The Plumm Pod
The Plumm Pod
Podcast Description
Welcome to The Plumm Pod – your gateway to HR and workplace wellbeing.
Join thought-provoking conversations with HR leaders, recruiters, and industry experts as we explore trends in talent acquisition, employee engagement, and the future of work. From tackling challenges to sharing success stories, The Plumm Pod delivers fresh insights, actionable strategies, and a behind-the-scenes look at HR and wellbeing.
Whether you're an HR pro, recruiter, or passionate about better workplaces, there’s something here for you.
Tune in and discover what makes work, work.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on vital topics such as mental health strategies, workplace culture, leadership roles, and the future of HR. Episode examples include discussions like burnout tactics with Kirsty Birch, building intentional cultures with Natalie Pearce, and the importance of genuine relationships in HR. Specific focus areas include navigating post-pandemic work dynamics, fostering supportive environments, and leveraging technology for employee engagement.
🎧 Hit play and take something practical with you.
Here’s what you can expect:
– Real talk on workplace wellbeing and HR
– Practical advice for how to navigate the HR space
– Lessons from HR professionals and who’ve seen it all
– Honest stories about what it’s really like behind the scenes at work
New here? Meet Plumm.
We’re an all-in-one HR and wellbeing platform built to help teams thrive. From payroll and learning tools to mental health support and our AI assistant, Emma, we help HR teams take care of people and processes, without the usual hassle.
Explore more at www.heyplum
HR isn’t protecting people. It’s protecting companies. But what if that’s the problem?
In this raw and eye-opening conversation, Georgia from Access HR sits down with Shane Mays, startup veteran and ER (employee relations) specialist for a brutally honest deep-dive into the real purpose of HR, why it’s broken, and how we can rebuild it from the inside out.
From his beginnings as a software engineer to leading people teams at fast-scaling startups, Shane brings a human-first perspective to the most misunderstood function in business today.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why HR still feels like the company’s bodyguard and how to change it
The hidden cost of treating ER as a legal process
How to scale employee relations without burning out
The power of playbooks, trust, and co-creation in leadership
If you’ve ever felt stuck between doing what’s “compliant” and doing what’s right, this episode will shift your thinking, for good.
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe and share with someone who needs to hear this.
Chapters
00:00:00 – HR Is Not Here to Protect You
00:01:16 – Meet Shane: From Engineering to HR
00:03:04 – Why He Stayed in People Ops
00:04:36 – What Employee Relations Really Means
00:07:13 – Social Media, Fear & Legal Influence
00:09:17 – Why ER Needs a Human-First Lens
00:11:39 – A Manager’s Mistake: Process Before People
00:16:03 – Building a Legal Wall vs. Human Bridge
00:19:12 – Why Leaders Need a Compass, Not a Policy
00:22:18 – Make Playbooks Public. Remove the Ambush.
00:23:35 – How ER Changes as You Scale
00:25:06 – Teach People How to Eat
00:27:09 – Co-Create Your ER Strategy
00:28:59 – Flexing Your ER Muscle Without the Cases
00:30:34 – You Don’t Need a Pocket Lawyer
00:33:16 – You’ll Never Have All the Answers—And That’s Okay
00:34:26 – The One Thing Shane Would Tell His Younger Self
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.