With plans to introduce a ‘right to switch off’ facing the axe in the UK, do we need formal legislation, or could boundaries be better managed by employers? What role should people professionals play in shifting the culture of toxic workplaces? How can we maintain that curiosity and hunger for learning? Finally, how big of an issue is ‘career catfishing’? In this episode, CIPD People and Transformation Director Amanda Arrowsmith is joined by three recent CIPD People Management Outstanding Studen...
Mar 11, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast HR professionals play a unique role within organisations but often find themselves in morally challenging or conflicting situations. These challenges may include balancing business needs—such as managing large-scale redundancies—while also supporting individuals through deeply personal difficulties and absorbing the emotional weight that entails. Over time, this toll can increase the risk of exhaustion, ultimately leading to burnout. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests—Amy McKeown, an awa...
Mar 04, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Times are tough; is there an alternative to headcount reductions and hiring freezes? With redundancy intentions at their highest level in a decade, how can HR professionals manage the mental load of implementing redundancies and can there ever be a ‘best’ way to deliver news about job losses? Finally, is there such a thing as a ‘mini-retirement’? In this episode CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Mel Steel, former HR director and interim people and transformation leader; and ...
Feb 26, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Workers are being afforded more responsibility with no uplift in pay - but how commonplace are ‘dry promotions’? How do we decide the value of a job and therefore how much an employee gets paid? Does the UK have a work ethic crisis? And can you fail ‘intelligently’ or do mistakes always carry a risk? In this episode CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Head of HR, UK Functions at HSBC, Elizabeth Harvey; and Senior VP HR Europe and Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at First...
Feb 12, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast If employers were offered a way to meet their skills and workforce needs while also addressing long-term engagement and retention challenges, wouldn’t most, if not all, jump at the chance? Statistically, apprenticeships offer exactly that. Yet only 6% of young people are undertaking an apprenticeship. So, is it time for employers to reacquaint themselves with the benefits apprenticeship routes can bring to their business? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Karen Handley, Virgin Media O2...
Feb 04, 2025•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast How will a new government in the White House and changing business attitudes in the United States affect the UK? Is 2025 the year where ‘AI agents’ enter the workforce, and if so, how should the people profession manage virtual employees? And what is the practice of ‘snitch tagging’ and how should your organisation respond? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by People & Transformation Director at CIPD, Amanda Arrowsmith; Chief Executive at NHS Employers, Daniel Mortimer; and Chi...
Jan 29, 2025•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast From strategic alignment to establishing a common purpose, what lessons can people professionals learn from the hit TV show ‘The Traitors’? As business confidence diminishes, and employers face rising business costs, what approach should you take with communicating with your people? And are you guilty of ‘corporate catfishing’? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by HR Consultant, Andrea Gordon; and Group People and Culture Director at KYN, Emma Jayne.
Jan 15, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast New Year’s resolutions fail. Surprised? Probably not. But is the high failure rate a reason to avoid setting goals – especially in our professional lives? Behavioural science would argue ‘failure’ isn’t down to a lack of will power, but rather a reliance on vague goals without the structure of actionable habits. So are small, consistent actions that drive meaningful change and support long-term achievement, really the stepping stone to bridge the gap between intention and success? Join Nigel Cas...
Jan 07, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can companies make their festive celebrations fun and risk-free at the same time? Will the new youth guarantee for 18–21-year-olds actually help to address economic activity among young people? Are you alert to the practice of ‘malicious compliance’? And what bold predictions do our panel have for the profession in 2025? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by bestselling author and host of Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat podcast, Bruce Daisley; director at Willow HR, Laura Callahan; OD ...
Dec 11, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are people justified in their resistance of artificial intelligence, or should they accept its power in creating progress in the workplace? Equally, are organisations under too much pressure to act quickly in the face of evolving AI capability? In this special recording of the HR People Pod, CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Professor Michael Wooldridge, director for AI at Alan Turing Institute and professor of AI at University of Oxford, who suggests, “all AI programmes are...
Nov 27, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The rapid acceleration of change has left many organisations grappling with the most immediate requirements, but people professionals also have an instrumental role to play in demonstrating necessary upskilling strategies and transforming the skills required for future long-term success. So, what can they do to avoid falling into a familiar cycle of tackling the urgent but neglecting the important? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Human Resources Director at Government Property Agency...
Nov 20, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast How prepared is your organisation to support employees through a crisis event? Can employers ensure their supply chains are fully ethical? Should politics and work ever mix? And what’s behind the spooky rise of ‘ghost jobs’? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by David Bearfield, Director of the Office of Human Resources at the United Nations Development Programme; Berna Öztınaz, President of the European Association of People Management and CHRO at Genel Energy Plc; and Pete Col...
Nov 13, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast What does a wellbeing-focused work environment really look like, and how involved should employers be to ensure their workforce can live healthy working lives? Should all employers pay the recently uprated Living Wage, and how can you support your people if paying the voluntary Real Living Wage is simply unaffordable? Finally, are your colleagues working as much as they appear, or are they showing classic signs of ‘fauxductivity’? CIPD’s People and Transformation Director Amanda Arrowsmith discu...
Oct 30, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The UK Government has proposed the biggest overhaul of workers’ rights in a generation. What will this mean for employers and people professionals? Our panel reflects on the Employment Rights Bill announcement, examining the potential impact of the provisions, such as removing the two-year qualifying period for protection against unfair dismissal, probation period changes, ending ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts and the role of a new, single enforcement body, the Fair Work Agency. CIPD Direct...
Oct 11, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s widely recognised that developing a psychologically safe working environment can significantly enhance both individual and organisational performance. However, while organisations seek to reap these benefits in the long term, the immediate challenge is to cultivate a culture of psychological safety from which these benefits can grow. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Chartered Psychologist, podcast host and Founder of Zircon Consulting, Dr Amanda Potter; Leadership Coach, Phil Low...
Oct 08, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are RoboCop-style security guards and AI accountants a glimpse of the future of work? Are longer hours more likely to be the norm, especially if you want to progress in your career? What are the differing perceptions and attitudes of a multigenerational workforce and how is this giving rise to the purported trend of ‘conscious un-bossing’? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Mel Steel, former HR director and interim people and transformation leader; Jo Carlin, senior VP HR Eur...
Oct 02, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is free water really an ‘employee benefit’? Would you track employees' working locations to enforce stricter hybrid working policies? And would you turn a blind eye to ‘shadow policies’? In this episode, we debate these questions and also discuss the preventative measures organisations should take to reduce the risk of sexual harassment incidents in the workplace. CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Danny Mortimer, chief executive at NHS Employers; Janet Campbell, director at ...
Sep 18, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast How often have we taken a course or acquired some knowledge, only to have those skills lie dormant, before being forgotten as there was no immediate use? Would it be more sensible to move learning closer to or at the point of when the skills or knowledge are needed, and if so, how can learning professionals better anticipate and create learning to be ready at the point of user need? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Teresa Rose, award winning learning consultant and founder of ConsultH...
Sep 10, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tune in to the latest episode of the HR People Pod, where our panel assesses the impact of the so-called ‘Great Retention’ and considers whether a period of stability is beneficial for organisations. We discuss how business leaders may be facing an uphill battle as employees become more sceptical of organisational direction, and also if the idea of ‘Office Peacocking’ ruffle any feathers? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Jon Dawson, chief people officer at Lore Group; Jo Ca...
Sep 04, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the latest episode of the HR People Pod, our panel reflects on the recent riots in the UK, the conflicts happening globally and the effects they have in the workplace. We also get to grips with the rising use of generative AI by job applicants, the gender mix within the profession, and the concept of ‘quiet vacationing’ – another media catchphrase or a real phenomenon? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Caroline Roberts, associate non-executive director at Barking, Haverin...
Aug 21, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Would you share salary information on a job advert? In the latest episode of the HR People Pod, our panel challenges organisations to be more transparent with pay, explores the rise of the ‘workation’, how sadly commonplace bullying and incivility is at work, and tips to improve social mobility in your organisation. CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Janet Campbell, director at Restoration & Renewal Delivery Authority, Garin Rouch, OD consultant at Distinction Business Consul...
Aug 07, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The need to better understand your people is critical to driving better employee and wider organisational performance. Fundamental to that is the need for people professionals to have the capability and confidence to make sense of data, while working alongside and empowering people managers to take action. But is collecting the right data easier said than done? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Hayfa Mohdzaini, Public Policy and HR Practice Senior Adviser – Technology and Analytics at ...
Jul 30, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast As workers turn to TikTok to discuss work issues, should business leaders be paying attention? In this episode CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Vilma Nikolaidou, Director of People and Culture at the British Film Institute; Gareth Neale, Head of HR at Crimson Hotels Limited; and Dr Markos Koumaditis, Director of HR at University of Oxford, as we explore the top stories of the past fortnight, including: the fallout from the CrowdStrike-Microsoft global IT outage, whether ano...
Jul 24, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Labour Party will form a new government in the United Kingdom. But what can employers expect from its proposed ‘New Deal for Working People’? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza hosts former Labour MP Iain Wright, Firstsource Senior VP HR Europe and Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity Jo Carlin, and Mencap Executive Director of People David Blackburn, to explore the implications and impact of potential day-one employment rights, apprenticeship levy reform, and how quickly the plans ...
Jul 08, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our latest CIPD Good Work Index noted the experience of conflict in the workplace, as correlating with poorer mental health, poorer view of the organisation’s leadership and a higher likelihood of quitting. But what are some of the other factors that prevent work from being ‘good’? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Marek Zemanik, Senior Public Policy Adviser, UK Nations at CIPD and Aysha Al Marri, UAE National Talent and Development at Etihad Airport Services L.L.C, as we unpack the ba...
Jul 02, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do romantic relationships at work need to be disclosed? Can you trust a ‘mouse jiggler’? How do you manage time off or flexibility around major sporting events? Join the conversation with David D’Souza, CIPD Director of Profession, Gemma Dale, Senior Lecturer at Liverpool Business School, and David Balls, Chief People Officer at Newcross Healthcare Solutions, as we unpack the topical stories over the past fortnight and look at how HR can consider their impact for their own organisations.
Jun 26, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Decisive or divisive, Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s leadership message was definitely bold. Join the chat with David D’Souza, the CIPD’s Director of Profession, Katie Obi, Chief People Officer at One Advanced, and Mel Steel, former HR director and interim people & transformation leader, as we unpack the biggest stories of the past fortnight including: is Microsoft Recall a privacy nightmare? Should we be wary of a growing trend of side hustles or second jobs? And do we need ‘rig...
Jun 12, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast CIPD research suggests that work is occupying a less central place in our lives, with an increasing proportion of employees feeling that a job is ‘just a way of earning money’. While it could be argued that there is nothing wrong with employees taking a transactional view of work – it may after all be a way of them self-determining healthy boundaries – disengagement with the organisation may be a concern. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Jake Young, Senior Policy and Practice at CIPD ...
Jun 10, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to HR People Pod, the CIPD’s new fortnightly podcast series bringing you expert insight on topical stories impacting the world of work. In our pilot episode, host David D'Souza, CIPD's director of people profession, recruits Mel Steel, former HR director and interim people & transformation leader, and Alistair Gill, chief alchemist at Alchemy Labs, to the panel as we respond to some of the key stories from the past fortnight, including the decision from John Lewis to share interview ques...
Jun 06, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
