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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
  • 180 | (Day 5) The Strategic HR Sprint – Making Strategic Work a Priority

    180 | (Day 5) The Strategic HR Sprint – Making Strategic Work a Priority
    Jul 17 2026

    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 final episode, Fay explores how to create and protect time for strategic work, even when your diary is full and urgent tasks keep competing for your attention.

    You’ll use the Day 5 worksheet to design your ideal strategic week by considering when you think most clearly, where you can focus and what you could delegate, automate, shorten or stop to create more space.

    You’ll also think about the boundaries and accountability that could help you protect your strategic time and follow through on the work you’ve started during the sprint.

    By the end of the episode, you’ll have a realistic plan for making strategic work a regular priority.


    In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
    • How to choose and protect time for strategic work
    • Why your energy levels and working environment matter
    • Practical ways to create more space in your working week
    • How boundaries and accountability can help you follow through
    • How to use AI as a thinking partner and accountability coach

    Chapters

    [00:00] Welcome to Day 5 of The Strategic HR Sprint

    [00:48] Why strategic work gets pushed aside

    [01:39] Making deliberate space for strategic work

    [02:18] Designing your ideal strategic week

    [02:40] Working with your energy levels

    [03:11] Choosing the right environment

    [03:31] Creating more space in your diary

    [04:03] Protecting your focus and staying accountable

    [04:46] The Essential HR Planner

    [05:42] Using AI as a thinking partner and accountability coach

    [06:29] One final thought about strategy

    [07:31] Sharing your experience of the sprint

    [07:54] What happens next on HR Coffee Time


    Useful Links
    • Join the free Strategic HR Sprint:https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint/
    • Connect with Fay Wallis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faywallis/
    • The Essential HR Planner:https://essentialhrplanner.co.uk/
    • Learn about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme:https://brightskyhr.co.uk/hr-leadership-course/


    Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next
    • Ep 174 | Free 5-Day Strategic HR Sprint (Struggling to Be Strategic? This Will Help)
    • Ep 176 | (Day 1) The Strategic HR Sprint - Building Your Strategic Confidence
    • Ep 177 | (Day 2) The Strategic HR Sprint - Seeing the Bigger Picture
    • Ep 178 | (Day 3) The Strategic HR Sprint - Finding Your Strategic Focus
    • Ep 179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint - Look Beneath the Surface

    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
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    10 mins
  • 179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint – Deepening Your Strategic Thinking

    179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint – Deepening Your Strategic Thinking
    Jul 16 2026
    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/sprintOne of the most important parts of being strategic is taking the time to understand what is really driving a challenge before deciding how to respond.It is easy to assume that the answer is training, a new policy, more people or better pay. But if you have not explored what is really causing the challenge, you could invest time and energy in an idea that only treats the symptoms.Getting to the root cause helps you make better decisions about where HR can have the greatest impact and identify actions that are more likely to create lasting improvements.In this episode, you’ll learn how to stay curious for longer and use a simple technique called the Five Whys to explore the challenge you identified during Day 3.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why understanding the root cause is an important part of being strategicHow to use the Five Whys techniqueHow to avoid treating a symptom instead of the underlying causeWhy involving people who are close to the challenge can lead to better insightsHow to ask “why” without sounding critical or pushyYour Day 4 ActivityToday’s worksheet will help you explore the challenge you chose during Day 3 and identify what may be causing it.You’ll work through the Five Whys, think about where HR could have the biggest influence and note down your first ideas for how the challenge could be addressed.You might also find it helpful to talk the challenge through with someone who sees or experiences it day to day, as they may notice things that are easy to miss from your perspective.Once you have completed the worksheet, you can also use the optional AI prompt to suggest practical HR and People initiatives, including quick wins and longer-term ideas.Before using the prompt, remember to remove or change anything that could identify your organisation or the people involved.Access all the sprint resources here:https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprintChapters[00:00] – Welcome to Day 4 of The Strategic HR Sprint[01:09] – A recap of the sprint so far[01:42] – Why we jump straight to solutions[02:41] – Staying curious for longer[03:03] – How the Five Whys works[03:37] – Finding the right starting point[04:45] – The employee turnover example[06:10] – Your Day 4 worksheet[07:18] – Involving other people[07:43] – How to ask “why” without sounding critical[08:51] – Using the optional AI prompt[09:34] – Protecting confidential information[10:42] – What to expect from Day 5Useful LinksJoin the free Strategic HR Sprint:https://brightskyhr.co.uk/sprint/Connect with Fay Wallis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faywallis/The Essential HR Planner:https://essentialhrplanner.co.uk/Learn about the Inspiring HR Leadership Programme:https://brightskyhr.co.uk/hr-leadership-course/Helpful Episodes to Listen to NextEp 174 | Free 5-Day Strategic HR Sprint (Struggling to Be Strategic? This Will Help)Ep 176 | (Day 1) The Strategic HR Sprint - Building Your Strategic ConfidenceEp 177 | (Day 2) The Strategic HR Sprint - Seeing the Bigger PictureEp 178 | (Day 3) The Strategic HR Sprint - Finding Your Strategic FocusEp 179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint - Look Beneath the SurfaceEnjoyed 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 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
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    13 mins
  • 178 | (Day 3) The Strategic HR Sprint – Finding Your Strategic Focus

    178 | (Day 3) The Strategic HR Sprint – Finding Your Strategic Focus
    Jul 15 2026
    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/sprintIn today’s episode, you’ll identify one important challenge to focus on for the rest of the sprint.Drawing on an insight from Richard Rumelt’s book Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, Fay explains why good strategy isn’t a long list of everything an organisation could do. It requires focus: understanding the challenges being faced and directing time and energy towards the ones that matter most.You’ll explore different ways to identify a worthwhile challenge, whether that means looking at your organisation’s strategy, reflecting on what you discovered about the external environment during Day 2, reviewing HR data or noticing the frustrations that repeatedly arise in conversations with managers and employees.Your chosen challenge doesn’t have to affect the entire organisation. If you’re earlier in your HR career, it could be something closer to your own role that you can influence. What matters is choosing an area where you have the opportunity to make a positive difference.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why being strategic includes deciding what not to focus onHow to identify the challenges behind your organisation’s strategic prioritiesWhere to look for ideas if your organisation doesn’t have a clear or up-to-date strategyHow external trends, HR data and recurring workplace frustrations can highlight important challengesThe question that can help you decide which challenge to prioritiseWhy there isn’t an optional AI prompt for today’s activityChapters[00:00] Welcome to Day 3 of The Strategic HR Sprint[01:09] Recapping Days 1 and 2[01:30] What good strategy looks like in practice[02:52] Identifying one challenge worth focusing on[03:42] Using your organisation’s strategy[04:43] What to do if the strategy isn’t helpful[05:14] Learning from data and recurring frustrations[05:34] Choosing the challenge with the greatest potential impact[06:15] Why today’s activity doesn’t include an AI prompt[06:38] Share how you’re getting onResources MentionedJoin The Strategic HR Sprint for free: brightskyhr.co.uk/sprintGood Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard RumeltUseful LinksJoin the free Strategic HR SprintConnect with Fay Wallis on LinkedInThe Essential HR PlannerLearn about the Inspiring HR Leadership ProgrammeHelpful Episodes to Listen to NextEp 174 | Free 5-Day Strategic HR Sprint (Struggling to Be Strategic? This Will Help)Ep 176 | (Day 1) The Strategic HR Sprint - Building Your Strategic ConfidenceEp 177 | (Day 2) The Strategic HR Sprint - Seeing the Bigger PictureEp 179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint - Look Beneath the SurfaceEnjoyed 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.If you’re taking part in The Strategic HR Sprint, Fay would love to hear how you’re getting on. Leave a comment underneath the YouTube video, share your progress on LinkedIn and tag Fay, or reply to one of your daily sprint emails.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
    9 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.

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