The Practical People Manager with Anna Thomas

The Practical People Manager is the podcast for line managers, HR professionals, and business leaders who want to manage people well, with more confidence and less jargon.Hosted by HR Expert, Anna Thomas, each episode brings real conversations with experts and practitioners covering the topics that matter most at work, from mental health and neurodiversity to menopause and beyond.This is practical, people-first leadership. No fluff. Just honest conversations to help you listen better, lead with confidence, and support the people around you.

The Practical People Manager with Anna Thomas is a business podcast hosted by Anna Thomas, with 9 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Anna Thomas hosts The Practical People Manager with Anna Thomas, a business show with 9 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #10

  Workplace Mediation: What It Is, When to Use It, and How Managers Can Resolve Conflict Earlier (Part 2 with Pete Colby)

  Aug 18, 202642 minS1

  Most managers have heard of mediation. Far fewer understand what it actually is or how to use it. In part two of her conversation with Pete Colby, founder of Pragmatism, Anna gets into the heart of it: what mediation really means, why it is fundamentally different from a grievance process, and how managers can use the same principles informally before conflict has a chance to escalate. Pete draws a clear distinction between mediation and grievance. A grievance looks backwards, trying to prove what happened and who was at fault. Mediation looks forward, helping people understand each other and agree on how things could be different. As Pete puts it, the question is never who said what two weeks ago. It is how do we want this to work going forward. Anna and Pete explore what it takes for a manager to stay genuinely neutral when they know both parties involved, and why that is one of the hardest skills to develop. Pete shares a remarkable story from his own mediation experience involving a doctor, a dress, and a disciplinary process that could have been avoided entirely if someone had simply asked the right question earlier. The lesson is the same one that runs through every episode: honest, curious conversations prevent most of the situations that end up becoming formal. They also get into the growing phenomenon of AI-generated grievances, some running to hundreds of pages, and why Pete's advice is not to panic about the document but to focus on the conversation underneath it. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Pete. Part three looks at how managers can spot escalating conflict earlier and what organisations can do to build a healthier culture around disagreement. Find out more about Pete's work at https://pragmatism-uk.co.uk Connect with Anna Got a question or a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Anna would love to hear from you. Find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, or visit The People Expert to find out more about her work supporting line managers and HR professionals. LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr⁠ Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/practicalmanager⁠ TikTok: ⁠tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager⁠ The People Expert: ⁠https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk⁠

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  Episode #9

  Mental Health at Work: How to Build a Proactive Wellbeing Culture (Part 2 with Yohan McDonald)

  Aug 11, 202636 minS1

  Most organisations think they are doing enough on mental health. They have an employee assistance programme, a cohort of trained mental health first aiders, and maybe a policy. In part two of her conversation with Yohan Macdonald, founder of Great Minds Training, Anna explores why that reactive approach is leaving huge gaps, and what a genuinely proactive wellbeing culture actually looks like. Yohan introduces The Bridge, his six-step consultancy programme, walking through how organisations can move from firefighting to strategy. It starts with a business audit, using existing HR data, absence figures, engagement scores, and exit interviews, to understand where the gaps really are. From there it builds through infrastructure, training delivery, and ongoing measurement, because as Yohan points out, if you cannot measure it, you cannot prove it is working. The conversation gets into the numbers. Research from Deloitte puts the average cost of poor mental health per employee at £1,230 a year, while a well-embedded proactive approach can return £6.30 for every pound invested. For senior leaders who need a business case, this episode provides one. Anna and Yohan also tackle psychological safety in male-dominated industries, where Yohan draws on two years delivering training almost exclusively in construction, the sector with the highest suicide rates in the UK. His experience runs counter to expectation: given the right environment and permission to speak, men do open up. The key is creating the conditions, not waiting for the moment. The episode closes on an important and often overlooked issue: the manager who cares too much. Yohan is clear on the need for boundaries, what a line manager's role actually is, where it ends, and why blurring those lines puts both the manager and the individual at risk. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Yohan. Part three looks at the role HR and people teams play in supporting line managers, and why people management is a skill that can always be developed. Find out more about Yohan's work at https://greatminds.training Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

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  Episode #8

  The Real Risks for Managers Who Don't Understand Neurodiversity (Part 2)

  Aug 4, 202623 minS1

  What happens when a manager refuses to engage with neurodiversity training, dismisses reasonable adjustments, or simply never asks how they can help? In part two of her conversation with Ellie Kay, ADHD and AuDHD coach and neurodiversity specialist, Anna explores the real consequences for individuals, businesses, and the managers themselves. Ellie breaks down the three types of ADHD, hyperactive, inattentive, and combined, and explains what AuDHD looks like in practice when both ADHD and autism are present in the same person. Drawing on her own marriage as a vivid example, she brings to life just how differently these two brain types experience the world, and why that matters enormously in a workplace setting. The conversation gets practical around communication. Ellie explains why understanding how someone prefers to receive information, verbally, visually, or in writing, can be the difference between a team member thriving or shutting down entirely. She also introduces the concept of rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and why what might feel like a minor off-hand comment to a manager can feel like a physical blow to someone with ADHD, with consequences that can derail an entire working day. There is a clear message for managers here: getting this wrong is not just a people issue, it is a legal one. Failing to make reasonable adjustments, not having the conversations, and managing neurodivergent employees as though they are simply underperforming can and does lead to tribunal claims. But Ellie's overriding point is a hopeful one. You do not need all the answers. You just need to be curious, flexible, and willing to ask what would help. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Ellie. Part three explores ADHD and workplace conflict, co-coaching, flexible working, and sensory needs. Find out more about Ellie's work at https://www.elliekay.co.uk Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

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  Episode #7

  Absence Management: What Line Managers Need to Know to Get It Right (Part 2)

  Jul 29, 202633 minS1

  Absence management is one of the areas managers find most uncomfortable, and most get wrong. In part two of her conversation with Nic Elliott, Director and Head of Employment Law at Actons Solicitors and a Legal 500-recognised employment law specialist, Anna gets into the practical detail of how organisations should be handling both short-term and long-term absence. Nic makes a strong case for return to work conversations as one of the most underused tools a manager has. Not a form to be filled in before the employee arrives, but a genuine check-in that can surface underlying issues before they escalate. He also explains why getting occupational health involved at the right time, and asking the right questions in that referral, makes a significant difference to the outcome, legally and practically. The episode covers long-term absence in detail, including when to make contact, how to keep someone connected to the workplace without it feeling oppressive, and the risks that come with group income protection policies. Nic shares a story that is as extraordinary as it is cautionary: an employee who was forgotten about for nineteen years, and the very particular problem that created. Anna and Nic also tackle intermittent absence, dependants leave, and the question managers always ask about reasonable adjustments: what does reasonable actually mean? Nic brings a refreshingly common sense approach to a genuinely complex area, including a memorable example of a bank cashier who requested to work from home. Throughout, the message is consistent: good records, early conversations, and the right medical advice will protect both the individual and the business. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Nic Elliott. Part three moves into some of the more sensitive areas managers may face, including protected characteristics, menopause, and documentation. Find out more about Nic's work at actons.co.uk Connect with Anna: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr Instagram: instagram.com/practicalmanager TikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanager The People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

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  Episode #6

  Menopause at Work: How Line Managers Can Support Their Team and Start the Conversation (Part 2)

  Jul 21, 202634 minS1

  In part two of her conversation with Angela Wilkins-Green, Anna moves from awareness into action, exploring what line managers and HR professionals can actually do when someone in their team is struggling with perimenopause or menopause symptoms. Angela explains what signs a manager might notice, and why the quality of your relationship with your team will determine whether you ever get the chance to help at all. The conversation is clear on one thing: you do not need to ask anyone if they are perimenopausal. You just need to notice, and ask if they are okay. Anna shares a real example of a manager who did everything right in terms of spotting a change in performance, but whose instinct to reach for a risk assessment left his team member feeling exposed and regretful that she had said anything. Angela unpacks why that response, however well intentioned, can shut conversations down entirely, and what a better approach looks like in practice. They cover the range of reasonable adjustments organisations can make, from a desk fan to a later start time, and why these need to be individual conversations rather than a standard checklist. Angela also introduces her one-to-one menopause audit, a structured session she runs inside organisations to help women understand their own symptoms and come away with a personal action plan. The episode takes a broader turn as Anna and Angela discuss cultural differences in how menopause is experienced and spoken about, why men need this education just as much as women, and how mandatory awareness sessions can shift the culture in even the most resistant organisations. Angela shares the story of a male CEO who not only attended a session but led the conversation, and why moments like that change everything. This is part two of a three-part conversation with Angela Wilkins-Green. Part three continues the discussion around coaching, confidence, and what life looks like on the other side of perimenopause. Find out more about Angela's work at https://www.greenpathcoaching.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hrInstagram: instagram.com/practicalmanagerTikTok: tiktok.com/@practicalpeoplemanagerThe People Expert: https://www.thepeopleexpert.co.uk

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