Working Joyfully and Living Fully with Dr. Tiffany Slater

Episode Summary

In this episode, Phil is joined by Dr. Tiffany Slater, a seasoned Human Resources professional and the CEO of HR TaylorMade. Tiffany is passionate about helping small business owners create HR systems and policies that support the whole company, driven by her philosophy: "Work Joyfully, Live Fully".

The conversation begins, as always, with the "innocuous question." Tiffany shares her love for cooking breakfast for her family—specifically pancakes, eggs, and a special "monkey bread" biscuit dish—which sets the stage for a discussion on family, connection, and joy.

Tiffany then opens up about her personal journey from a miserable corporate existence to entrepreneurship. She shares a vulnerable story about how health scares and a spiritual calling pushed her to leave a job where she was unhappy, eventually leading her to build a business that allows her to live her life to the fullest .

Phil and Tiffany dig deep into the practicalities of creating a joyful workplace. They discuss why HR policies shouldn't read like a "prison handbook," but instead should be clear, kind, and effective. They also explore the vital distinction between being "nice" (surface level) versus being "kind" (compassionate candor), and why frequent feedback is essential because, as Tiffany jokingly puts it, "people suck and it's our fault" when leaders fail to set clear expectations.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The Innocuous Question: Why breakfast is the meal that brings Tiffany’s family together

• The Pivot: How Tiffany moved from professional misery to joyful entrepreneurship through faith and resilience

• Overcoming Fear: The importance of cataloguing past successes to get through the scary moments of running a business.

• Joyful HR: Creating employee policies that are punitive only when necessary, but supportive and flexible by design

• Feedback Loops: Why annual reviews aren't enough and the need for quarterly touchpoints.

• Nice vs. Kind: Understanding why clear, direct feedback is kinder than polite ambiguity.

• The Three Big Questions:

  • What impact do you want to make?

  • How do you want to improve the lives of others?

  • What do you want your story to be?

Guest Bio

Dr. Tiffany Slater is a human resources professional with over 20 years of experience. She is the CEO of HR TaylorMade, where she focuses on inspiring others to reach their highest level of achievement. Tiffany is known for having real conversations about success, failure, and the joy of a well-lived life.

Connect with Dr. Tiffany Slater:

• Website: Fractional Human Resources Built For You

• Email: support@hrtaylormade.com

Introduction:

In this episode, we are joined by Molly Whiteside, a psychology student at Nottingham Trent University, to discuss her recent research report, "Am I Being Served?" which explores emotional exploitation in the hospitality industry. With lived experience in the field, Molly delves into the prevalence of economic and verbal exploitation, unsafe working conditions, and the lack of psychological safety faced by young employees.

We explore the surprising and often shocking findings from her research, which combines quantitative and qualitative data to paint a vivid picture of the challenges faced by 16-25 year olds in the workplace. From unfair pay and a lack of job security to the gendered nature of harassment, this episode uncovers the root causes of these issues and offers practical advice for young people, managers, and the industry as a whole.

Show Notes:

• Welcome and an Unexpected Question (00:09 - 05:25): We welcome Molly Whiteside to the podcast and kick things off with our signature unexpected question: "What kind of person makes a good seat companion on an aeroplane?".
• The Motivation Behind the Research (05:26 - 07:50): Molly explains what prompted her to research emotional exploitation in the hospitality industry, drawing from her personal experiences and observations of a lack of psychological safety in the workplace.
• Surprising Findings and Statistics (07:51 - 12:01): We dive into the most surprising findings from Molly's research, including the high prevalence of exploitation, with around 70% of people having experienced some form of it. We also discuss the demographic focus of the survey, which was on 16 to 25-year-olds.
• Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data (12:02 - 16:25): Molly breaks down the differences between what the numbers and the stories revealed. While quantitative data showed middle-of-the-road satisfaction with treatment, the qualitative data uncovered a wealth of personal experiences, particularly highlighting the different types of exploitation faced by women compared to men.
• Job Security, Pay, and Communication (16:26 - 19:56): We explore the statistics around job security, with 35% of participants feeling confident they wouldn't be unfairly dismissed, but 10% feeling the complete opposite. Molly also touches on the disconnect between employees feeling comfortable talking to colleagues but not managers.
• Recommendations for a Better Workplace (19:57 - 23:43): Molly offers actionable recommendations for young people, managers, and the hospitality industry as a whole. For young people, it's about education and knowing your rights. For employers, it's about creating psychological safety and not letting biases control employee treatment. For the industry, it's a call for more robust policies and training, especially in smaller businesses.
• What's Next for Molly? (23:44 - 26:12): Molly shares her exciting future plans, including her role in the "Women in Business" society, becoming a "Consent is Everything" workshop facilitator, and starting her own podcast aimed at students.
• Wrapping Up (26:13 - 28:00): We thank Molly for her invaluable contributions to the podcast and her work with us.

Resources:

• Read the full research report, "Am I Being Served?": https://emotionatwork.co.uk/behind-the-smile-the-hidden-cost-of-hospitality-for-young-workers/

Contact Us:

If you're looking to create a more psychologically safe and emotionally intelligent workplace, get in touch with us at hello@emotionatwork.co.uk.

You can also connect with Molly here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollywhiteside/

Long time listeners may well know Phil has a penchant for poetry and the episodes guest leads with it in the work they do. Creator of the Poetry in Business conference and seizing a gap in the market to create the conference she would want to go to, Kate Jenkinson is the guest for this podcast episode. With over 25 years’ experience as an HR director and a lifelong passion for development, Kate brings a unique perspective on how poetry can transform the workplace.

The conversation begins with an evocative opening about sunsets, leading into Kate’s reflections on poetry as a form of creative recovery from the efficiency-driven world of corporate life. She shares her journey of weaving poetry into business, the resistance she’s faced, and the communities she’s built along the way.

Together, Phil and Kate explore the emotional power of poetry, its role in meaning-making, and its potential to unlock creativity, connection, and wellbeing at work. Kate also shares her pride in a deeply personal collaboration with her daughter, her vision for the future of business poets, and practical steps for listeners to “find their poetry.”

The episode closes with Kate performing her poem Hope, a moving reminder of poetry’s ability to inspire resilience and renewal.

🌅 Opening and Poetic Beginnings (00:09 – 06:30)

• Light-hearted opening question: Kate shares her love of sunsets and their colours as a poetic metaphor for hope
• Reads a snippet of her poem Hope, written during the pandemic to inspire resilience
• Agreement to close the episode with the full poem

🖋️ Poetry as Creative Recovery (06:31 – 15:30)

• Kate describes poetry as her way of processing workplace emotions and staying well
• Poetry offered her a counterbalance to efficiency-driven corporate environments
• Neurodiversity and sensitivity shaped her creative needs and love of wordplay
• Founding the Poetry in Business conference as the event she wished existed

💡 Emotion, Resistance and Transformation (15:31 – 26:30)

• Poetry as a vessel for the full range of human emotions
• Resistance from business leaders: “my FD wouldn’t sign off an invoice with poetry on it”
• Kate’s shift from anger to curiosity when facing scepticism
• Poetry as transformational: able to shift a disengaged room into connection

🎶 Meaning-Making and Everyday Poetry (26:31 – 39:00)

• Humans as “meaning-making machines” — poetry as a natural extension of this
• Links between poetry, music, and lyrics: “if you like music, you already like poetry”
• The risk that rejecting poetry means rejecting part of our brain’s creative wiring
• Finding fulfilment at work by discovering “your poetry”

👩‍👧 Personal Pride and Creative Legacy (39:01 – 33:30)

• Kate’s proudest collaboration: a published mother–daughter project combining her poetry with her daughter’s art during recovery from an eating disorder
• Her daughter’s journey to becoming a tattoo artist, inspired by embracing creativity as a career path
• Kate’s own decision to leave corporate HR to focus on development and happiness

📚 Practical Ways to Find Your Poetry (34:31 – 42:30)

• Visit your local library and explore modern poetry anthologies (e.g. Bloodaxe Books)
• Attend open mic nights or poetry slams for spoken word experiences
• Notice moments of flow in your own life and capture them in words
• Explore the Poetry in Business conference as a condensed toolkit for discovery

🌍 The Future of Business Poets (42:31 – 47:00)

• Kate’s vision: establishing the Association of Business Poets
• Normalising poetry in business events alongside photographers and speakers
• Poetry as a tool for neuro-inclusion and emotional engagement

🌟 Closing Reflections and Performance (47:01 – end)

• Kate reflects on the surprises of resistance to poetry in business
• Shares her belief that “words create worlds” — language shapes workplace culture
• Performs her full poem Hope, closing the episode on a powerful note of resilience and renewal

🔗 Find out more about Kate Jenkinson

• Poetry in Business Conference (14th November 2025, virtual)
• Kate's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/katejenkinsonnextstephr/
• Clare Morgan – Author, Academic, Literary Consultant
• Poetry Pharmacy – The Poetry Pharmacy