What If?

Examples of company bosses taking a hardline stance on political and social issues have proliferated over recent years – particularly in the US, on highly emotive matters such as climate change, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and Black Lives Matter. Academic and author Margaret Heffernan and CEO of NHS Employers Danny Mortimer discuss where such activism is appropriate, and how to get it right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In times gone by, it was an unspoken fact of life that come a certain age, everyone would swap their careers for a life of gardening, golf and general relaxation. But those days are already long gone. Academic Lynda Gratton and former pensions minister Steve Webb debate whether this is a good thing, and whether our economy will be able to sustain such widespread later life working. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fuelled by a cost of living crisis and several years of frontline workers having put themselves at risk during the pandemic, the UK is facing the biggest wave of industrial action since the 1970s. Professor Melanie Simms and equality and diversity organiser at Equity Ian Manborde discuss just how far this might all go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of series three, we ponder whether complete self-expression at work is the ED&I holy grail, or would lead to total anarchy in practice. Academic and author Rob Goffee and leadership development expert Yetunde Hofman discuss why authentic leadership, in particular, is so vital – and how to get adapting to different contexts just right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the financial crisis of 2008, the #MeToo movement and a series of high-profile corporate collapses, the business world has begun to question a certain brand of forthright – often macho – leadership. But do we still need ‘superstar’ leaders in some contexts?...ponder academics Randall Peterson, professor of organisational behaviour and academic director of the Leadership Institute at London Business School and Doyin Atewologun, dean of the Rhodes scholarships at Oxford University and director of the consultancy Delta Alpha Psi. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the traditional unstructured interview is about as useful at predicting on-the-job success as astrology and graphology, and many employers still rely heavily on this, should we just dispense with the whole process altogether, and recruit at random? Academic Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and recruitment firm CEO Cynthia V Davis discuss the state of play currently, and how to make hiring better – and fairer.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would we all do all day if there were no jobs? And how likely is this to come to pass? Academic Daniel Susskind argues it is only a matter of time before mass society-wide unemployment becomes a reality, while NHS Confederation chief executive and political thinker Matthew Taylor says there will always be work – we just need to ensure it is good. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can already watch a concert, buy designer goods or bid for virtual artwork in the metaverse... And if you work at Accenture, or one of a handful of other employers experimenting here, you can onboard yourself, undergo training and hold meetings there too. Accenture's Allison Horn explains why the possibilities are endless, while academic Phil Reed warns of a darker side. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been seven years since Ram Charan wrote his controversial article ‘It’s time to blow up HR and build something new’, and hopefully the profession has more than proved its value over the last few years. But what criticisms still get levelled at it? And are some organisations really managing well without a people function? Academic Wendy Hirsh and the CIPD's chief executive Peter Cheese discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Radical honesty is an increasingly popular concept, particularly among Silicon Valley firms – as is the idea of speaking truth to power. But are we all ready to hear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Academics Megan Reitz and Erin Meyer – who has worked with Netflix and written about their culture of radical candour – advise how to make this actually work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.