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  • 186 | How Integrating Practical HR Training into Manager Development Helped Managers Succeed (with Amy Critchley)

    186 | How Integrating Practical HR Training into Manager Development Helped Managers Succeed (with Amy Critchley)
    2026/09/29
    Managers are expected to handle everything from one-to-ones and development conversations to absence, performance issues and disciplinaries. Yet many step into management without having been properly taught how to deal with these responsibilities. For HR and People professionals, finding a way to build managers’ knowledge and confidence without overwhelming them can be a real challenge.In this special bonus episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay Wallis is joined by Amy Critchley, Head of People at Indigo Networks. Amy explains how she created a management development programme from scratch after joining an organisation that had not previously had a dedicated HR or People team.Amy shares practical ideas for combining essential HR knowledge with wider management development, making potentially dry subjects more engaging and helping learning stick. She also explains how the programme strengthened relationships between managers and changed the way they worked with the People team.What You’ll Learn How to decide which topics to prioritise when creating a management development programmeWhy combining practical HR knowledge with wider management skills can make training more effectiveIdeas for making subjects such as absence, investigations, disciplinaries and employment law more engagingHow to accommodate different learning preferences without relying on lengthy presentations or uncomfortable role playWays to support learning beyond the workshop through e-learning, workbooks, drop-in clinics and People Partnering sessionsHow real-life scenarios, discussion and peer learning can build managers’ confidenceSigns that manager training is working, including stronger peer relationships and a more positive relationship with the People teamChapters [00:00] Introduction: Why managers matter[01:14] The challenge of developing managers[02:02] The Workforce Success Stories Summit[02:49] Meet Amy Critchley: building a management development programme[04:11] How Amy identified the need for manager training[05:47] Deciding on the training content[08:28] Combining HR knowledge with management development[09:50] Designing engaging, brain-friendly training[13:27] Wraparound support: e-learning and drop-in clinics[15:28] From drop-in clinics to people partnering[17:46] Measuring success: executive buy-in and manager engagement[20:18] Changing the perception of HR[24:16] Making learning stick: worst-case scenarios and one-to-ones[29:06] How the programme changed HR's perception in the business[32:43] Book recommendation and wrap-upUseful Links and Resources Learn more about the Workforce Success Stories SummitConnect with Fay Wallis on LinkedInLearn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership ProgrammeTreat yourself to a copy of The Essential HR PlannerBook Recommended in This Episode The Trainer’s Toolkit: Bringing Brain-Friendly Learning to Life, by Kimberly Herr and Larry ReynoldsAmy recommends this practical resource for ideas on keeping training real, recognising the different needs of people in the room, creating multisensory learning and managing the state of the group.Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next Episode 129: Five Essential Techniques to Become a Great Manager, with James RoseEpisode 118: 9 Tips to Unlock Training Success When You're a Busy HR ProfessionalEnjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One! Sign up for the free weekly HR Coffee Time email for useful HR resources, ideas and new episode updates to support you in your HR career.
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    36 分
  • 185 | Cancer at Work: How to Support Employees Through Diagnosis, Treatment and Beyond (with Tara Ferguson)

    185 | Cancer at Work: How to Support Employees Through Diagnosis, Treatment and Beyond (with Tara Ferguson)
    2026/09/25
    Cancer affects far more people in the workplace than many of us realise. As HR professionals, there may be times when you're supporting an employee with a cancer diagnosis, someone undergoing treatment, a colleague living with the long-term effects of cancer, or an employee who is caring for a loved one affected by it.Knowing that support matters is one thing. Feeling confident about what to say, what practical help to offer, and how to create the right support across your organisation is another.In this episode, Fay is joined by Tara Ferguson, Founder of Onward With You. Drawing on more than 20 years in senior HR roles and her own experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, Tara shares practical advice to help HR teams and managers better support people affected by cancer at work. Together, they explore the role good line management can play, the reality of living with cancer beyond active treatment, and the steps organisations can take to build greater cancer confidence.What You’ll Learn Why cancer should increasingly be considered a long-term condition rather than a short-term illnessThe scale of cancer's impact on today's workforce, including employees with caring responsibilitiesWhat Tara's line manager did that made such a positive difference during her diagnosis and treatmentWhy work can sometimes play an important role in someone's recovery and wellbeing during treatmentWhat HR professionals need to understand about legal protections and reasonable adjustmentsHow to approach the first conversation when someone shares a cancer diagnosis with youPractical steps organisations can take to improve awareness, support and manager capabilityChapters [0:00] Introduction: Cancer at Work[01:15] Meet Tara Ferguson[02:50] Tara's Story: From HR to Cancer Diagnosis[03:48] The Changing Face of Cancer in the Workplace[05:12] How Tara Is Now: The Ongoing Impact[08:07] Cancer in the Workplace: The Statistics[11:36] What Good Line Manager Support Looks Like[15:32] The Positive Role of Work During Treatment[17:13] Legal Protections & Reasonable Adjustments[19:05] Supporting Employees with Hidden Cancer Diagnoses[21:40] Having the First Conversation About Cancer[24:20] Organisation-Wide HR Strategies[27:26] Book Recommendation & Resources[29:27] How to Reach Tara[29:55] Key Takeaways & ClosingUseful Links and Resources Visit Tara's website:Onward With YouConnect with Tara Ferguson on LinkedInConnect with Fay Wallis on LinkedInLearn about Fay's Inspiring HR Leadership ProgrammeTreat yourself to a copy of The Essential HR PlannerBooks and Resources Recommended in This Episode The Leopard in My House, by Mark SteelTara also mentions a number of resources available through Onward With You, including:A guide covering 12 common questions HR professionals and line managers ask about supporting employees affected by cancerThe Cancer Confidence FrameworkThe Cancer Confidence HR MasterclassEnjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One! Sign up for the free weekly HR Coffee Time email for useful HR resources, ideas and new episode updates to support you in your HR career.
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    33 分
  • 184 | Two Great Decision-Making Techniques for When You’re Stuck Between Two Options

    184 | Two Great Decision-Making Techniques for When You’re Stuck Between Two Options
    2026/09/11

    Have you ever found yourself going round and round in circles trying to choose between two options?

    Perhaps you’re deciding whether to recruit externally or promote someone internally, introduce a new policy or stick with what you already have, invest in a new HR system or make the current one work, or even stay in your current role or apply for something new.

    Sometimes the problem isn’t that you haven’t thought hard enough about the two options. It’s that you’ve become so focused on them that you haven’t spotted another possibility.

    In this solo episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay shares a real decision she recently struggled with while planning the 2027 edition of The Essential HR Planner, and how an unexpected suggestion helped her realise she had fallen into a common decision-making trap called narrow framing.

    Drawing on ideas from Chip and Dan Heath’s brilliant book Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions, Fay explores two practical ways to widen your thinking and get unstuck when a decision feels like an either/or choice.

    In This Episode, You’ll Learn
    • What narrow framing is and how it can limit your decision-making
    • Why the options in front of you may not be the only options available
    • How to use theVanishing Options Testto uncover different possibilities
    • Why asking someone else for their perspective can help you see what you’re missing
    • The questions to ask other people so you don’t accidentally keep them trapped inside the same narrow frame
    • How Fay used these ideas to solve her dilemma about whether to bring back the wire-bound version of The Essential HR Planner

    Chapters

    [00:00] Introduction: Stuck Between Two Options

    [00:28] Common Either/Or Decisions at Work

    [01:22] The Book: Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath

    [02:43] Fay's Dilemma: The Essential HR Planner

    [04:27] Should the Wire-Bound Planner Return?

    [05:14] Asking for Feedback to Get Unstuck

    [06:20] Claire's Game-Changing Suggestion

    [07:53] Understanding Narrow Framing

    [09:53] The Vanishing Options Test

    [12:39] Getting Another Perspective

    [13:50] How to Ask Better Questions When Asking for Advice

    [14:44] Book Recommendations: Decisive, Made to Stick, and Switch

    [15:28] Pre-Order the Wire-Bound Planner

    [16:11] Closing Thanks and Sign-Off

    Books Recommended

    The book links below are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.

    • Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
    • Made to Stick: Why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
    • Switch: How to change things when change is hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

    The Essential HR Planner

    If you’re watching or listening to this episode close to its release date, you should now be able to pre-order the wire-bound 2027 edition of The Essential HR Planner.

    Visit essentialhrplanner.co.uk to find out more and pre-order your copy.

    Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!

    Sign up for 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.
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    17 分
  • 183 | What Is Employee Experience? How HR Can Actually Improve It

    183 | What Is Employee Experience? How HR Can Actually Improve It
    2026/08/28

    What exactly is employee experience? How is it different from workplace culture, employer brand or your employee value proposition? And what can you actually do to improve it?

    In this episode of HR Coffee Time, I’m joined by employee experience expert Chris Manning, People and Culture Portfolio Transformation Lead at Primark.

    Chris explains what employee experience really means and why it matters for organisations of every size. He shares practical ways to understand and measure the experience your employees are having, whether you work in a small organisation or a huge global business.

    We also explore how design thinking can help you move beyond simply listening to employees and start making meaningful improvements. Chris talks us through a practical onboarding example, showing how journey mapping can uncover friction, identify opportunities and help you design a better employee experience.

    And if you need to secure investment for your ideas, Chris shares practical advice on building the business case and getting the buy-in and budget you need.

    Whether employee experience is already part of your role, or it’s an area you’d like to learn more about, this episode is packed with practical ideas to help you get started.

    What You'll Learn
    • What employee experience actually means
    • How employee experience differs from workplace culture, employer brand and EVP
    • Why employee experience matters in smaller organisations as well as large global businesses
    • Practical ways to measure employee experience
    • How to gather useful feedback across the employee lifecycle
    • Why post-onboarding and offboarding can provide valuable insights
    • How employee data can help create more personalised employee experiences
    • How design thinking can help you improve employee experience
    • The five stages of design thinking: empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test
    • How to use journey mapping to improve an experience such as onboarding
    • How to build a compelling business case for employee experience improvements
    • How to combine qualitative and quantitative evidence to secure buy-in and budget

    Chapters

    [00:00] What is employee experience and why does it matter?

    [02:45] Meet Chris Manning

    [04:35] What employee experience really means

    [06:25] Employee experience vs workplace culture

    [07:10] Employee experience, employer brand and EVP

    [08:30] Why employee experience matters in smaller organisations too

    [10:40] How to measure employee experience

    [14:20] Using employee data to understand and personalise experiences

    [18:20] Moving from employee listening to employee experience design

    [19:40] Using journey mapping to improve onboarding

    [23:30] A free onboarding journey-mapping resource

    [25:25] What is design thinking?

    [26:50] The five stages of design thinking

    [29:45] How to get buy-in and budget for employee experience

    [33:30] Chris’s recommended resource

    [35:35] How to connect with Chris

    USEFUL LINKS
    • Connect with Fay Wallis on LinkedIn
    • Connect with Chris Manning on LinkedIn
    • Read Chris’s article about employee experience in The ELEVATE Hub magazine
    • Download Chris’s free employee experience journey-mapping resource: brightskyhr.co.uk/resources
    • Find out more about The Essential HR Planner
    • Learn more about Fay’s leadership programme – Inspiring HR Leadership

    Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!

    Sign up for 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.
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    37 分
  • 182 | HR Team Building: An Activity Every New HR Leader Should Try

    182 | HR Team Building: An Activity Every New HR Leader Should Try
    2026/08/14

    🎁 Download your free Personal User Manual template:

    https://brightskyhr.co.uk/resources

    Taking over the leadership of an HR team can come with a long list of things you want to improve, but one of the most valuable things you can do first is help your team build trust, understand each other and work well together.

    In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay shares one of her favourite team-building activities: creating and sharing Personal User Manuals.

    Personal User Manuals give everyone an opportunity to explain how they work best, the strengths they bring, what helps them thrive and what their colleagues should know about them.

    They can make some of the information that is usually invisible within a team much more visible, helping people understand each other’s preferences, avoid misunderstandings and make better use of the strengths and experience already within the team.

    Fay talks you through how to run the activity, from deciding what to include in your Personal User Manuals to facilitating the sharing session and turning what you learn into practical changes in how you work together.

    In this episode, you’ll discover:
    • Why investing in relationships can create a stronger foundation when you take over an HR team
    • How Personal User Manuals can help your team understand each other’s strengths, preferences and ways of working
    • How the activity can help you start building greater psychological safety
    • Ideas for useful categories to include in your Personal User Manuals
    • Why it’s helpful to ask your team what they think everyone should include
    • How to create the right environment for people to share what they’ve written
    • Why you, as the leader, should share your Personal User Manual first
    • Questions you can use to encourage positive reflections after each person has shared
    • How to turn what you learn into practical improvements to the way your team works
    • How to keep the learning alive after the activity

    Chapters

    [00:00] Why relationships matter when you take over an HR team

    [01:20] What is a Personal User Manual?

    [02:50] Why Personal User Manuals can be so useful

    [04:55] What to include in your Personal User Manuals

    [06:50] Involving your team in choosing the categories

    [07:50] How to run the sharing session

    [08:50] Why the leader should go first

    [09:30] Encouraging positive comments and reflections

    [10:40] What have you learned about yourselves as a team?

    [11:35] Keeping the learning alive

    [12:35] Download the free Personal User Manual template

    Useful Links
    • Download your free Personal User Manual template:https://brightskyhr.co.uk/resources
    • 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/

    Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!

    Sign up for 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.
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    14 分
  • 181 | HR in the AI Era – The 5 Foundations Every HR Leader Needs (with Charlotte Goulding)

    181 | HR in the AI Era – The 5 Foundations Every HR Leader Needs (with Charlotte Goulding)
    2026/07/31
    HR professionals have a huge opportunity to shape how, why and when AI is used across their organisations.Because AI is not only changing technology. It is changing jobs, skills, teams, management and the way work gets done. And HR is uniquely placed to make sure those changes work for both the organisation and its people.In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay is joined by People Consultant Charlotte Goulding to explore how HR professionals can help shape successful AI adoption across their organisations.Charlotte explains why HR should not wait to be invited into conversations about AI and shares how her Five People Foundations Framework can help organisations put the right people foundations in place as work changes.Together, Fay and Charlotte explore what each of these foundations means in practice, including why traditional job descriptions may no longer be enough, why managers will become even more important and how performance, recognition and HR operations may need to evolve.Charlotte also explains how HR can help organisations make thoughtful decisions about AI while keeping people, trust and culture at the heart of them.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why HR shouldn't wait to be invited into conversations about AIThe difference between “AI for HR” and “HR for AI”How the Five People Foundations work togetherWhy skills and capabilities could become more useful than job descriptionsHow managers can support people through AI-related changeHow performance, recognition and HR operations may need to adaptChapters[0:00] Introduction: Why HR must lead AI adoption[2:01] Welcome, Charlotte Goulding[2:24] HR for AI, not just AI for HR[4:41] From pandemic hero to recent criticism[6:31] How the Five Foundations framework came about[10:42] Overview: The Five People Foundations[11:35] Foundation 1: Identity[15:34] Example: Values in your AI hiring process[19:13] Foundation 2: Clarity[23:28] Applying skills-based roles in HR[26:31] OKRs and quarterly goal-setting[28:05] Foundation 3: Enablement[29:12] Managers: the most overlooked foundation[36:51] Foundation 4: Recognition[39:01] Rethinking career progression and rewards[40:42] Foundation 5: Operations[42:22] Mapping your most critical processes[43:38] Working with Charlotte[45:37] Book recommendations[47:05] Wrap-up and outroUseful LinksConnect with Fay on LinkedInLearn about Fay’s Essential HR PlannerLearn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership ProgrammeComplete Charlotte’s free Five People Foundations diagnostic.Visit Charlotte's website:The People ThreadConnect with Charlotte Goulding on LinkedInBooks Recommended in This EpisodeHR Disrupted by Lucy AdamsBuilt for People by Jessica ZwaanHelpful Episodes to Listen to NextEp 164:Becoming More Strategic as an HR Team: Three Ways OKRs Can HelpEp 166:The Biggest HR Strategy Mistake and How to Fix It, with Dean CorbettEp 172:How One Company Helped Employees Embrace AI, with Laura MaffucciEp 173:How to Build a Better Workplace Culture (So People Thrive at Work), with Aoife O’BrienEnjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Sign up for 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.
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    49 分
  • 180 | (Day 5) The Strategic HR Sprint – Making Strategic Work a Priority

    180 | (Day 5) The Strategic HR Sprint – Making Strategic Work a Priority
    2026/07/17

    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
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    9 分
  • 179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint – Deepening Your Strategic Thinking

    179 | (Day 4) The Strategic HR Sprint – Deepening Your Strategic Thinking
    2026/07/16
    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 SurfaceEp 180 (Day 5) The Strategic HR Sprint - Making Strategic Work a PriorityEnjoyed 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.
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    12 分