Journey into HR and Remote Work Expertise

06:02 Benefits of Remote Work

08:48 Challenges and Resistance to Remote Work

11:56 The Importance of Communication and Intent in Hybrid Work

14:56 Remote-First vs. Remote-Friendly Companies

18:02 Creating a Productive Work Environment

20:49 Trust and Visibility in Remote Work

23:53 Advice for Young Professionals in HR

Explore the five must‑watch HR trends for 2025 in this episode of The Plumm Pod, where host Georgia sits down with Chris Britton, People Experience Director at Reward Gateway. Together they unpack how HR teams can prioritise strategically, cultivate cultures of appreciation, embed genuine belonging, streamline employee experiences, and upskill line managers to thrive amid hybrid work, tighter budgets and shifting UK employment law.Chris shares data‑backed insights, including why organisations that foster employee appreciation report up to a 43 % productivity lift plus practical tips on low‑cost benefits, employee voice, ERGs, storytelling your EVP and preparing “accidental managers”. Whether you’re a Chief People Officer, HR Business Partner, Talent Lead or SME founder, you’ll gain actionable ways to boost engagement, retention and profitability while supporting mental health.Listen now to future‑proof your people strategy and build a workplace where every team member thrives.Chapters 00:00 Intro: Why HR Bears the Brunt of Fast‑Changing Business01:05 Chris Britton’s Journey: From Selling Phones to People Experience Director02:59 Trend 1 – Prioritisation: Doing Less With Less & Making It Count05:43 Creative Low‑Budget People Practices & Leveraging Employee Voice08:10 Riding Out the 2024/25 “Storm” & Preparing for Brighter Times11:11 Trend 2 – Appreciation: Moving Beyond “Thanks” to Human‑Centred Recognition18:00 The 43 % Productivity Boost & Designing Recognition Habits20:44 Trend 3 – Belonging: Tackling Workplace Loneliness & Building ERGs23:08 Remote‑First Belonging Tactics & Data‑Driven Employee Census27:32 Trend 4 – Make It Make Sense: Marketing Your EVP Internally30:12 Brand Consistency From Attraction to Onboarding & Retention35:49 Trend 5 – Leaders & Managers: From Admin Tasks to Human Skills40:51 Overcoming Resistance: Coaching Managers Through Vulnerability & Change43:35 Chris’s Advice to His Younger Self: “You Are Enough”44:56 Wrap‑Up & Next Episode Teaser