HR Coffee Time

Have you ever been asked for your opinion in a meeting and suddenly found your mind going completely blank? It can be especially uncomfortable when you're speaking with senior leaders or discussing an important issue and feel under pressure to come up with the "right" answer straight away. In this episode, Fay explores why mind blank moments happen and shares five practical techniques you can use...

Have you ever dismissed something you do brilliantly because it feels easy? Perhaps a colleague has praised you for something and you've thought, "That's nothing special. Doesn't everyone do that?" The challenge is that some of our greatest strengths can be hidden in plain sight because they come so naturally to us. In this episode, we explore why recognising and using your strengths can have a po...

Career progression does not always have to mean securing a promotion or climbing further up the career ladder. You may want to deepen your expertise, move into a different area of HR or explore a completely new path. In this solo episode, Fay talks you through four possible career directions: growing in your current role, stepping up, moving sideways or stepping out. She also shares practical ques...

Managers are expected to handle everything from one-to-ones and development conversations to absence, performance issues and disciplinaries. Yet many step into management without having been properly taught how to deal with these responsibilities. For HR and People professionals, finding a way to build managers’ knowledge and confidence without overwhelming them can be a real challenge. In this sp...

Cancer affects far more people in the workplace than many of us realise. As HR professionals, there may be times when you're supporting an employee with a cancer diagnosis, someone undergoing treatment, a colleague living with the long-term effects of cancer, or an employee who is caring for a loved one affected by it. Knowing that support matters is one thing. Feeling confident about what to say,...

Have you ever found yourself going round and round in circles trying to choose between two options? Perhaps you’re deciding whether to recruit externally or promote someone internally, introduce a new policy or stick with what you already have, invest in a new HR system or make the current one work, or even stay in your current role or apply for something new. Sometimes the problem isn’t that you...

What exactly is employee experience? How is it different from workplace culture, employer brand or your employee value proposition? And what can you actually do to improve it? In this episode of HR Coffee Time, I’m joined by employee experience expert Chris Manning, People and Culture Portfolio Transformation Lead at Primark. Chris explains what employee experience really means and why it matters...

🎁 Download your free Personal User Manual template: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/resources Taking over the leadership of an HR team can come with a long list of things you want to improve, but one of the most valuable things you can do first is help your team build trust, understand each other and work well together. In this episode of HR Coffee Time , Fay shares one of her favourite team-building a...

HR professionals have a huge opportunity to shape how, why and when AI is used across their organisations. Because AI is not only changing technology. It is changing jobs, skills, teams, management and the way work gets done. And HR is uniquely placed to make sure those changes work for both the organisation and its people. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay is joined by People Consultant Char...

Does it feel hard to make time for strategic work when you’re already so busy? Welcome to Day 5 of The Strategic HR Sprint, a free five-day learning experience designed to help you strengthen your strategic thinking and build your confidence about being strategic. 🧭 Sign up for free at https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint to receive all five episodes, worksheets, AI prompts and resources. In this fin...

When you spot a problem at work, how quickly does your mind start coming up with solutions? Welcome to Day 4 of The Strategic HR Sprint, a free five-day experience to help you build your confidence and skills in being strategic in your HR role. 👉 Join the sprint for free and access all five episodes, worksheets and resources here: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint One of the most important parts o...

When there are dozens of things you could be working on, how do you decide what deserves your attention most? Welcome to Day 3 of The Strategic HR Sprint, a free five-day learning experience designed to help you strengthen your strategic thinking in just 10–15 minutes each day. 👉 Join The Strategic HR Sprint for free: brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint In today’s episode, you’ll identify one important chal...

What does it really mean to be strategic in HR? One of the biggest shifts you can make is to stop looking only at HR and start paying much more attention to the world your organisation operates in. In Day 2 of the free five-day Strategic HR Sprint, Fay Wallis explores why strategic HR professionals develop an "outside-in" perspective. Drawing on insights from HR From the Outside In by Dave Ulrich...

Want to become more strategic in HR, but not sure where to start? This episode is Day 1 of my free five-day Strategic HR Sprint . Over five short episodes, I'll help you build your strategic confidence one practical step at a time through bite-sized lessons, downloadable worksheets and optional AI prompts. 👉Join the free Strategic HR Sprint here: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint When you sign up,...

🎁 Download your free Mid-Year Reset activity here: https://brightskyhr.kit.com/a2ea9eb841 Have you reached the halfway point of the year wondering where the time has gone? If you'd like to feel more focused, intentional and excited about the months ahead, this episode is for you. In this solo episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay shares a simple but powerful Mid-Year Reset exercise that will help you pa...

Registration is now open for my Free 5-Day Strategic HR Sprint, and I'd love you to join me! If you've ever wished you felt more confident about being strategic in HR, this free sprint is for you. Starting on Monday 13th July 2026 , you'll receive a short daily video (or audio if you prefer to listen), a practical worksheet and an optional AI prompt to help you build your strategic HR skills. Each...

Many organisations want a positive workplace culture, but creating one is easier said than done. How do you know what your culture is really like? What role do leaders play? And why do some organisations create environments where people thrive, while others struggle with engagement, retention, and performance? In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay is joined by workplace culture and leadership exp...

Laura Maffucci has played a key role in helping her organisation embrace AI. The surprising part? She doesn't actually like AI. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Laura, Head of HR at G-P, shares her honest perspective on AI, how her organisation has approached adoption, and the practical lessons she's learned along the way. We discuss everything from creating AI champions and governance processes...

You can design the best HR strategy, introduce brilliant benefits, or roll out an important change - but if people do not understand it, engage with it, or take action, none of it matters. That is why employee communication sits right at the heart of your impact in HR. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay is joined by Nik Nawaaz, Head of Employee Communications at Barnett Waddingham (now part of...

Are constant interruptions at work stopping you from getting through your most important tasks? If you work in HR or a People role, you’ll know how quickly your day can be taken over by “have you got a minute?” moments - making it difficult to focus on the work that really matters. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay Wallis shares practical ways to protect your time, reduce distractions and cre...

Have you wondered what ‘being strategic’ actually looks like? In this episode, you’ll hear a real, step-by-step example of what being strategic can look like in your day-to-day work. Host, Fay Wallis, is joined by Harriet Mewis, Head of People and Development, who shares how she spotted a small pattern in employee behaviour – and used it to uncover a much bigger issue affecting the business. What...

If you’ve been working hard in your HR career but still feel unsure what will truly help you step up into an HR Director role (or have more impact in the one you’re already in), this episode is for you. You might have your CIPD qualification. You might have years of experience. You’re probably working incredibly hard. But those things alone don’t always lead to the impact, influence, or progressio...

Is there something at work you know you’re capable of… but in the moment, your nerves take over? Whether it’s speaking up in a meeting, handling a difficult conversation, or stepping into a high-pressure situation - that disconnect between what you can do and how you feel can be incredibly frustrating. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, I share a simple but slightly unusual technique that can help...

Could you be making the biggest HR strategy mistake without realising it? Creating an HR or People strategy can feel overwhelming - especially when many HR professionals are expected to do it without ever being shown how. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay Wallis is joined by Dean Corbet t , Chief People Officer, psychologist, and coach, to explore one of the most common mistakes HR teams make...

Struggling to feel confident when Finance conversations come up at work? Been told you need to be "more commercial" but not sure what that actually means? In this practical episode, Commercial HR Coach Jo Bailey demystifies what it means to be commercial in HR and shares actionable advice to help you speak the language of business with confidence. You’ll Learn What "being commercial" actually mean...