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The Joy of being a Generalist (and specialist) with Katie Elliott
Episode 626th September 2025 • Psychologically Speaking with Leila Ainge • Decibelle Creative
00:00:00 00:48:39

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Wow, There's a big debate around being a generalist vs niching down, but this conversation with Katie proves that it takes specialist knowledge about specific industries and types of organisations to be a generalist in HR. I loved this chat so much.

Katie Elliott is a CIPD qualified HR consultant and the founder of HR Katie. She has spent more than a decade working in HR, starting in recruitment before moving into a generalist role where she gained experience in every aspect of people management, from onboarding and supporting managers with complex issues to leading projects for senior teams.

In 2021, Katie set up her own consultancy after realising her passion for working with start-ups and small businesses. Through HR Katie, she now helps founders and business owners feel confident about their responsibilities as employers and create workplaces where people are happy, supported and able to thrive.

Katie’s approach is hands on and human, with a focus on values led culture and practical HR that makes sense in the real world.

For more information, head to www.leilaainge.co.uk or https://www.hrkatie.co.uk/

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So bear with me whilst I think about what I'm trying to say as I'm saying it.

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But there's an article in the Times talking about, wait for it, AI as employees.

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I know, it's the thing that like everybody's scared about.

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Basically AI that can just get on and handle tasks on their own.

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It sounds a bit like something out of an iRobot movie, but here's the thing.

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These things are gonna start drippin' down.

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become more affordable in small businesses and all businesses.

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it's a fact that AI is probably already helping quite a lot of people, some admin, even

some HR guys.

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So my take is that AI is a fantastic tool.

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As an IT person that I really respect told me, it is an efficient tool, but it's never

gonna take away the human interaction and that human-led approach.

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So I think it's an interesting debate to be having around is it a step too far or is it

just the natural question of where everything's going at the moment?

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Anyway, those are my thoughts.

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I'd love to hear yours.

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So this is a different kind of reel for me.

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So bear with me whilst...

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