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HR Coffee Time

HR Coffee Time

By: Fay Wallis
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Welcome to the HR Coffee Time podcast; a fortnightly podcast full of tips and ideas to help you have a successful and fulfilling HR career (without working yourself into the ground). It can feel hard to put yourself and your own career first when you're so busy looking after everyone around you. It can leave you at risk of burning out, finding that you're not where you want to be in your career, or feeling unsure about what you want from your career anymore. This podcast is here to help. Join career coach and founder of Bright Sky HR, Fay Wallis as she and her expert guests share advice on how to get what you want from your career. If you enjoy the podcast, learn more at: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/ or connect with Fay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faywallis/Copyright 2022 Bright Sky HR Ltd Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • 172 | HR and AI: How One Company Helped Employees Embrace AI (with Laura Maffucci)

    172 | HR and AI: How One Company Helped Employees Embrace AI (with Laura Maffucci)
    Jun 5 2026

    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 to helping employees feel comfortable experimenting with AI. Laura also shares her thoughts on job loss fears, the importance of human oversight, and why the reality of AI at work can be very different from what many leaders expect.

    Whether your organisation is already embracing AI or you're just starting to think about what it might mean for your workforce, this conversation is packed with practical insights and thought-provoking ideas.

    In This Episode, You'll Learn:
    • Why Laura has mixed feelings about AI despite using it extensively at work
    • How GP approached AI adoption across the organisation
    • The role of AI champions and internal advocates
    • Creating psychological safety around AI
    • How to encourage experimentation without creating fear
    • The importance of governance, security and guardrails
    • Why prompting skills matter
    • The risks of relying too heavily on AI outputs
    • The growing importance of discernment and critical thinking
    • The disconnect between executive expectations and employees' experiences of AI
    • Practical examples of how AI is being used within HR and across the business

    Chapters

    [00:00] Why I Finally Decided to Cover AI

    [01:57] Meet Laura Maffucci

    [02:51] Laura's Surprising View of AI

    [04:45] How AI Is Being Used at G-P

    [05:37] The AI Council and Governance

    [06:40] AI Champions, Training and Adoption

    [09:09] What's Had the Biggest Impact?

    [10:05] Finding Your AI Champions

    [11:33] Addressing Fear of Job Loss

    [11:47] Creating Psychological Safety Around AI

    [13:41] The Disconnect Between Leaders and Employees

    [16:06] The Number One Skill – Discernment

    [16:27] Cautionary Tale

    [17:19] The Right Way to Introduce AI

    [17:54] The Benefits of AI Adoption

    [18:57] Using Gemini Gems and AI Workflows

    [23:13] Creating AI Personas for Senior Leaders

    [24:17] AI Security and Confidential Information

    [26:15] Book Recommendation: Dare to Lead

    [28:13] Key Takeaways from the Conversation

    Useful Links
    • Connect with Fay on LinkedIn
    • Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner
    • Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme
    • Connect with Laura on LinkedIn
    • G-P article: Why your best 2026 AI strategy is still human

    Helpful HR Coffee Time episodes to listen to next

    Ep 171: How to Build Trust & Get Buy-In Through Brilliant Employee Communication

    Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!

    Sign up to the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Kara Connect - Help When It's Needed Most

    Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they didn't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.

    Kara Connect
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • 171: How to Build Trust & Get Buy-In Through Brilliant Employee Communication (with Nik Nawaaz)

    171: How to Build Trust & Get Buy-In Through Brilliant Employee Communication (with Nik Nawaaz)
    May 22 2026
    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 Howden) to unpack exactly how HR professionals can communicate in a way that builds trust, gets buy-in, and encourages people to take action - whether that is using their benefits, completing an engagement survey, preparing for a performance review, or navigating organisational change.With over 20 years of experience in employee communications, Nik shares practical, immediately actionable advice — no jargon, no fluff.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why employee communication is the “connective tissue” of an organisationWhy HR can sometimes feel like a faceless department - and how to change thatThe common mistake HR professionals make when writing employee communicationsWhy your message needs to answer “So what?” within the first few secondsHow to shift from explaining features to showing benefitsWhy phrases like “HR is pleased to announce” or “Please be advised” can stop people engagingHow to make your communication feel more human, conversational and directWhy reading your message aloud can help you spot corporate languageHow to use Microsoft Word’s read-aloud feature to improve scripts and written communicationWhy a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for benefits communicationHow to tailor messages for different groups and generations in your workforceWhy line managers are so important when you want messages to landHow a simple manager toolkit can make communication more effectiveWhy listening for the first five minutes of a meeting can help build trustHow to communicate during times of fear, uncertainty and changeWhy silence can lead people to create their own “horror story”How to be honest when you do not yet have all the answersWhy storytelling and real-world proof can be more persuasive than project updatesWhy employee communication needs support from across the organisation - not just HRChapters00:00 - When great HR work goes unnoticed03:24 - What employee comms really means04:20 - Why HR can feel "faceless" — and how to fix it06:19 - The #1 mistake: writing for yourself, not your audience08:49 - Quick win: delete your opening line09:49 - Drop the corporate speak — write like a human11:35 - The Word trick that makes your writing sound natural13:04 - How to get people to actually use their benefits17:30 - Tailoring messages for different generations20:58 - Line managers as your communication allies22:59 - The "First Five" technique24:01 - Communicating through change and uncertainty25:58 - Use storytelling, not project updates28:06 - Resource recommendation: Simon Sinek's Golden CircleUseful LinksConnect with Fay on LinkedInLearn about Fay’s Essential HR PlannerLearn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership ProgrammeTake Fay’s freeHR Leadership Impact Assessment.Connect with Nik (Nikolas) Nawaaz on LinkedInFind out more about Barnett Waddingham’s employee communications workWatch Simon Sinek’s TED Talk:How Great Leaders Inspire ActionHelpful Episode to Listen to NextIf you enjoyed this episode and would like more support with writing clear, effective communication at work, listen to:🎧 Ep 32: How to write work emails that get results, with Kim ArnoldKim shares brilliant advice that complements Nik’s tips in this episode, especially if you want to make your emails clearer, more persuasive and easier for people to act on.Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!Sign up for the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.Mentioned in this episode:Kara Connect - Help When It's Needed MostMenopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they didn't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away. Kara Connect
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • 170: 4 Ways to Stay Focused At Work and Handle Interruptions

    170: 4 Ways to Stay Focused At Work and Handle Interruptions
    May 8 2026

    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 create more space for focused work, helping you step up with more confidence and control in your role.


    You’ll learn how to:

    • Set clear boundaries without feeling unhelpful
    • Reduce interruptions across your organisation
    • Create uninterrupted time for deep work
    • Stay focused on your most important priorities


    This episode is designed to support HR and People professionals who want to feel more confident, effective and in control of their time at work.


    Chapters

    [00:00] Do you get interrupted at work?

    [00:16] Interruptions – a big time management problem

    [00:55] Why HR gets pulled in

    [01:35] Episode goal and boundaries

    [01:56] Welcome and host intro

    [02:33] Four tips overview

    [03:00] Tip one: open door hours

    [03:35] Scripts and signage

    [04:06] Red sign boundary lesson

    [05:07] Tip two: company focus time

    [06:15] Deep work explained

    [07:11] No meeting Wednesday example

    [07:28] Tip three: working meetings

    [10:21] Tip four: block a deep work day

    [12:26] Recap and next steps


    Useful Links from This Episode:

    Connect with Fay on LinkedIn

    Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner

    Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme

    Take Fay’s free HR Leadership Impact Assessment.


    Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next
    • Ep 7:What to Do When You Don’t Have Enough Hours in the Day
    • Ep 45:6 Ways to Stop Procrastinating & Find Time for Important Projects at Work
    • Ep 52:Two Ideas to Help You Bounce Back From a Tough Day at Work
    • Ep 67:How to Get on Top of Email Overwhelm When You’re in a Busy HR Role
    • Ep 138:Can’t Find Time for Strategic Work in HR? 5 Tips to Help


    Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!

    Sign up for the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified each time a new episode is released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Kara Connect - Help When It's Needed Most

    Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they didn't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.

    Kara Connect
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
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These bite size chunks are brilliant to listen to, will help me develop my HR career and give me the confidence to push forwards !

Invaluable career advice!

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I’m in the process of leaving the RAF after 26 years and venturing into a new (to me) world of HR/People & Culture. I was recommended Fay Wallis’s epic podcast and 6 episodes in and I’m hooked. Incredibly informative and articulated to perfection, what I’m learning will hopefully be expertly used in future job interviews. Thank you Fay, now on to the other 100+ episodes.

Understanding the Jargon of a New World

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