Your 12 minute HR lesson

Lucy and I chat about when and how to try and amicably settle.

It sounds right, it feels like good data, but can it be relied upon?

There's nothing better than a good start, or more specifically, there's nothing worse than a bad start.

Everyone wants autonomy in their job, managers want confidence in their reports, but we rarely openly discuss this. So how are these agreements reached?

Managers can jump in- fix, solve, answer, take over. But when? Find Jason at https://www.jasonbiggs.nz/ Find Damian at https://www.pragmatichrm.nz/

Listening is such an important skill, we need to do more on this.

I look at the cognitive bias that makes us instinctively see a bigger number as better, even when it's real value hasn't improved. For HR professionals, understanding this can help explain why the same pay increase can be received very differently depending on inflation and the cost of living.

This is a water-cooler chat with my guest, Jason Biggs. This week, we talk about whether, when, and when not, managers should try to be liked.

A good way to understand what managers are juggling (and what they do to cope)

Let's rethink the mode we defaulted into.

Why do fish need letters? Because they are in a new pond. The rules for the old pond don't work here, so we spell it out to them. And now they know.

Why do different people work together? Why Kevin Hart and the Rock? Mark Wahlberg and Will Farrell? Laurel and Hardie? Jackic Chan and Chris Tucker/Owen Wilson? Magic comes from contrast- so let's over-analyse why.

Everyone loves a chat and loves a joke, and many like a bit of spice on their humour. But how much is too much, too ribald, too spicy? How do we keep the humour without reducing everything to bland?

How should we treat people? How do you want others to treat - not you- but those you protect the most.

How to handle past glory livers, the laurel resters, the coasters of wins. What to do about people who keep spend the same good credit again and again.

The employee is bringing someone with them. Who are they, and what type of person will they be? This episode we talk about the unknown variable of the representative.

"How about.... instead of this process.... we talk about a deal". Legally, this can be hard, or maybe easy. BUT- laws aside, it's a pandora's box, you can't walk it back and pretend you didn't say that. It's tricky, so let's talk it through.

In chapters, we talked about how people have history, old chapters. In this question, we talk about whether someone can turn over a new leaf?

The greatest rule of thumb for explaining why people do they they shouldn't. People are dumb before they are cruel. Curious? have a listen.

In Taylor Swift's song Fortnight, did her character also commit infidelity? Or am I reading too much in? Suburban boredom and frustrated love is not a standard pop music topic, but Taylor did it anyway, which is worth respectful consideration. In this episode, I talk about how "The most powerful voices aren't those who tell people what they want to hear, but those who say something wo...

This episode explores the philosophical idea that most people work not because they are deeply engaged, but because employment is a practical exchange. Drawing on a concept popularised by Slavoj Žižek—"I would prefer not to"—the discussion argues that the opposite of engagement is often not dissatisfaction or resentment, but simple indifference. Employees may accept work as a necessary m...

Workplace ambushes occur when managers bring employees into conversations or investigations without adequately informing them of the issues being discussed, leaving them surprised and unprepared. While there can be a temptation to catch people off guard in the hope of getting more candid answers, employment law and good practice require employees to be fully informed and given a fair opportunity t...

This episode explores whether a person’s past should define their future, particularly in workplace decisions involving criminal convictions and trust. Using the idea of “chapters of life,” it examines how time, growth, maturity, and the nature of past behaviour shape whether someone has genuinely changed. A practical framework for HR and leaders weighing risk, fairness, and personal transformatio...

This episode explores “advanced ER” — situations where employers must sometimes act despite limited evidence. Using a World War II analogy about German U-boats misreading Allied tactics, it examines disciplinary strategy, anticipating responses, and why waiting for perfect proof can leave harmful workplace behaviour unchecked. Especially relevant for complex “he said, she said” cases.

How employees can create personal “versions of reality” in workplace conflicts, particularly around performance and conduct issues. Drawing parallels with broader social narratives and online echo chambers, it argues people sometimes shape facts around preferred beliefs instead of evidence. We recommend how to respond with clear written communication, factual detail, and time for reflection rather...