People with past criminal convictions are a proven source of loyal, capable employees. Yet despite clear benefits, stigma – within business and society – continues to prevent many from finding meaningful work. Our research shows only 17% of prison leavers can secure a job within a year of release. So, what can employers do to offer a second chance and bring more prison leavers safely into our workplaces?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests—Jacob Hill, Managing Director and Founder of Offploy; Alison Bell, People and Communications Director at Project Leaders Ltd; and Sally Eley, Head of CIPD Trust—as we explore how employers can rethink recruitment, reduce bias, and focus on skills and potential over past mistakes.

---

Download the CIPD Trust guide to hiring people with convictions:

cipdtrust.org/recruiting-employing-and-retaining-people-with-convictions/

Asses your organisation's current readiness to employ individuals with criminal convictions with Offploy's quiz for employers:

www.offploy.org/employ

Five years after the first UK Covid-19 lockdown, many employers are still adapting to the knock-on effects of the pandemic but what has been the lasting impact on the HR profession? Meanwhile, how can you best manage the internal narrative in the face of public and media scrutiny? Can a ‘coachbot’ really offer mentorship? And what do our panel think of the concept of gentle leadership?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Group People and Culture Director at KYN, Emma Jayne, and Head of HR at Crimson Hotels Limited, Gareth Neale.

Recorded: 21 March 2025

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 Student award winners: Jamila Lecky, People Transformation and Change Manager at Group M; Victoria Keith, Global Talent, Learning and Development Manager at Total Marketing Support Limited; and Rose Watkins-Jones, People Partner at Impression Digital.

Recorded: 7 March 2025

---

Keep up to date with latest amends to the Employment Rights Bill and developments to the government's Make Work Pay plan:

https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/employment-law/proposed-changes-under-labour-government/

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 award-winning health, mental health, and wellbeing strategist and consultant, and Rachel Suff, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser for Employee Relations at the CIPD—as we explore the often-hidden emotional burden of working in HR and why setting boundaries is essential for maintaining wellbeing in the profession.

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 David Blackburn, Managing Director of David R. Blackburn Consulting.

Recorded: 21 February 2025

---

CIPD HR30 Nominations

Time to recognise excellence in HR! The CIPD HR30 celebrates the top 30 HR leaders driving innovation, shaping workplace culture and making real impact. Do you know someone who’s making a difference, leading change and driving the profession forward? This is your chance to highlight their achievements and contribution. Visit cipdhr30.co.uk before 26 March to find out more and submit your nomination.

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 Firstsource, Jo Carlin.

Recorded: 7 February 2025

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 Head of Future Careers; Sinead Trudgill, Director of Learning and Organisation Development at Network Rail; and Andrea Gordon, HR Consultant, as we explore whether apprenticeships are the key to tackling some of your organisation’s primary workforce challenges.

---

A reminder if you're a Student member, bookings are now open for the CIPD Student Conference 2025 taking place on 8 March. This virtual half-day event is included as part of your membership and is a great opportunity to explore future-focused HR topics, gain career insights, and connect with people professionals and your peers. Don't miss out, claim your free ticket at cipd.org/studentconf2025

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 Chief People Officer at Gray Dawes Travel and Founder of Tap HR, Patricia Hewitt.

Recorded: 24 January 2025

---

CIPD HR30 Nominations

Time to recognise excellence in HR! The CIPD HR30 celebrates the top 30 HR leaders driving innovation, shaping workplace culture and making real impact. Do you know someone who’s making a difference, leading change and driving the profession forward? This is your chance to highlight their achievements and contribution. Visit cipdhr30.co.uk before 26 March to find out more and submit your nomination.

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.

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 Cassidy and this month’s guests: Psychologist and Director at Aurora, Obehi Alofoje; and Chief People Officer at Ipsos UK, Kerri O’Neill, as we dive into the psychology behind cultivating meaningful and sustained workplace goals. Additionally, we explore why building habits is a more effective path to success than traditional goal setting.