What Does Great HR Mentoring Look Like?

Does a Dress Code Policy Still Matter?

Only 7% of UK workers now wear a suit to work. The era of formal dress codes has largely passed — but employers still have a say in what people wear. The question has become more nuanced, not less relevant. In this episode: whether a dress code policy is still relevant, why guidelines work better than rigid rules, what UK law allows employers to require, how tattoos and piercings fit in, and why having no dress code at all can create as much anxiety as having one. * Guidelines tend to work better than strict dress code policies. "You must wear X" creates a parent-child dynamic and invites pushback. Guidelines that explain the brand standard and leave room for individual expression land better. * UK employers can legally set dress standards — but they must apply equivalently across all employees. You can require professional appearance. You cannot require women to wear heels while men wear flat shoes. The standard must be comparable across genders. * Brand justification is legitimate — if it's proportionate. Requiring client-facing staff to mirror the environment they're walking into is reasonable. But "I personally don't like what you're wearing" is not a policy. The test is whether it reflects a genuine business need. * Health and safety is the clearest legal basis for dress requirements. Closed-toe shoes on a manufacturing floor, hi-vis on a building site — not open to debate. The further you get from safety, the more you need to justify requirements by reference to brand or client expectations. * Visible tattoos and piercings can legally be used as hiring criteria — but apply consistently. Employers can set appearance standards that include body modifications, but blanket bans are increasingly being relaxed as businesses realise they're losing good people over them. * Having no dress code can cause as much stress as having one. Employees new to work often don't know what's appropriate. "Wear what you want" sounds inclusive but leaves people anxious. Even brief informal guidance removes that uncertainty. * Client-facing and office-based roles can legitimately have different standards. A two-tier approach — relaxed in the office, mirroring the client's environment on visits — is increasingly common and well-received when employees understand the reasoning. * [00:05] Does a dress code still matter? * [01:22] Policy vs guidelines: why language matters * [03:48] People are judged on what they wear * [05:43] Two-tier dress codes: office vs client * [11:48] What UK law allows employers to require * [13:13] Tattoos, piercings and employer rights * [15:52] The great crocs debate * [20:33] Why no dress code creates problems too Resources Mentioned 1. YouGov research — just 7% of UK workers now wear a suit to work, referenced at the start of the episode dress code policy UK, workplace dress code guidelines, can employers enforce dress code UK, employee dress code, dress code employment law UK, visible tattoos work policy, client facing dress code, HR podcast, dress code best practices

Is The CV Dead?

If you're still relying on CVs to make hiring decisions, you might be missing your best candidates. Skills-based hiring is becoming increasingly common, with more employers using practical assessments and skills tests to predict job performance rather than relying solely on work history and qualifications. At the same time, AI is changing how candidates present themselves and how employers evaluate applications. In this episode, you'll learn where CVs still add value, why skills-based assessments are gaining traction, how applicant tracking systems (ATS) influence recruitment decisions, and what small businesses can do to improve their recruitment process without investing in expensive hiring technology. Whether you're recruiting your first employee or regularly hiring for your growing team, this conversation will help you make better hiring decisions and avoid common recruitment mistakes. • The CV isn't dead, but it's no longer the most reliable predictor of job performance. • Skills-based hiring helps employers assess what candidates can actually do rather than focusing on job titles, degrees or career history. • Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are still built around CVs, which is one reason they remain central to many recruitment processes. • AI-generated applications are making it harder for employers to rely solely on CVs when shortlisting candidates. • Practical skills-based assessments don't need to be expensive or complicated to improve hiring outcomes. • LinkedIn profiles, recommendations and online presence increasingly influence recruitment decisions alongside traditional applications. • Small businesses can strengthen their recruitment process by designing simple tasks that mirror real work rather than adding lengthy interview stages. [00:00] Is the CV dead?[02:35] The rise of skills-based hiring[03:56] How applicant tracking systems shape recruitment[06:12] AI, LinkedIn and the future of CVs[10:21] CVs vs skills-based assessments[12:58] How employers are using online data[15:28] The impact of AI-generated CVs[18:01] Better hiring for small businesses 1. TestGorilla2. LinkedIn3. Google Chrome AI Mode4. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)5. Elevate Hub skills-based hiring, skills-based assessments, CV vs skills tests, applicant tracking systems, ATS recruitment, recruitment process for small businesses, hiring employees UK, small business recruitment, AI in recruitment, talent acquisition UK

Is a CIPD Qualification Really Worth It?

Is a CIPD Qualification Worth It? An Honest Career Assessment If you're in HR or thinking about moving into it, the CIPD question comes up constantly. Is it worth the cost? Do hiring managers actually care, or is it just a box they've been told to tick? And if your career is going fine without it, should you bother? In this episode: the three levels and what they're for, whether CIPD makes you a better HR professional or just a more hirable one, when the timing makes sense, how to negotiate employer support, and the real risk of letting your membership lapse. * CIPD qualified professionals earn 12% more on average — but the qualification alone isn't why. It's worth asking whether it causes better outcomes or correlates with the kind of motivated, ambitious professional who was going to progress anyway. * Experience and qualification need to run alongside each other. Completing a CIPD level without being able to apply it produces theoretical knowledge without practical value. The combination is what moves careers forward. * Most hiring managers don't know what the CIPD levels mean — but they'll still filter on them. Being asked "do you have level seven?" often just means a recruiter put it on the spec as a minimum requirement. * The job market makes it hard to get into HR without a qualification. The field is competitive and full of people with CIPD alongside experience. If you want to change employers or move into HR from elsewhere, the absence of a qualification is a visible disadvantage. * Timing matters enormously — don't push through it if life doesn't support it. A young child, a demanding job, a difficult commute — any of these makes completing harder than it needs to be. Doing it when circumstances align produces better learning and less burnout. * If your employer won't fund it, negotiate for time instead. Many businesses won't pay course fees but will give study leave or a loan arrangement. Study time during working hours is often more valuable than a cash contribution. * Letting your CIPD membership lapse costs more to fix than maintaining it. You pay extra on reinstatement. If you're building a business or working in consulting, clients increasingly expect to see professional membership even if they can't tell you why. * [00:41] What the salary data actually shows * [01:53] CIPD levels 3, 5 and 7 explained * [06:32] Does CIPD make you better at HR? * [07:14] Competing for jobs without a qualification * [09:10] Box-ticking reality of senior HR hiring * [12:07] When to do it — and when to wait * [15:07] Cost, employer funding, and what to negotiate * [17:56] The membership lapse trap Resources Mentioned 1. CIPD — professional body for HR; Level 3, 5, and 7 qualifications: cipd.org [https://cipd.org] 2. CIPD apprenticeship route — alternative pathway referenced for teams needing the qualification without full self-funding CIPD qualification worth it, is CIPD worth it, CIPD level 5 career, HR qualification UK, CIPD level 7, HR career progression UK, CIPD membership cost, HR professional development, CIPD vs experience, HR qualifications

Should You Introduce Stay Interviews?

Should You Introduce Stay Interviews? An Honest Assessment An exit interview happens when someone has already decided to leave. The feedback is useful for the next person — but it's too late to help the one walking out the door. A stay interview flips that. You have it while someone is still there, still engaged, and still worth keeping. Oxford Economics puts the average cost of replacing an employee earning over £25,000 at more than £30,000. Yet only 28% of organisations run stay interviews — the other 72% rely on exit interviews, gathering feedback at precisely the moment it can change nothing. In this episode: when stay interviews are worth doing, when they're just another HR process adding noise, and what questions actually get useful answers. * Stay interviews only work if done with a specific purpose. As a routine process, they risk becoming a tick-box exercise. Used deliberately — to understand why a high-turnover team is haemorrhaging people, or why a high-retention team is keeping them — they have real value. * Most people won't tell the truth in a stay interview. Asking if someone is thinking of leaving rarely gets an honest answer. Focus instead on connection, purpose, career development, and alignment with the business direction. * Running stay interviews and doing nothing with the data is worse than not running them. It signals that views don't matter. Only introduce the process if you're prepared to act on what you hear. * The best questions focus on what makes someone stay, not what might push them out. Purpose, career path, and goal alignment surface the real drivers of retention — and give you something you can actually influence. * Stay interviews work best when targeted, not universal. Interviewing everyone is rarely practical. A cross-section of demographics, tenure lengths, and roles gives more meaningful data with far less time. * Who does the interview matters. Managers should ideally be having these conversations in one-to-ones. But if trust is the issue, an independent HR person will get more honest answers and can add depth on career development pathways. * People often stay for reasons outside a business's control — proximity, school run timing, childcare flexibility. Knowing this stops you chasing insights that don't exist and helps you focus on what you can actually change. * [00:01] What a stay interview is * [01:57] Stay interviews vs existing HR processes * [03:01] When stay interviews add real value * [07:07] Will people actually tell the truth? * [10:31] Questions to ask — and avoid * [13:53] HR or manager: who runs it? * [17:06] Forms vs face-to-face conversations * [18:44] Why people stay — and what you can't control Resources Mentioned 1. Oxford Economics — average cost of replacing an employee earning over £25,000 is more than £30,000 when factoring in recruitment, onboarding, and lost productivity stay interviews retention, should I introduce stay interviews, exit interviews vs stay interviews, employee engagement, retention strategy small business, stay interview questions, HR podcast UK, reducing staff turnover, employee retention cost

Why Can't I Just Fire Them... Anymore?

Employment Rights Act 2025: Why You Can't Just Fire Them Anymore When we first answered "why can't I just fire them?", employees needed two years before unfair dismissal protection applied. From 1 January 2027, the Employment Rights Act 2025 reduces that to six months. Unfair dismissal claims are up 72% year on year. The average case takes 33 weeks. The compensation cap is being removed. And if you run a six-month probation, reviews need to happen before that window closes — notice periods included. In this episode: what's changed, what it means for small businesses, and why settlement agreements are about to become a much more common conversation. * From 1 January 2027, unfair dismissal protection applies from six months. Employees whose probation falls into the July 2025 onwards window are already caught by transitional provisions. This isn't a January 2027 problem. * If you run a six-month probation, you need to act earlier than you think. Any notice period eats into the window. On statutory notice, the probation meeting needs to happen at least a week before the six-month mark — or you're in unfair dismissal territory. * The compensation cap is going. Combined with tribunal wait times now stretching toward 2030, the financial and operational cost of getting a dismissal wrong is rising sharply. * Settlement agreements are becoming the rational option. An extra month's pay at seven months may cost far less than management time, legal fees, and a four-year tribunal wait. * ACAS is under serious pressure. Letters are arriving after the conciliation window closes, meaning businesses lose their moment to settle. "Let's see what happens at ACAS" is no longer a reliable strategy. * Process documentation is your only reliable protection. Most dismissals fail at tribunal on process, not on the reason for dismissal. Documented conversations and clear expectations throughout probation are what defend you. * Managers can't afford to wait a few more weeks. The instinct to let underperformance slide is understandable — but within a six-month window, it's operationally dangerous. Conversations need to happen quickly and be documented. * [00:15] What the ERA 2025 changes * [01:16] Why July 2025 matters too * [02:41] Six-month probation notice trap * [05:30] Sharpen performance conversations * [08:19] What fair dismissal process looks like * [13:28] Settlement agreements as alternative * [15:07] AI, employee expectations, backlogs * [17:35] Documentation and tribunal protection Resources Mentioned 1. Employment Rights Act 2025 — qualifying period reduces to six months from 1 January 2027: gov.uk [https://www.gov.uk] 2. ACAS — early conciliation; currently experiencing significant delays: acas.org.uk [https://acas.org.uk] Employment Rights Act 2025, unfair dismissal six months, probation management, settlement agreements UK, performance management, ACAS backlog, dismissal process UK, HR podcast