CIPD

Do you have the right learning culture to nurture your people? What are the tell-tale signs you have developed a strong environment for learning in your organisation? Creating a supportive learning environment is imperative to ensuring employees have the right capabilities to adapt and respond to challenges in the right way. While 98% of learning and development practitioners would seek to do this, CIPD research reveals only a third feel they have achieved this feat. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests, Gavin McQuillan, NatWest and Mel Green, CIPD, to unpack what you need to do to instil a positive learning culture in your organisation.

Due to the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic, many organisations feel unprepared for incoming immigration changes brought about by Brexit. Priorities have shifted, and the onset of COVID-19 put workforce planning on the back burner. In what ways can organisations prepare for Brexit, and how will new migration restrictions impact their future plans? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests, Marina Fernandez-Reino, The Migration Observatory, Ian Robinson, Fragomen and Gerwyn Davies, CIPD, to understand the true cost of post-Brexit recruitment and the importance of workforce planning.

Over a quarter of people say their alcohol consumption has increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. Yet recent CIPD research has found a fifth of businesses don’t offer proactive support to employees for drug and alcohol misuse. So at what point do concerns of drug and alcohol misuse become an issue for employers and how can people professionals and line managers best support their teams? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests, Professor Dame Carol Black, Simon Jones and Dr Jill Miller, as they look beyond the stigma of alcohol and drug misuse and discuss why organisations need to prioritise it as a health and wellbeing issue.

Few would argue against the beneficial role technology has played as an enabler of work, especially now, as we continue to face disruption to both work and working life as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. But is there a point when the implementation of technology crosses a line? Workforce surveillance and employee monitoring is a topic of contention, but is it something we all just need to get used to? Join Nigel Cassidy and this months’ guests, Edward Houghton, Dr Stephanie Hare and Daniel Sharaiha, to discuss the benefits and risks of employee monitoring and where the boundaries between work and private life lie?

The global Black Lives Matter movement has shone a stark spotlight on the need for society and organisations to stop, reflect and acknowledge where they need to start making changes. While laws and changing social norms have helped to make overt and blatant racism unacceptable, a shake-up in working practice and systemic culture is required. And that will only happen if we all take ownership of the issue.

Conflict is an inevitable part of human interaction. At a time when it’s crucial we come together and strengthen our relationships, albeit virtually, inconsequential disagreements or a mishandled conversation can bubble up into unpleasant or even toxic situations. While being able to ‘manage’ conflict is a necessary skill for individuals and the modern workplace, is there a healthy and progressive side of conflict that can be channelled into success? Join Nigel Cassidy and this months’ guests, Amy Gallo, Contributing Editor at Harvard Business Review; Clive Lewis, OBE and CEO of Globis Mediation Group and Rachel Suff, Senior Employee Relations Adviser at CIPD, to learn about the key causes of negative conflict, strategies for diffusing workplace flare-ups and how we can encourage constructive and progressive workplace conflict.

Before coronavirus struck, mental-ill health was the number one cause of long-term sickness absence among UK workers. Current lockdown restrictions are likely to have exacerbated these conditions for many, and this poses a real challenge for managers who are expected to look after the health and well-being of their teams. Join Andrea Winfield, HR Director at Microsoft, Professor Neil Greenberg, Professor of Defence Mental Health at Kings College, and Rachel Suff, Senior Employee Relations Adviser at CIPD to learn how managers can have confident and sensitive well-being conversations to support the mental and physical well-being of their remote teams, and crucially what employers need to consider as the UK plans for an eventual return to the workplace.

We have heard many times before that we are operating in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world and few would argue that current developments aren’t case in point. The outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) is without question testing businesses on an unprecedented scale. But having a well-designed organisation to respond flexibly and rapidly is only half the battle. Some organisations are having to rework their business models to deliver outside-the-box-offerings, while many others are grappling with the challenge of business continuity. Join Jaimini Lakhani, Director at Lumiere Consulting, David Frost, Director of OD at Total Produce and Peter Cheese, Chief Executive at CIPD to discover how organisations can and should respond to the coronavirus crisis, and vitally, how you can support your workforce through this difficult period.

Traditional organisation development [OD] skills are becoming increasingly embedded within the DNA across all aspects of people profession today – this is highlighted in the new Profession Map from the CIPD. In what way, then, can OD practice be integrated throughout the people practice ecosystem? How can people practitioners adopt traditional OD roles and responsibilities in their workplace? Join Dr Linda Holbeche, co-director of The Holbeche Partnership, and Caroline Nugent, HR Director at the Financial Ombudsman, as they delve into the role of organisation architects and OD professionals whose job is to explore the ways organisations can benefit from OD practice, and the key challenges they may face in doing so.

There are currently 5 million workers in the UK (1 in 7 of the workforce) juggling work with care responsibilities. That number is set to increase. Working carers say their responsibility for another causes significant worry and anxiety, so much so, that it can feel like being a ‘rabbit caught in the headlights’. Employers should start developing an understanding and awareness of the issue, in order to provide the best support and retain valuable employees. Join Katherine Wilson, Head of Employment, Carers UK and Claire McCartney, Senior Policy Adviser, CIPD as we explore the impact of caring responsibilities on workers and what measures employers can put in place to better support their working carers.