Let's Take This Offline

When a neurodivergent employee feels comfortable enough to let their employer know about their diagnosis, the way a manager responds is the key to building trust and a pathway for productive collaboration in a neurodiverse workforce.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, Neurodiversity Trainer Aisling Smith shares her practical advice to help coach managers on what it takes to support neurodivergent employees at the moment of disclosure and beyond.

Further learning:

• Aisling Smith's HR Toolkit: https://neuroempowerment.co/hr#hr-toolkit
• AHRI Course – Performance Management for Neurodiverse Workplaces: https://bit.ly/4hkOJXA

Further reading:

• Article – 3 considerations when responding to neurodiversity disclosures: https://bit.ly/4cXSL77
• Article – The cost of neurodiversity concealment at work: https://bit.ly/4ycON3d

Connect:

• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42bZnZE87
• Connect with Narelle Hooper on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4cskpIq
• Connect with Aisling Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aisling-smith-neurodiversity/
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4eST9pd

In this special live episode, recorded at AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition in Brisbane, Belinda Casson MAHRI, Chief People Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, takes listeners behind-the-scenes of talent development in the Australian Public Sector.

Managing over 6000 staff across Australia and 120 overseas posts, Casson brings a wealth of experience. She shares some of the innovative L&D initiatives her team has devised to equip the next generation of HR leaders with the skills they need to understand the political landscape and thrive at the senior levels of HR in the Commonwealth.

Further learning

• Talent Management Course: https://bit.ly/3U1HfkB
• HR Certification – Ready to take your HR career to new heights? Complete our online quiz: https://bit.ly/45y34L5

Further reading

• AHRI Article – Belinda Casson MAHRI profile: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s CPO on embracing complexity in HR: https://bit.ly/4wAPe5G
• AHRI Article – How HR can turn the tide on a looming C-suite executives turnover crisis: https://bit.ly/45D8gNH

Connect:

• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42bZnZE87
• Connect with Narelle Hooper on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4cskpIq
• Connect with Belinda Casson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belinda-casson-8731057/
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4eST9pd

The future of work doesn't loudly announce itself. It slowly creeps into organisations, showing up in the dilemmas that make their way into your inbox, your IR case load or your exec papers.

In this episode, Narelle Hooper speaks with Reanna Browne, an academically-trained futurist with an HR background, about her practical four-question framework designed to help HR teams work through complex dilemmas showing up in our work today, such as how to combat employees' ‘cognitive surrender’ and re-anchor the irreplaceable value of human judgment.

Further learning

• Attend AHRI's National Convention and Exhibition to hear more from Reanna in her keynote address. Register now: https://bit.ly/4p9wEiU
• AI & HR: Embedding Responsible AI - Shaping Workforce & Culture course: https://bit.ly/4gZ86ae

Further reading

• AHRI Article – 10 strategic prompts to help your business assess the downstream risks of AI: https://bit.ly/4vhGgcP
• Wharton @ Work research article – Thinking Fast, Slow, Artificially: AI and Your Brain: https://bit.ly/3QJBl6p

Connect:

• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42bZnZE87
• Connect with Narelle Hooper on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4cskpIq
• Connect with Reanna Browne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reannabrowne/
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4eST9pd

The career ladder has long been the dominant metaphor for professional ambition, but what if there's another way?

In this episode, host Narelle Hooper speaks with Elatia Abate, former Vice President of HR at Dow Jones and globally renowned futurist, about why the ladder is shrinking, what comes next and how HR professionals can design a career that they love in one of the most uncertain periods in the history of work.

Further learning

• Attend AHRI's National Convention and Exhibition to hear more from Elatia in her keynote address. Register now: https://www.ahri.com.au/events-and-networking/nce
• Learn more about redesigning the future of work with AHRI's Contemporary Workforce Redesign Course: https://www.ahri.com.au/certification-and-training/short-courses/contemporary-workforce-redesign

Further reading

• Looking for ways to "future prepare"? Download your guide to the HR employment landscape in 2026: https://www.ahri.com.au/articles/4-trends-shaping-the-hr-employment-landscape-in-2026
• Before you make your next career move, consider these six questions: https://www.ahri.com.au/articles/questions-hr-ask-before-next-career-move

Connect:

• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42bZnZE87
• Connect with Narelle Hooper on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4cskpIq
• Connect with Elatia Abate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elatiaabate/
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4eST9pd

Leaders today are juggling more than ever, from complex regulation to rising cost pressures and evolving employee expectations. When overwhelm sets in, the most effective HR support often means getting back to basics.

In this episode, Pete Shepherd, executive coach and founder of Human Periscope, unpacks foundational habits and useful frameworks for early career HR practitioners looking to build confidence in coaching leaders through overwhelm.

Further learning

• Management and leadership essentials course: https://bit.ly/3Pvg0Nl
• Having difficult conversations course: https://bit.ly/4wAfMFk

Further reading

• AHRI members can read Pete Shepherd's contributions to the cover story for The HR Agenda. Not yet an AHRI member? Sign up today: https://bit.ly/4eST9pd

Connect:

• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42bZnZE87
• Connect with Narelle Hooper on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4cskpIq
• Connect with Pete Shepherd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petershepherd3/
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4eST9pd

AI is no longer a peripheral tech topic; it is a fundamental governance challenge colliding with leadership at the highest levels. In this episode, we move beyond the hype to examine how generative AI is reshaping the core pillars of business: accountability, risk management and strategic decision-making.

Joining host Narelle Hooper is Shirley Chowdhary, an experienced board member and former CEO with a deep background in international leadership. Shirley provides a leader's view on the emerging governance risks that senior HR leaders must navigate to remain strategic partners to the leadership team and board.

Further learning

• AHRI course: AI & HR: What You Need to Know to Stay Compliant : https://bit.ly/4muFMxc
• AHRI course: Embedding Responsible AI: Shaping Workforce Planning & Culture Course: https://bit.ly/4vCZ8oc

Further reading

• Read AHRI's article '7 questions to help HR navigate the new AI governance frontier': https://bit.ly/4dM13Af
• Read Shirley's AICD article referenced in the article: https://bit.ly/4dMgtVb

Connect:

• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/42bZnZE87
• Connect with Narelle Hooper on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4cskpIq
• Connect with Shirley Chowdhary on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Otd7ft
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4oSwaNn

Get ready for the new season of Let's Take This Offline.

Hosted by business journalist Narelle Hooper, this season features conversations with leading HR and business thinkers on the most pressing and emerging issues shaping the profession today.

Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode.

SHOW NOTES

Connect:

1. Connect with Narelle Hooper on LinkedIn: au.linkedin.com/in/narellehooper
2. Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahri/
3. AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13848256/
4. Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership

Work design isn’t just about dividing tasks and streamlining processes – it’s about shaping how people experience their work: the meaning they find and the autonomy they have.

In the age of AI, this takes on new urgency. As technology reshapes work, organisations must choose whether to let jobs become narrower and more transactional, or redesign them to drive motivation, resilience and performance.

In this episode, Professor Sharon Parker – Director of the Centre for Transformative Work Design at Curtin University – shares how HR leaders can apply evidence-based work design to create healthy, meaningful roles and ensure people remain at the centre of transformation.

SHOW NOTES

Further learning

AHRI's contemporary workforce redesign short course: https://bit.ly/4hVCh0r

AHRI's organisational design short course: https://bit.ly/49K5Wrh

Sharon Parker's SMART work design model: https://bit.ly/4991zGb

HRM article featuring Sharon Parker's research: https://bit.ly/3WMcmyL

Sharon Parker's book Transformative Work Design: https://bit.ly/47LZptB

Connect:

• Connect with Sharon Parker on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4qTOczS
• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3LIdUXZ
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4oSwaNn

Skills shortages, shifting employee expectations and the rapid rise of AI are transforming how we think about work. For HR leaders, the challenge is not just to keep up – but to stay ahead.

In this episode, Kate Bravery, Mercer’s Global Advisory Solutions and Insights Leader and co-author of Work Different: How to Win in the People Age, explores how HR can turn disruption into opportunity. Kate shares insights on navigating shifting talent markets, reimagining the employee value proposition, and redesigning work for the age of AI.

If you’re ready to think differently about the future of work – and the role HR can play in shaping it – this conversation will help you to make this shift.

SHOW NOTES

Further learning:

• AHRI short course: Employee value proposition: Attracting the best talent: https://bit.ly/48Woswr
• AHRI short course: Contemporary workforce redesign: https://bit.ly/4ojYqb3
• AHRI short course: Workforce planning foundations: https://bit.ly/4onPYb6
• AHRI short course: Workforce planning advanced: https://bit.ly/3Ju2BSK
• Explore Kate's book: Work Different: 10 Truths for Winning in the People Age: https://bit.ly/438ut5t

Connect:

• Connect with Kate Bravery on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48V6D0K
• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3LIdUXZ
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners.

Credibility with the C-suite is built over time through commercial fluency, disciplined inquiry and a deep understanding of how people strategy drives business performance.

In this episode, we explore what it truly takes to be seen as a trusted advisor at the executive table. Joining us are two exceptional leaders from Mirvac.

First, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz AM – former CEO and Managing Director of Mirvac, and now Chair and Board Member with INSEAD, Rio Tinto, the Australian National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, Macquarie Group, and The Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work.

She’s joined by Ben Morris MAHRI, Mirvac’s Group Head of HR. Together, Susan and Ben unpack the practical skills and behaviours that help HR practitioners build credibility and influence with the C-suite – and share insights into how HR can enhance its strategic impact in the boardroom.

Related AHRI learning:

• HR Certification – https://bit.ly/4qoPtip
• The Strategic HR Leader short course – https://bit.ly/47IUQ4o
• Leadership and Management Essentials – https://bit.ly/42XC9aH
• Micro-credential: Business Strategy and Culture Leadership – https://bit.ly/3J3E0nH

Connect with AHRI and our guests:

• Join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge – exclusive to members for access to bonus content and discussions – https://bit.ly/3JxmZSR
• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn – https://bit.ly/43kLXf9
• Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz AM – https://bit.ly/4oDaRhV
• Ben Morris – https://bit.ly/48JnfbJ