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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What really happens at the World Economic Forum in Davos? And what are global leaders saying about the future of work? Are organisations simply layering AI onto existing systems, or are they facing a fundamental re-engineering of work itself? If intelligence becomes infrastructure, what happens to how we define value and professional identity? And if entry-level roles decline, what does that mean for the strength of our future talent pipeline?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Allyn Bailey, Senior Director Corporate Narrative and Communications at SmartRecruiters.

Recorded: 20 February 2026

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Read more from Allyn Bailey at the World Economic Forum

Davos 2026: the key takeaways for HR on AI, skills and workforce reinvention

https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1946227/davos-2026-key-takeaways-hr-ai-skills-workforce-reinvention

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Does sustained performance depend less on the learning event itself and more on the environment in which it is applied? In modern workplaces – shaped by inbox overload, operational pressures and competing demands for attention – employees often return from training motivated and well-intentioned, yet without the time, permission or support to put new skills into practice. Without the right conditions, learning quickly fades and performance remains unchanged.

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests — Aglaia Economou, HR Learning Development & Change Manager at Hertfordshire County Council; Fergal Connolly, Learning Transfer Specialist and Founder of Multiply Transfer; and Steve George, Head of Learning at CIPD — as they examine what it really takes to ensure learning translates into measurable performance.

In this episode, we explore:

-         The organisational conditions required for learning to translate into sustained performance, beyond the design and delivery of formal training.

-         The pivotal role of managers, accountability and workplace culture in giving people the permission and space to apply what they have learned.

-         How to diagnose performance challenges effectively — and avoid defaulting to training when the root cause lies elsewhere.

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As volatility becomes the default rather than the exception, what does it really mean for organisations to be ready for change? When it comes to ‘peanut butter’ pay rises, does spreading reward evenly strengthen trust and fairness, or quietly undermine the idea that performance and capability matter? And just how decisive can small moments be — how have acts of trust, stretch or recognition shaped the careers of our guests? 

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Alix Bolton, Chief People Officer, Europe at Smollan; and Alison Hodgson, Market Director – CIPD Ireland. 

Recorded: 6 February 2026 

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As new trends and demands accelerate, how can HR leaders ensure the profession’s foundations are robust enough to support effective and timely action? If AI is becoming part of everyday work, should organisations deliberately test how candidates think, reason and collaborate with AI as part of the recruitment process? And is the rise in temporary work a strategic shift in workforce strategy – or a symptom of wider uncertainty?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Mel Steel, Interim People, Change & Transformation Leader; and Martyn Dicker, Director of People at Unicef UK. 

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In a tight labour market and amid rapid skills change, organisations face growing pressure to retain critical capability and reduce reliance on external hiring. Yet many employees still can’t see a future inside their organisation, and unclear progression continues to drive attrition. Could strengthening routes for internal mobility provide the strategic response needed to address these challenges?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests — Laura Ibbotson, Interim Head of HR at The Green Spark Group; and Sarah Lardner, Director of Business Innovation & Senior Reward Principal at Innecto Reward Consulting. 

In this episode we explore: 

• Why has internal mobility become such a critical issue for organisations today, particularly in the context of skills disruption, retention pressures and changing expectations of progression? 

• What does effective internal mobility look like in practice, and what organisational, cultural or managerial barriers most often prevent it from working well? 

• How can stronger internal mobility deliver meaningful business outcomes and what role do people professionals play in making it sustainable and trusted? 

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2026 is set to be another challenging year for organisations and the people profession. As economic uncertainty continues and AI adoption accelerates, where should the profession focus its efforts? How can job design and management capability drive productivity without increasing burnout? And what skills do people professionals need to navigate the year ahead.

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by a trio of leading HR podcasters, Fay Wallis, career and leadership coach and host of HR Coffee Time; Lucinda Carney, Chief Executive Officer at Actus Software, and host of HR Uprising podcast; and Bruce Daisley, host of Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat podcast.

Recorded: 09 January 2026

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Bookings are now open for the CIPD Student Conference 2026. Student members can secure your place for free at cipd.org/studentconf2026

Take ownership of your learning and enhance your professional practice. Explore our suite of tools to support your CPD journey at cipd.org/en/learning/cpd/

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Explore more podcasts from this week’s panel:

HR Coffee Time with Fay Wallis

https://brightskyhr.co.uk/hr-coffee-time-podcast/

HR Uprising with Lucinda Carney

https://hruprising.com/

Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat with Bruce Daisley

https://eatsleepworkrepeat.com/

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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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