The HR Room Podcast

Change is inevitable in the workplace, but getting employees to embrace it is rarely straightforward. Whether it's the introduction of new technology, organisational restructuring, redundancies or new ways of working, even the most carefully planned changes can be met with resistance.

So why do employees resist change, and what can HR professionals and business leaders do to bring their people along with them?

In this episode of The HR Room, we're joined by Dr Síle Walsh, organisational development specialist, researcher and award-winning author of Inclusive Leadership: Navigating Organisational Complexity, alongside Mary Cullen, Founder and Managing Director of Insight HR.

Together, we explore the psychology behind resistance to change, the common mistakes organisations make when implementing change initiatives, and why even seemingly minor changes can provoke strong emotional reactions.

We also discuss the importance of two-way communication, how HR can identify the underlying causes of employee resistance, and the role of leadership in building trust throughout the change process.

Why employees resist change, even when the benefits seem obvious.

The psychological impact of change, including uncertainty, loss of autonomy and threats to professional identity.

Common mistakes organisations make when planning and implementing change.

Why effective change management requires genuine two-way communication, rather than simply explaining decisions.

How HR professionals can identify patterns of resistance and address employees' underlying concerns.

The importance of involving employees early in the change process.

Why leaders need to be honest about uncertainty rather than making promises they cannot keep.

How HR can influence senior leadership and challenge poorly planned change initiatives.

The importance of leadership behaviour, perception and trust during difficult organisational changes.

Dr Síle Walsh is an organisational development specialist, researcher and award-winning author of Inclusive Leadership: Navigating Organisational Complexity. She works with organisations and leaders to navigate complexity, develop leadership capability and manage organisational change.

Find out more about Síle and her work: https://www.elis-advantage.eu/

Managing organisational change can be challenging, particularly when it involves restructuring, collective redundancies, offshoring or significant changes to how employees work.

At Insight HR, our experienced consultants support organisations through complex change processes, helping employers manage employee relations, communicate effectively and minimise workplace risk.

To find out how we can support your organisation, get in touch:

Email: [email protected]

Have a question, feedback on this episode or a topic you'd like us to cover on The HR Room? We'd love to hear from you!

Email us at [email protected], or message Dave at [email protected] and don't forget to subscribe to The HR Room for more conversations on the issues shaping today's workplaces.

Addiction remains one of the most misunderstood and stigmatised issues in the workplace. While organisations have made significant progress in supporting employee mental health and wellbeing, many employees struggling with addiction still feel unable to speak openly about their experiences, fearing judgement, damaged career prospects or even dismissal.

In this episode of The HR Room, we're joined by Darren Grady, who spent 14 years concealing his recovery from addiction throughout a successful corporate career.

With Darren, Mary and Dave explore the hidden reality of addiction in the workplace, the trust gap between employees and HR, and why high-performing employees can often conceal serious struggles behind professional success.

The conversation also examines the difficult balance HR professionals must strike between supporting employees and protecting their organisations, and what employers can do to create an environment where people feel safe seeking help.

Why employees experiencing addiction or recovery may be reluctant to disclose their circumstances to HR.

How workplace stigma, confidentiality concerns and fears about career progression contribute to a culture of silence.

Why high performance can mask addiction, and how organisations sometimes overlook problematic behaviour from successful employees.

The challenges of balancing employee wellbeing, workplace safety and disciplinary responsibilities.

The role of HR policies, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and occupational health in supporting employees.

How organisations can build greater trust, reduce stigma and create safer pathways for employees to seek support.

Practical steps HR leaders can take, from reviewing policy language and training managers to reconsidering workplace drinking cultures.

At Insight HR, we help organisations develop practical, legally informed HR policies and procedures that protect their businesses while supporting their people.

Get in touch with our team at [email protected] or call 056 770 1060 to find out how we can help.

Subscribe to The HR Room wherever you listen to your podcasts, and follow Insight HR on LinkedIn for more conversations, insights and practical advice on the issues shaping today's workplaces.

We all experience stress at work. Deadlines, demanding workloads and competing priorities are part of working life. But how do you know when everyday workplace stress is becoming something more serious? And what can you do when the pressure just doesn't let up?

In this episode of Wellness Works, a mini-series of The HR Room Podcast, Dave is joined by Laura Barry, Head of People Development at Insight HR, to explore the difference between stress and burnout, how to recognise the early warning signs, and what finding a healthy work-life balance actually looks like.

We discuss why burnout isn't always accompanied by a drop in performance, why simply encouraging employees to become more resilient isn't enough, and how organisations can inadvertently contribute to stress through the way work is designed and managed.

Laura also shares practical advice for managers on recognising when someone on their team might be struggling, how to start supportive conversations, and the small changes individuals can make to create a healthier, more sustainable relationship with work.

The difference between everyday stress and burnout, and how to recognise when pressure becomes unhealthy.

The early warning signs of burnout, including those that are easily overlooked.

Why high-performing employees can still be experiencing burnout.

The workplace conditions and psychosocial hazards that contribute to chronic stress.

What healthy work-life balance really means, and why it looks different for everyone.

How managers can recognise and respond to signs of stress within their teams.

Why workplace wellbeing initiatives need to be supported by healthier working practices.

Practical steps you can take this week to manage stress, recover and regain balance.

Insight HR can help your organisation take a proactive approach to managing workplace stress and supporting employee wellbeing. From tailored Stress and Burnout workshops to management training, organisational culture audits and wider HR support, our team can help you create a healthier, more sustainable working environment.

Get in touch with us at [email protected] or call 056 770 1060 to find out more.

Visit www.insighthr.ie for more information on our services.

The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR, where we speak with HR leaders, legal experts and workplace specialists from across Ireland about the issues shaping the future of work.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with colleagues or friends.

We're always keen to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

What happens to the world of work if living to 100 becomes increasingly normal?

Irish Life’s recently published Life100+ research explores how longer lives could change the way we work, plan and retire. With people potentially spending longer in the workforce, organisations may need to rethink everything from career development and recruitment to employee benefits, financial wellbeing and retirement.

Joining us on this episode of The HR Room Podcast is Barbara O’Malley, Chief People Officer at Irish Life Group, to explore what the findings mean for employers and HR professionals.

We discuss changing attitudes towards retirement, why organisations need to think differently about attracting and retaining experienced workers, and how longer careers could require a fundamental rethink of traditional, linear career paths.

Barbara also explores the importance of lifelong learning and the idea of developing a “skills passport” that allows employees to move between roles and even careers over the course of their working lives. We look at the pressures facing employees in the “squeezed middle”, the growing importance of financial wellbeing, and why flexible benefits and phased retirement could become increasingly important.

Barbara’s key message for HR leaders is that this isn’t simply a challenge for 10 or 20 years from now. Employees are already looking for greater flexibility around careers, retirement and how long they remain in the workforce. Organisations therefore need to start examining their workforce demographics, understanding the skills they have today and identifying the skills they will need in the future.

If you're dealing with a difficult employee relations issue, trade union negotiation, collective consultation or another complex HR challenge, the Insight HR team can help.

Get in touch with Insight HR:

The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR, where we speak with HR leaders, legal experts and workplace specialists from across Ireland about the issues shaping the future of work.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with colleagues or friends.

We're always keen to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

For some HR professionals, working with trade unions is a normal part of everyday life. For others, the prospect of sitting across the negotiating table from a union representative can be unfamiliar – and more than a little daunting.

So, what do you need to know before you enter a negotiation? How do you build a productive relationship with union representatives? And what happens when talks become contentious – or even break down completely?

Joining us on this episode of The HR Room is Sharron Clancy, Senior HR Consultant at Insight HR, who has extensive experience working in unionised environments and negotiating with trade unions throughout her career.

Alongside Insight HR Managing Director Mary Cullen, Sharron shares practical advice for HR professionals who find themselves dealing with trade unions – whether that's around pay negotiations, organisational change, redundancies, employee relations or workplace disputes.

Sharron Clancy - Senior HR Consultant, Insight HR

What changes when you're working in a unionised environment

The importance of building relationships with union representatives before you need to negotiate

Why preparation and good data are critical before sitting down at the negotiating table

Understanding your bargaining scope, red lines and existing union agreements

Why you should never make promises in the room that haven't been authorised

How to manage difficult or heated negotiations without taking things personally

The importance of listening and understanding what is really driving union demands

Why historic agreements and previous negotiations can still have a major influence today

What to do when negotiations begin to break down or strike action is threatened

When HR professionals should seek external HR or legal support

If you're dealing with a difficult employee relations issue, trade union negotiation, collective consultation or another complex HR challenge, the Insight HR team can help.

Get in touch with Insight HR:

The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR, where we speak with HR leaders, legal experts and workplace specialists from across Ireland about the issues shaping the future of work.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with colleagues or friends.

We're always keen to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

What can a reality TV show built around deception, suspicion and group dynamics teach us about how organisations really work?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, Mary Cullen and Dave Corkery are joined by Katelyn Divilly, organisational development consultant, leadership coach and former Traitor on the first season of The Traitors Ireland.

Drawing on Katelyn's background in work and organisational psychology – as well as her first-hand experience inside the castle – we explore the fascinating parallels between The Traitors and the workplace.

Why do informal leaders emerge within groups? Why are we so susceptible to groupthink? How quickly can labels become accepted as fact? And what happens when the systems and incentives inside an organisation encourage exactly the behaviours leaders say they don't want?

We also look at trust as the infrastructure behind high-performing teams, the difference between confidence and genuine leadership competence, and why technical high performers don't automatically make good managers.

Katelyn explains how organisational systems can unintentionally reward the wrong behaviours, while Mary explores what happens when influential individuals are allowed to behave poorly because they're considered too valuable to challenge.

Finally, we discuss what pressure reveals about leaders – and why self-management, emotional intelligence and strong relationships become even more important when things start going wrong.

- Here are more details on The Trust Equation that Katelyn mentioned in this episode. 

If some of the issues discussed in this episode sound familiar – from poor management and dysfunctional cultures to leadership development and organisational change – Insight HR can help.

We provide a range of Training & Development programmes for managers and leaders, as well as organisational culture audits and HR consultancy support tailored to your organisation.

Get in touch with the Insight HR team to find out more:

Email: [email protected]

And if you're new to The HR Room Podcast, make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow Insight HR on LinkedIn for more HR insights, webinars, resources and upcoming episodes.

Recent events at KPMG Australia have developed into a major corporate governance scandal, following allegations concerning the misuse of confidential client information and questions over how the organisation responded to the whistleblower who originally raised concerns.

In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, Dave and Mary are joined by Rebecca Bowman, Head of Investigations at Insight HR, to examine the case through an Irish HR and workplace investigations lens.

They explore what employers can learn from the KPMG controversy, what constitutes a protected disclosure under Irish law, and why simply having an investigation process isn't enough if that process isn't independent, rigorous and fair.

They also discuss what HR should do when a protected disclosure lands on their desk, when an external investigator should be brought in, the danger of treating a whistleblower as the problem rather than addressing the underlying concern, and why a poorly handled investigation can ultimately create far greater reputational and organisational damage than the original allegation.

Finally, the conversation looks beyond individual investigations to organisational culture: do employees genuinely feel safe speaking up when the issue they're raising goes to the heart of how the organisation operates?

Here are a few links to media articles covering the case: 

If you're not already following us on LinkedIn, we'd love to connect with you.

If you have suggestions for future podcast episodes, or would like to appear as a guest on The HR Room, contact Dave Corkery at [email protected] or connect with him on LinkedIn.

The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR, where we speak with HR leaders, legal experts and workplace specialists from across Ireland about the issues shaping the future of work.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with colleagues or friends.

We're always keen to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

For immediate HR support, contact Insight HR on 056 770 1060 or email [email protected].

What can a toxic CEO, a disgruntled employee and a desert island teach us about good HR practice? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, Dave and Mary are joined by Joe Redmond, HR Consultant at Insight HR, for another trip to the movies as they put the workplace practices in 2026's Send Help under the HR microscope.

The film follows Linda Liddell, a highly capable but socially awkward corporate strategist who finds herself stranded on a desert island with Bradley Preston – the toxic CEO who has repeatedly undermined her career. As the traditional workplace power dynamic begins to unravel, the film provides plenty of examples of exactly how not to manage people.

Using scenes from the film as a jumping-off point, Mary and Joe explore what these situations would look like in a real Irish workplace and what employers and HR professionals should do differently.

It's a slightly different – and considerably more cinematic – episode of The HR Room, but behind the desert island, plane crashes and Hollywood drama are some very real lessons about leadership, workplace culture, employee relations and fair process.

Because while you hopefully won't find yourself stranded on a desert island with a disgruntled employee anytime soon, the management decisions that got these characters there are much more familiar than you might think.

Here are the clips we discuss if you'd like to watch along:

Topics we cover include:

If you're not already following us on LinkedIn, we'd love to connect with you.

If you have suggestions for future podcast episodes, or would like to appear as a guest on The HR Room, contact Dave Corkery at [email protected] or connect with him on LinkedIn.

The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR, where we speak with HR leaders, legal experts and workplace specialists from across Ireland about the issues shaping the future of work.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with colleagues or friends.

We're always keen to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

For immediate HR support, contact Insight HR on 056 770 1060 or email [email protected].

We tend to think of procrastination and productivity problems at work as issues of motivation, discipline or time management. But what if the real barrier preventing someone from getting started is emotional?

In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, Dave is joined by Brendan Mahan, internationally recognised ADHD coach, host of the ADHD Essentials Podcast and author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful, to explore why people can sometimes find seemingly straightforward tasks incredibly difficult to begin.

Brendan introduces the concept of the “Wall of Awful” – the emotional barrier that can develop between us and tasks we've previously struggled with. Built from experiences of frustration, disappointment, guilt, shame and failure, that wall can make simply getting started feel exhausting. 

The conversation explores what this means in the workplace, particularly for managers and HR professionals dealing with performance issues, neurodiversity, procrastination and burnout. Brendan explains how changing the conversation from “Why aren't you doing this?” to understanding what's making the task difficult can create a safer and more productive route towards solving the underlying problem.

Brendan Mahan — Internationally Recognised ADHD Coach, Host of the ADHD Essentials Podcast & Author of Overcoming the Wall of Awful

Brendan's book, Overcoming the Wall of Awful, is available to buy now. You can also hear more from Brendan on the ADHD Essentials Podcast.

If you're not already following us on LinkedIn, we'd love to connect with you.

If you have suggestions for future podcast episodes, or would like to appear as a guest on The HR Room, contact Dave Corkery at [email protected] or connect with him on LinkedIn.

The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR, where we speak with HR leaders, legal experts and workplace specialists from across Ireland about the issues shaping the future of work.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with colleagues or friends.

We're always keen to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

For immediate HR support, contact Insight HR on 056 770 1060 or email [email protected].

Training and development can be a powerful tool for improving performance, but not every performance problem is a skills or knowledge problem. Sometimes what an employee really needs isn't another course or LMS module – it's clearer expectations, better feedback, coaching or simply an honest conversation.

In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, Dave and Mary Cullen are joined by Ann Halloran, Talent & Learning Development Professional and author of Helping Others Learn in the Workplace, to explore how managers and HR professionals can distinguish between genuine learning needs and wider performance issues.

Together, they discuss why managers can be too quick to reach for training as a solution, the importance of properly diagnosing the cause of underperformance, and why avoiding difficult conversations can allow relatively straightforward issues to become much bigger problems. They also explore what makes workplace learning genuinely effective, how managers can help new skills stick after training, and what organisations can do to create a stronger culture of continuous learning.

Ann Halloran — Talent & Learning Development Professional | Author, Helping Others Learn in the Workplace

Diagnose before you prescribe. Before recommending training, establish what's actually preventing someone from performing. Training won't solve unclear expectations, poor motivation, workplace conflict or a manager's reluctance to address an issue directly.

Training doesn't end when the course finishes. Managers play a critical role in helping employees transfer learning back into their day-to-day work through reinforcement, accountability, encouragement and ongoing feedback.

Don't ask employees to self-diagnose. Giving people access to a large library of LMS modules isn't the same as identifying their development needs. Managers need to be actively involved in understanding where performance or capability gaps exist.

Sometimes the answer is a conversation. If someone has the ability to perform but isn't doing so, another training course may achieve very little. Clear, specific and timely feedback can be far more effective.

Invest in your managers. Direct line managers have an enormous influence on how employees learn, develop and perform. Organisations that want a genuine learning culture need to equip managers with the communication, feedback, conflict management and performance management skills to support their teams effectively.

Ann's book, Helping Others Learn in the Workplace, is a practical guide designed for managers and trainers who are responsible for helping others learn but may never have been taught how to train effectively themselves. It is available to purchase here.

You can get the free checklist we mentioned in the podcast here.

If you're not already following us on LinkedIn, we'd love to connect with you.

If you have suggestions for future podcast episodes, or would like to appear as a guest on The HR Room, contact Dave Corkery at [email protected] or connect with him on LinkedIn.

The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR, where we speak with HR leaders, legal experts and workplace specialists from across Ireland about the issues shaping the future of work.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with colleagues or friends.

We're always keen to hear your feedback and suggestions for future episodes.

For immediate HR support, contact Insight HR on 056 770 1060 or email [email protected].