HR Coffee Time

If you’re stuck and unsure about how to build a relationship with a difficult person at work, don’t worry, this episode of HR Coffee Time is here to help. Career coach Fay Wallis shares three top tips to find a solution that works for you.Disclosure: some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means Fay may receive a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through them (at no cost to you).Key Points From This Episode[01:26] Fay refers back to Episode 3 - Building relationships with difficult people at work[02:03] Tip 1: Listen – Fay refers to Stephen Covey and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People[05:07] Tip 2: Spend time with them regularly06:23] Finding a solution that works for you[10:41] Tip 3: Give (Fay refers to previous episodes about building relationships):Building relationships with difficult people at workHow networking can help your careerHow to become more confident about networkingNetworking - three most important networks for your career[12:20] Adam Grant’s research into Givers, Takers & Matchers. His TED talk: Are you a giver or a taker? | Adam Grant [15:47] Fay refers to the book; How to win friends and influence people by Dale CarnegieUseful Links Connect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HR

Podcasting is a low-cost but effective way of sharing crucial HR and wider-business information, building a strong employer brand, onboarding, or delivering content for in-house professional development programmes.In this episode, career coach and podcast host; Fay Wallis, takes you behind the scenes of the HR Coffee Time podcast. She explains why starting a podcast could be a great idea and how to do it.Disclosure: some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means Fay may receive a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through them (at no cost to you).Key Points From This Episode[01:33] How a public or private (internal) podcast could help your organisation.[03:46] Where to access the HR Coffee Time podcast show notes[04:46] Fay explains why she decided to start her own podcast[07:55] The Podcast Launch Accelerator online course[09:07] Graphic Designer, Floss Gibbs designed the podcast cover art for HR Coffee Time[10:08] The RØDE USB microphone Fay uses[11:49] Fay uses Camtasia video editing software to edit HR Coffee Time but Audacity is free podcast editing software to consider[13:01] Fay’s podcast editor, Frodo on Fiverr[14:51] Remove unwanted ‘ers’, ‘ums’ and sections of speaking from your podcast recording by using Descript or Audiate[16:26] For recording guest interviews remotely, Zoom, Squadcast and Riverside are all options to consider.[20:57] Transcribing the audio using Otter.ai to then create the show notes[23:06] The podcast host provider Fay uses is Captivate[25:30] For free tips and advice about podcasting, listen to Lynsay Ann Gould’s podcast: The Podcasting for Business Show, or join her Podcasting for Business Community Facebook group. Useful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteFay’s online CV writing courseFay’s LinkedIn courseRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HRJoin 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.

Have you lost your direction and motivation at work and don’t know what to do about it? In this episode of HR coffee time, career coach Fay Wallis shares one thing that might help. Have a listen and get ready to feel reenergised about your career.Key Points From This Episode[01:08] Fay explains what a ‘career anchor’ is[03:28] The first career anchor – technical or functional competence[04:14] The second career anchor – general managerial competence[05:15] The third career anchor – autonomy or independence[06:11] The fourth career anchor – security or stability[07:11] The fifth career anchor – entrepreneurial creativity[08:27] The sixth career anchor – service or dedication to a cause[09:23] The seventh career anchor – pure challenge[09:59] The eighth career anchor – lifestyle[13:03] Let Fay know your career challenge or topic you’d like to have covered on the showUseful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteCareer Anchors AssessmentCareer Anchors: The Changing Nature of Careers Self AssessmentRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Join 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HR

Have you ever found yourself having to make redundancies and struggling to know what to say to your colleagues who are losing their jobs? Or, perhaps you're facing redundancy yourself and trying to navigate the huge mix of emotions that you may now be experiencing.In this episode of HR coffee time, Grief Recovery Expert; Emma Tomes, explains how the loss of a role can lead to feelings of grief and shares her tools and tips on ways you can support either yourself or other people who are in this situation.Key Points From This Episode[00:48] Fay explains what ‘outplacement’ means[02:04] Introduction to Emma Tomes[03:53] Emma discusses her experience of redundancy  [07:12] The Grief Recovery Method[10:51] How to help when someone is experiencing grief due to redundancy[13:21] Emma shares examples of how to listen and help effectively[16:30] Where to access the podcast show notes[18:39] Emma explains the different stages of grief[23:49] What tools can be used from the ‘Grief Recovery Method’[29:07] The importance of mental health and check-ins[33:15] Emma shares her book recommendation - The Grief Recovery Handbook Method by John W James and Rusell Friedman[34:06] How to connect with Emma[34:51] Fay shares previous episodes related to redundancy:Handling redundancies (of less than 20 people) with confidenceHow to get a senior-level HR roleFinding your next HR job – key tips from an HR RecruiterGetting unstuck after redundancy 3 little-known LinkedIn features which will help you get your next job Useful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteInspiring HR Group Coaching Programme Connect with Emma on LinkedInEmma’s website: The Helpful CoachEmma’s free guide: How to help someone grievingEmma’s blog post: What do you know about The Stages of Grief?Rate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HR

If you’re about to start a new HR leadership role, your first 100 days are a crucial (but overwhelming) time. It can be hard to know where to start and how to make the best impression. But don’t worry, this episode of HR Coffee Time is here to help.Career coach Fay Wallis is joined by Leadership Advisor and Author Niamh O’Keefe, to offer you advice on how to start and create a successful plan for your first 100 days, ensuring you make an impact and succeed in your new role.Key Points From This Episode[0:03] This episode is the final in a series of episodes about succeeding as a new HR leader. The other episodes are:Episode 23: Setting yourself up for success in your new HR leadership role Episode 26: How to be strategic in your new HR leadership roleEpisode 29: Making a success of your promotion to a leadership role[01:49] Introduction to Niamh O’Keefe - 'Your First 100 Days: Make maximum impact in your new role'[03:46] Niamh shares tips on how to navigate ‘first 100-days plan’ questions in an interview.[05:55] How to start your ‘first 100-days plan’.[08:55] What it means to be a business achiever.[12:04] How to be strategic with your ‘first 100-days plan’.[15:21] How to stick to your ‘first 100-days plan’[21:07] Niamh’s book recommendation - Future Shaper by Niamh O'Keefe[23:31] How to connect with Niamh.Useful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteInspiring HR Group Coaching Programme Connect with Niamh on LinkedInRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Join 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HR

Have you ever had that horrible feeling that you're a fraud, you're not good enough at your job, that everyone's going to realise you have no idea what you're doing? And this is all happening, even though you aren't being given any negative feedback at all?If any of this resonates with you, you may be experiencing imposter syndrome. The good news is that there are things you can do to help. Listen to this episode of HR Coffee to learn four simple but powerful techniques to banish imposter syndrome.Key Points From This Episode[01:24] Introduction to Joanna Lott[02:39] Joanna explains what ‘imposter syndrome’ is[03:37] What the statistics revealed to Joanna’s live poll[05:17] The Positive Intelligence Programme[06:14] PQ reps – ‘ABC: accept, breathe, choose’[07:29] The different types of PQ reps – Tactile[07:52] PQ reps live with Joanna[12:34] The second technique – ‘moving to the sage perspective’[14:04] Fay refers to episode one: How to feel more confident at work [17:00] The third technique – ‘your story’[19:38] The fourth technique – ‘connecting to your authentic self’[25:44] Joanna’s book recommendation - The Miracle Morning: Hal ElrodUseful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteInspiring HR Group Coaching Programme Joanna Lott’s LinkedIn profileThe Joanna Lott Coaching websiteThe Saboteur assessmentRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Join 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HR

No matter what size team you're working in, personal user manuals are a simple, free and easy tool that can help teams thrive. Listen to this HR Coffee Time episode, to hear career coach Fay Wallis share what personal user manuals are, why they're a great idea, some typical questions or prompts that you could include in them, and then finally, how to make sure that you're using and rolling them out effectively.Key Points From This Episode[00:22] Celebrating 10,000 downloads[01:59] The idea behind personal user manuals[03:43] Different ways of approaching personal user manuals[04:12] Examples of what you could include in your personal user manuals[09:07] Fay's experience of learning about personal user manuals[10:45] More information on Fay’s new group coaching programme – ‘Inspiring HR’[12:39] Self-reflection tools: DISC Assessment (explained in detail in episode 3:  Building Relationships with difficult people at work) & The Four Tendencies Quiz[15:13] The Four Tendencies Quiz explained & recommended resources to learn more about it:The Four Tendencies bookThe Four Tendencies podcast episode [18:19] Tips on using personal user manuals successfully[20:07] Fay refers to previous episodes:Episode 23: Setting yourself up for success in your new HR leadership roleEpisode 26: How to be strategic in your new HR leadership role’Useful Links From This EpisodeInspiring HR Group Coaching Programme Connect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteFurther Resources About Personal User ManualsBook: Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy’s book, “No Hard Feelings: Emotions at Work and How They Help Us Succeed”Video: Adam Bryant talking about personal user manuals for The New York Times Higher Ed Leaders ForumPodcast episode: The LEADx Leadership Show with Kevin Kruse: ‘Creating your own leadership user’s manual’Podcast episode: Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman: ‘Managing remotely with Asana Engineering Manager Kate Reading’Article: Atlassian’s guide to using user manualsTemplate: Manual of meTemplate: Cassie Robinson’s templateRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Join 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HR

Have you ever had an idea that was shut down at work, even though you passionately believed it was a brilliant Initiative, or you had an idea that you just couldn't get enough buy-in for from all the people you needed to? This episode of HR Coffee Time is here to help as Fay shares the different types of influencing style’s that you could use to become more influential at work.Key Points From This Episode[00:46] Fay explains more about her group coaching programme: ‘Inspiring HR’[01:10] Why Fay chose ‘inspiring HR’[02:19] Fay’s hopes for ‘inspiring HR’[02:44] When do the group coaching sessions begin?[04:36] One to one sessions with Fay[05:07] What is the beta programme?[05:59] Topics which will be covered over the six-week programme – InspiringHR Group Coaching Programme [06:24] How to contact Fay for further information[07:39] Fay shares a story related to a previous colleague with incredible influencing skills[10:11] Having a fixed mindset - 'How to feel more confident at work'[12:05] A book recommendation from Fay - Elements of Influence by Terry Bacon[12:44] The first influencing skill – crying[14:39] The first influencing style – rational[17:09] The second influencing style – social[17:50] Building alliances at work[18:43] The third influencing style – emotionalUseful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteInspiring HR Group Coaching Programme Rate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Join 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HR

Even the most ambitious & focused of us can stumble when it comes to figuring out what we want next for our career and how to go about getting it. So, it isn’t surprising to hear that career development conversations at work can feel a bit tricky. Whether it’s your own career you want to develop, or you want to encourage career conversations to take place at work that truly empower people, you might have found yourself wondering where on earth to start. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, career coach Fay Wallis is joined by the Founder of CareerPoint; Steve McIntosh; who takes a deep dive into a helpful framework for career conversations at work – his 8 value drivers.Key Points From This Episode[01:00] A recap on 'How to use career conversations to improve retention & engagement'[02:02] Introduction to Steve McIntosh[03:14] Introduction to CareerPoint[05:02] Virtual coaching explained[05:49] The importance of career development conversations[11:58] Using the  3E model[14:51] How using a framework can help when discussing an employee’s performance[18:01] The ‘eight value drivers’ explained[19:31] Using workshops to explore the value drivers[26:12] Focusing on more than one value driver[29:02] Fay refers to previous episodes about building relationships:Building relationships with difficult people at workHow networking can help your careerHow to become more confident about networkingNetworking - three most important networks for your career[29:15] Fay refers to previous episodes about leadership:How to be strategic in your new HR leadership roleSetting yourself up for success in your new HR leadership role Making a success of your promotion to a leadership role[29:36] How the business environment creates value for the employee[33:46] How to think about value drivers[38:19] Steve’s book recommendation - Humankind: A Hopeful History by Bregman, Rutger[39:33] Steve’s book - The Employee Value Curve by Steve McIntosh[41:31] How to connect with SteveUseful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteConnect with Steve on LinkedInCareerPoint WebsiteRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HRJoin 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.

As an HR professional, you need to constantly communicate by email for a whole host of reasons, whether that’s to pass work along to a colleague, to get a senior stakeholder on board with an idea, to pass on crucial information to the entire workforce, to get people to take action, or perhaps even to confirm happy or sad news.It can be tricky to figure out how to master the art of effective email communication on your own; with a high risk of your emails being left unread, sent to trash, ignored, or leaving the recipients bored and disinterested.In this episode of HR Coffee Time communication expert and self-proclaimed ‘word nerd’ and ‘email geek’ Kim Arnold speaks to career coach Fay Wallis to share her tips and techniques to help. By the end of it, you’ll feel confident in knowing how to write work emails that get results.Key Points From This Episode[02:39] Introduction to Kim Arnold[04:59] More information about Kim’s book 'Email Attraction' [05:32] What are the ‘fateful eight’?[05:47] The first fateful eight example – the info dump[06:30] The second fateful eight example – the toddler in the sweet shop[07:57] The third fateful eight example – the workout[10:59] How to create your opening line when writing an email[12:41] What are the three W’s?[14:22] The three W’s – Who[15:02] The three W’s – What [15:37] The three W’s – Why[19:11] Ways to write an email effectively[22:23] The ‘hamburger technique’ explained[23:17] The first stage of the technique – your hook (H)[24:07] The second stage of the technique – explanation (E)[24:38] The third stage of the technique – call to action (C)[27:17] How to follow up on an email[30:21] Kim’s book recommendation – 'Can I Change Your Mind?' by Lindsay Camp Useful Links From This EpisodeConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching websiteConnect with Kim on LinkedInKim Arnold's websiteRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.Mentioned in this episode:Ready to learn more about Inspiring HR?Learn more about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme, and sign up to join the next cohort, that starts on 10th September 2025.Inspiring HRJoin 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward AcademyBecome a member of 3R Strategy's free Pay & Reward Academy, or access their free resources by visiting: https://bit.ly/3racademy.