Are traditional grievance and disciplinary processes really delivering fairness at work – or are they creating harm, cost and disengagement? With workplace conflict estimated to cost organisations billions each year, how can HR move beyond legacy, retributive systems towards a more people-centred and performance-focused approach to justice?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by David Liddle, Founder of The TCM Group and author of People and Culture, to explore how organisations can resolve conflict more effectively, and why justice, culture and leadership are inseparable from productivity and performance.

Recorded: 6 November 2025

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Despite technology transforming — and often streamlining — how we work, its impact on productivity has been surprisingly limited. So is productivity misunderstood? We talk about boosting it, measuring it and even “unlocking” it, but what does it really mean in modern organisations, and what role should the people profession play in driving workplace productivity?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests — Sharon Benson, founding director of Colleague Central; Lu McKay, founder and lead consultant at Luminary Communications; and Bart van Ark, Managing Director at the Productivity Institute and Professor of Productivity Studies at Alliance Manchester Business School.

In this episode we explore:

-         Why productivity continues to stagnate despite technological advances, and the hidden barriers affecting workforce performance and business growth

-         How HR and the people profession can shape strategies that enhance productivity

-         How to measure productivity effectively and meaningfully in your organisation — and the benefits of getting it right

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Bart van Ark is a Professor of Productivity Studies at the Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) at the University of Manchester, and Managing Director of The Productivity Institute, a UK-wide research organisation dedicated to advancing understanding of productivity. Bart is a co-author on the paper, Productivity Through People: New Opportunities for CHROs.

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Apprenticeship funding is up, and tax-free salary sacrifice on pensions will soon be capped. How have our panellists responded to the UK Government’s Autumn Budget and what does it mean for employers and the workforce? Has the pressure and drive for instant productivity squeezed out hiring for potential? Could organisations be doing more to create routes for internal mobility? And finally, crystal-ball gazing: what opportunities should the people profession lean into in the year ahead?

CIPD Trust Senior Programme Manager Leah De Silva is joined by Kerri O’Neill, Chief People Officer, UK & Ireland at Ipsos UK; and Idris Arshad, Head of People at Asthma and Lung UK.

Recorded: 28 November 2025

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How can people make the best decisions when time is short and the stakes are high? Why is decentralising decision-making critical for organisations who want to move decisively? And how can the people profession strike the right balance between innovation and risk mitigation when adopting and implementing AI?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by science broadcaster, author and emergency medical doctor, Professor Kevin Fong, to explore the profession’s risk appetite and how it can lead effectively under pressure.

Recorded: 5 November 2025

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A new CIPD report revealed that 62% of employers believe the UK is entering a more unstable period of employee relations. With potential new legal changes arriving soon, those wishing to build positive industrial relations will need to have a transparent approach, underpinned by shared expectations and behaviours. So, what role must people professionals and employers more broadly play in establishing shared expectations and behaviours, strengthen partnerships with trade unions, and create effective voice channels within organisations?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Nita Clarke, Director at Involvement and Participation Association (IPA); Mustafa Faruqi, Employee Relations Strategy Director at BT; and Alistair Paton, Senior Director for Colleague Relations at Asda.

In this episode we explore:

• The changing context of industrial relations in the UK and what the implications of the Employment Rights Bill will be
• The principal foundations of productive and effective partnerships with trade unions and the role of HR
• What HR can control within their organisation, including reviewing or establishing effective voice channels

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Some consider annual reviews ‘irrelevant’ and a ‘burden’, but how would you feel about AI playing a role in the performance review process? As media scrutiny continues to question the impact and growing influence of HR, we reflect on the value the profession brings to workplaces. And finally, we ask: trick or treat, when it comes to the Employment Rights Bill?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Transformation Leader and HR Consultant, Katherine Watkins, and Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive at NHS Employers.

Recorded: 31 October 2025

CIPD members can keep up to date with what will change under the Employment Rights Bill, with our dedicated tracker.

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

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What does loyalty look like in 2025? In a climate of low wage growth, how can you keep employees motivated and engaged? As warnings come of retirement ages potentially rising above 70 years old, how can employers foster opportunities for skills development for older workers? And are organisations missing a vital growth opportunity by not investing enough in ‘green skills’?

CIPD Reference Content Manager, Holly Ivins, is joined by Chief People Officer at Caxton, Jane-Emma Peerless; Head of People and Culture at Dowds Group, Rob Rees; and Chief People Officer at the Bank of Ireland, Matt Elliott. 

Recorded: 17 October 2025

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Organisations face constant and increasingly complex change, making it critical to bring people along on the journey. But can L&D play a more proactive role in enabling successful transformation by fostering buy-in, anticipating resistance, and building change capability? How can learning professionals go further than training, positioning themselves as strategic and operational partners who build change capability across the organisation?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Melanie Franklin, CEO at Capability for Change and Founder of Change Capability Community; Nick Baker, Senior Lead: Learning Design and Digital Innovation at The Football Association; and Paul Hodgkinson, Learning and Development Business Partner at CIPD.

In this episode we explore:

-         How L&D can be used to empower voice, solicit input and buy-in to change?

-         What can be done to anticipate and address blockers and barriers before they surface?

-         What tools does L&D have at its disposal to build ‘change capability’ and prepare the conditions for successful transformation at both individual and organisational levels?

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Find out more about the work of Melanie Franklin and Capability for Change, in supporting professionals responsible for organisational change initiatives and transformation.

https://capabilityforchange.com/

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Is the introduction of digital ID cards using a ‘nut to crack a sledgehammer’ in the effort to curb illegal work, and what impact might this have on UK employers? Are grievances against HR simply an occupational hazard, and how can HR professionals best manage the emotional and personal toll – especially when they’re in the firing line? Finally, is it reasonable for employers to incentivise employees to use their personal social media to promote the company?

CIPD Trust Senior Programme Manager, Leah De Silva, is joined by Chief People Officer at Effective Energy Group, Jo Carlin; Principal Consultant at Healix People Solutions, David Balls; and Founder and Managing Director at Campbell HR Consulting, Janet Campbell. 

Recorded: 8 October 2025 

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Just how important are team dynamics and psychological safety in driving organisational performance? What behaviours do leaders need to model to create an environment of high performance? 

In the second and final episode, CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by best-selling author and broadcaster Matthew Syed to explore the role of organisations in driving and enabling high-performance.

Recorded: 11 August 2025

Listen back to the first episode with Matthew Syed here:

https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/podcasts/hr-people-pod

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