Many organisations still shy away from this important combined business practice and HR led strategy as it can appear to be too complicated a task. This podcast encourages organisations of all sizes to start small and build on the data and analysis that will inform the practices and key skills required for talent acquisition and management, succession planning and change.

In this podcast we explore how organisations can support ethical behaviour at work through their people management practices, job design, and through building ethics into the way they do business.

Fads, anecdotes, fake news and gut instinct aren't reliable tools for HR practitioners. In this episode we explore evidence-based practice, and discuss what it is, how it works, and why it is important for people professionals.

Women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing segment of the workforce, and most will go through the menopause transition during their working lives. For every ten women experiencing menopausal symptoms, six say it has a negative impact on their work. Yet it remains a taboo topic in many workplaces. Women will continue to suffer in silence unless we break the stigma and start talking openly about the menopause at work. In this episode Deborah Garlick, from Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace and the CIPD’s Senior Employment Relations Adviser, Rachel Suff share their ideas and insights. We also hear from Janet Trowse at Network Rail who has first-hand experience of working within an organisation that does all it can to support menopausal women in the workplace.

Flexible working includes various working arrangements such as part time, flexitime, compressed hours and working from home to name but a few. With UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s support the Flexible Working Taskforce was established to widen the availability and take-up of flexible working and is chaired by the CIPD. In this episode we’ll explore the work of the Taskforce and the CIPD’s investigations into flexible working including design, availability, visibility, and productivity. We capture ideas and insights from Peter Cheese and Claire McCartney from the CIPD, Kamal Shergill, Dan Kieran, Christine Armstrong, and Margaret Heffernan.

The past few years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of high profile bullying and harassment claims across industries and sectors, from daily newspapers and multinational corporations to government bodies. With scrutiny high and both employees and consumers demanding more transparent practice, it is essential that HR teams have appropriate policies, processes, and practices in place. In this episode we talk to Julie Dennis at ACAS about how you can best handle harassment claims, and to the CIPD's Head of Public Policy Ben Willmott about the future of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

In today’s business landscape, as new scandals occur with increasing regularity, the concepts of trust and reputation are growing ever greater in importance. Organisations are finding that they must be more transparent and accountable to engage and retain their customers and to attract the best talent. Building trust both outside and within an organisation is now essential to business success. In this first episode of 2019 we explore trust and human connection in today’s workplaces. What benefits can pursuing them bring to a company and what challenges do they present? What role do people professionals play in developing this culture and embedding it throughout their own organisations? And how can they model these behaviours in their own day-to-day work?

The world of business is becoming increasingly complex and as a result businesses themselves are adding complexity to their structures, processes and systems. This can often act as a blocker to the factors of business success like innovation, engagement and ultimately productivity. So how do businesses and their people stay agile in a complicated environment? Many organisations have taken inspiration from the world of tech and increasingly people professionals are using techniques such as agile working, sprints, and scrum or squad working to achieve their goals and complete projects. But is it for everyone? In this episode we talk to three HR and L&D specialists about what it means for an organisation to be ‘agile’ in today’s business world. We discuss the increasing complexity of business structures and look at simple steps for empowering employees to work collaboratively.

Robots aren’t taking over our jobs just yet, but automation is already augmenting many roles. Much of the current discussion on how new technology stands to change the world of work is limited. Debates typically centre on the extent to which humans are going to be ‘replaced’ or which jobs or tasks are most at risk of automation. This narrative is driven by the assumption that all we care about is productivity and since machines are seen to be much more efficient with the potential to make better decisions than humans – it can only lead to one conclusion. But in a world that is more connected than ever before – individuals are increasingly feeling isolated and desire human interaction. This episode explores how people and technologies can augment each other in the workplace, through a series of case studies, providing important food for thought for both organisations and individuals.

As the people profession evolves to meet the needs of a changing business landscape, HR and L&D teams are becoming far more integrated throughout their organisations, working closely with different functions and using their professional skills and knowledge to improve business performance. In this episode we talk to CIPD’s own Director of people, Brad Taylor, as well as Kate Griffiths-Lambeth, HRD at Charles Stanley, along with her CEO and COO, to find out how their teams go about working with a range of different business areas and the importance they place on integrating the HR and L&D functions throughout the organisation.