It’s National Volunteers’ Week from the 1st to the 7th of June. The impact of volunteering on creating pathways and enhancing career opportunities both into and within the workplace is well known. But what about the benefits and rewards for those who offer their time as voluntary mentors? Plus, a recent People Management Magazine article suggests that only 15% of non-managers find the prospect of becoming a line manager appealing, so how do we prepare the next generation of professionals to embrace line manager roles and the challenges that come with that? Finally, with the CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook Report Spring 2026 demonstrating that 58% of employers are prioritising cost challenges above growth, how can organisations strike the right balance between controlling costs now and protecting their ability to expand and remain competitive in the future?

In this special fiftieth episode of the HR People Pod, we welcome back guest host, Leah De Silva, Senior Programme Manager for the CIPD Trust. Joining her in the studio are Emma Jayne, Chief People Officer at KYN and Elaine Grell, Chief People Officer (EMEA) at Ogilvy.

Recorded: 30th May 2026

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Explore more from this episode:

• National Volunteer’s Week
• Volunteer opportunities - CIPD Trust
• Impact and guidance - CIPD Trust
• Most employees say becoming a manager is not appealing, survey reveals
• Labour Market Outlook | CIPD

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Financial wellbeing is often treated as a personal challenge, but money worries can have a direct impact on performance, absence, engagement and retention. More concerningly, just 15 per cent of UK organisations have a formal financial wellbeing policy or strategy, according to the CIPD’s latest Reward Survey 2026, supported by Everywhen. So, what role should people professionals play in supporting employees’ financial wellbeing?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Mona Parikh, Associate Director, Reward at Coventry University; Charlie Goodman, Client Director at Everywhen; and Charles Cotton, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser, Pay, Reward and Performance – as they explore why financial wellbeing is not an ‘add-on’, but a strategic workforce challenge.

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More from this episode:

• Report: Reward Survey: Focus on Benefits 2026
• Guide: Employee financial wellbeing
• Website: Money Helper

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As organisations face growing pressure to perform, how can HR move beyond operational excellence to become a true driver of business performance? What does it take to put employee empowerment at the heart of the workplace and give people the trust and clarity to act with confidence? And with the pace of change only accelerating, how can the profession build the mindset needed for genuine change readiness?

In this special International HR Day episode, CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Asha Musoni, Chief People and Transformation Officer at the CBI, and Mark Pavlika, Chief People and Purpose Officer at Bicycle London.

Recorded: 15 May 2026

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Explore more from this episode:

CIPD Members: Change management tools

AI in the workplace: Case studies

Creating People Advantage Survey 2026

Your next listen:

HR People Pod – Ep43: Inside Davos – AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey

CIPD Podcast – Episode 229: From AI experimentation to AI maturity

CIPD Podcast – Episode 223: Beyond learning - Mobilising L&D for organisational change

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What do senior HR leaders wish they had known before stepping into a CPO or HRD role? How can organisations move beyond vague talk of “future skills” and build a practical view of workforce capability? And when employees increasingly work beyond their formal remit, is that simply the reality of modern work — or a sign of workload creep? 

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Adese Okojie, HR leader and founder of Black Women in HR (BWHR), Kevin Green, Chief People Officer at FirstGroup, and Matt Elliott, Chief People Officer at Bank of Ireland. 

Recorded: 01 May 2026 

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Explore more from this episode: 

• CIPD/Omni Report: Resourcing and Talent Planning 

• Creating People Advantage Survey 2025 

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As use of artificial intelligence moves beyond experimentation, are organisations starting to see real value – or struggling to turn promise into impact? As AI experimentation gives way to scaled adoption, the pressure is on to achieve tangible returns while managing new risks for people, jobs and organisational culture.

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Graeme Burns, AI People and Communications Leader at Nationwide Building Society; Ben Redshaw, Director and Founder at Orchard Tree Consulting; and Hayfa Mohdzaini, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser - Technology at CIPD – as they explore what AI maturity looks like in practice, where organisations are getting stuck and the critical role people professionals play in embedding AI responsibly and effectively.

In this episode, we explore: 

• What AI maturity means in practice and the common components of AI maturity 
• How can organisations realistically and meaningfully assess their current level of AI maturity 
• What role can people professionals play in helping build the culture, capabilities and organisational readiness needed to scale AI effectively. 

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More from this episode:

Explore content supported by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme

Guide: How people professionals can develop, deploy and use AI in an ethical, legal and sustainable way

HR People Pod - Ep43: Inside Davos - AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey

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Why are HR professionals still feeling forced to hide their disabilities just to get hired? Could an AI version of your CEO really replace human leadership — and what happens when technology starts delivering the messages people most need to hear from a real person? And when engagement is falling and productivity remains stubbornly low, are organisations solving the wrong problems altogether? 

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Clair Staines, Chief People Officer at POWWR, David Balls, Principal Consultant at Helix People Solutions, and Cheryl Samuels, People and Culture Director in the NHS and co-founder of #InclusiveHR. 

Recorded: 17 April 2026 

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Explore more from this episode: 

CIPD announces Neil Carberry as new Chief Executive 

Guide: Recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition 

Resources: AI in the workplace  

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How do you take culture from something leaders instinctively talk about to something they can genuinely understand, measure and act on? What can one of the largest behavioural studies of its kind tell us about the link between culture and business outcomes? And if traditional measures like engagement only tell part of the story where should people professionals look for a clearer view on what’s really driving performance? 

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Hani Nabeel, Chief Behavioural Scientist at iPsychTec and author of Culture Analytics: An evidence-based approach to company culture, to explore the evidence behind culture and performance. 

Recorded: 20 February 2026 

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Explore more from this episode: 

Book: Culture Analytics: An evidence-based approach to company culture – Hani Nabeel 

Your next listen: 

CIPD Podcast 220: Do leaders establish culture, or are they a product of it? 

HR People Pod – Ep39: Rewriting the rules on workplace conflict – with David Liddle 

HR People Pod – Ep37: Leading under pressure – with Professor Kevin Fong 

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Why are so many employers still hiding salary details when candidates increasingly expect pay transparency? While technical capability might win a promotion, are organisations doing enough to prepare managers for the pressure that comes with leadership? And when performance improvement plans (PIPs) are so often seen as a step towards the exit, can they still be a credible tool for improvement?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza, is joined by Sally Hopper, Director of People at London Fire Brigade, and David Blackburn, Managing Director of David R. Blackburn Consulting.

Recorded: 20 March 2026

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Explore more from this episode:

CIPD – Tracking law changes: Employment Rights Act 2025

Your next listen:

HR People Pod – Ep37: Leading under pressure – with Professor Kevin Fong

CIPD Podcast – Episode 194: Is pay transparency good for business

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As organisations face mounting cost pressures and AI absorbs many entry-level responsibilities, there is a growing risk that entry-level pathways will disappear by default rather than by design. But what are the unintended consequences of hollowing out the roles where future capability, judgement and innovation are built?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests — Orianne Wightman, Emerging Talent Director at Arm; Craig Pattison, Founder of Elevate Executive Coaching; and Lizzie Crowley, Senior Skills Policy Adviser at CIPD — as they examine how organisations must redesign work, opportunity and progression, before capability gaps begin to surface in talent pipelines, performance and long-term organisational resilience.

In this episode, we explore:

-         Why shrinking entry-level opportunities – and the erosion of the first rungs of the career ladder – could become a critical organisational risk

-         The consequences when organisations stop creating and developing talent and instead become net consumers of talent

-         How organisations must redesign roles, routes into work and progression pathways to protect future capability and sustain healthy talent pipelines

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In a world of uncertainty and constant disruption, what does an effective and human response to crisis really look like? Are employee benefits creating real impact – or are too many organisations offering perks without a clear sense of what they’re for? And as technology promises ever-greater efficiency, are employees starting to resist the pressure to optimise everything in pursuit of something more meaningful?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Sasi Venables, HR Business Partner at the University of Worcester and founder of The HR Confidence Club and Rob Worrall, Chief People Officer.

Recorded: 06 March 2026

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Explore more from this episode:

HR People Pod – Ep 12: Crisis events | Supply chains | Politics at work | ‘Ghost jobs’

Report: Reward Survey: Focus on benefits 2026 

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