The Work Couch

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

In our third live episode, recorded before a special audience of RPC clients, host Ellie Gelder is joined by three leading voices across academia, business and industry to explore the workforce revolution and how AI and emerging technologies fit into the future of work.

The panel, featuring Professor Catherine Barnard, Professor of European law and employment law at the University of Cambridge, Mark Goyder, Founder of Tomorrow's Company, and Jake Wall, Policy Manager - Skills and Future of Work at techUK, share their insights on:

• AI capability gaps and upskilling across the whole organisation on the responsible use of AI and technology at work;
• the limitations of UK legislation in regulating employment matters in respect of AI and how the EU approach compares;
• building workforce adaptability while also fostering a sense of belonging;
• opportunities and challenges in the skills and training landscape;
• what tomorrow's organisations will look like, including the increase in platform work;
• raising the visibility of pathways into work and practical shifts to apprenticeships, internships and graduate roles; and
• protecting the value of the individual and critical human skills in an increasingly tech-dominated world.

Please note: This episode was recorded on 7 October 2026 in front of a live audience at RPC's London offices as part of the Employment, Engagement and Equality team's panel event exploring AI, technology and the workforce revolution.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer.

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

References

1. Research by the Chartered Management Institute Artificial Intelligence; Real Leadership: The Management Imperative in AI Adoption (June 2026)

2. Government research Skills for AI: What works for AI upskilling in the UK and the Primes framework (10 June 2026)

3. Review by the Institute for Future of Work Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing

4. Government AI Skills Boost Programme

5. Government interim report on Young people and work (May 2026)

6. Early Careers Jobs Alliance

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

Marking Menopause Awareness Month this October, host Ellie Gelder is joined by Rachel Suff, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser, Employee Relations & Wellbeing at the CIPD, and RPC's Charlotte White, Partner in the Employment, Engagement & Equality team, to revisit menopause at work.

It's been over three years since our very first episode, which we devoted to the impact of menopause at work. So this week, we're asking what’s improved? What’s still missing? And how can employers prepare for legislative change and turn awareness into sustained action?

Together, Rachel and Charlotte discuss:

• their personal and professional perspectives and the importance of culture to facilitate open conversations about menopause;
• the legal considerations, including discrimination risks and the introduction of equality action plans under the Employment Rights Act 2025;
• low-cost but effective measures of support and practical adjustments for non-office roles;
• the role of line managers; and
• how to gauge if menopause initiatives are effecting meaningful change.

Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer.

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1. Employment Rights Act 2025
2. CIPD research on the menopause (4 October 2023)
3. Missing from the Workplace research commissioned by Benenden Health (23 January 2026)
4. Government guidance on equality action plans introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 (13 May 2026)
5. Rooney v Leicester City Council (7 October 2021)
6. Menopause discrimination: Where are we now? RPC article (16 November 2023)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

As we edge closer to major anti-harassment reforms coming into force on 30 October, we're continuing to focus on what these mean for consumer brands and retailers.

Host Ellie Gelder is joined by Joanna Bracegirdle, Head of People at Bravissimo, and Tom Walker-Drake, Learning Partner and Belonging Lead at Bravissimo, to share the practical measures, training and cultural initiatives they are implementing to keep their people safe.

Together, they share their insights on:

• the importance of undertaking a joined-up risk assessment and mapping every third party touchpoint;
• how to make the organisation's expectations explicit to third parties;
• building practical safeguards into frontline work and reducing exposure in higher-risk areas; and
• devising training that creates confidence, not just compliance.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1. Employment Rights Act 2025
2. The Work Couch podcast: Preventing sexual harassment: What does "all reasonable steps" mean for consumer brands and retailers? With Joanna Holford, RPC and Chris Shearer-Wright, Oliver Bonas

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

As employers prepare for major workplace harassment reforms, which come into force on 30 October, we discuss what these changes mean for the consumer brand and retail sector, where the risks can be especially complex.

Host Ellie Gelder is joined by Joanna Holford, Senior Associate in RPC's Employment, Engagement and Equality team, and Chris Shearer-Wright, Senior EDI and Community Partnerships Manager at Oliver Bonas, to explore how consumer brand and retail employers can embed effective preventative measures.

Together, they share their insights on:

• the shift to "all reasonable steps" and moving beyond one-off policies and generic training to an embedded prevention programme;
• why third-party harassment is the operational flashpoint in the consumer brands and retail sector;
• using risk assessments to identify hotspots and design proportionate controls;
• the importance of line manager capability and accessible reporting channels; and
• the impact of other related changes introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025, for example whistleblowing classification and limits on NDAs.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1. Employment Rights Act 2025

2. British Retail Consortium (BRC) Retail Crime Survey 2025

3. BRC Diversity & Inclusion Charter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment. 

Continuing our mini-series on AI in the employment lifecycle, in part 2, we're discussing how employers are using AI once people are in post - particularly in relation to performance management, attendance and workforce management, and retention - and how to manage the associated legal, cultural and wellbeing risks.

Host Ellie Gelder is joined by senior associate Charli Mackenzie and trainee solicitor Josh Wilder, both from RPC's Employment, Engagement and Equality team. Together, they share their insights on:

• AI is being used in practice across performance, attendance and retention;
• Key risks to watch, including creating a surveillance culture, lack of transparency or explainability, and bias or discrimination risk when AI outputs influence HR decisions;
• What "good" looks like in governance and the importance of building safeguards before roll-out of an AI tool;
• How to handle AI-generated insights when they feed into capability, disciplinary or dismissal processes; and
• What's on the horizon, including the government’s consultation on workplace monitoring technologies.

Join us for part 3 later this year, when we will explore digital twins, AI-driven workforce planning, and what the future employment relationship might look like as these technologies become more sophisticated.

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1.Work Couch podcast AI in the employment lifecycle (Part 1): Recruitment and data protection, with Patrick Brodie and Jon Bartley

2.Government consultation Make Work Pay: workplace monitoring technologies (closes on 30 September 2026)

3.ICO guidance on employment monitoring and AI (under review)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment. 

In this episode, we unpack the trade union reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 and what they mean for employers in practice - from recognition and facilities, to a new union access framework and changes to blacklisting rules.

Host Ellie Gelder is joined by Drew Chateau, associate, and Briana Cumberbatch, trainee solicitor, both from our Employment, Engagement & Equality team, who share their insights on:

• Statutory union recognition changes, including new thresholds and what employers should do when a recognition request lands;
• Expanded rights for trade union representatives, including paid time off, "reasonable facilities", and the new equality representative role;
• The new statement of trade union rights: what it is, when it must be issued, and practical implementation pitfalls;
• The proposed workplace access framework, including key response/negotiation timeframes and the role of the Central Arbitration Committee;
• Blacklisting reforms and the growing importance of third-party and data/AI due diligence in recruitment and workforce decisions; and
• Top tips to ensure business readiness for the upcoming reforms.

The Work Couch will bring you more updates on the Employment Rights Act (ERA) as they develop. In the meantime, you can keep on top of all of the 25 plus employment law reforms introduced by the ERA - as well as access key watch-outs – by signing up to our ERA tracker, a free resource which is regularly updated by the Employment, Engagement & Equality team.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1.   Draft Trade Unions (Right to Access Workplaces) Regulations 2026

2.   Trade Unions (Right to Access Workplaces) (Required Information) Regulations 2026

3.   Draft Code of Practice: Right of trade unions to access workplaces

4.   Draft Acas Code of Practice: Time Off for Trade Union Duties and Activities

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

Content warning: The following content is about real experiences of caring and the pressures that can come with navigating systems around support for children, which some people might find distressing.

To mark Carers Week - and this year's theme of building carer-friendly communities - we are devoting a two-part conversation to colleagues who are balancing their work with caring for their neurodivergent children, and how employers can implement effective support at work.

In part two, we explore what good employer support looks like in practice and the legal considerations that organisations should have on their radar.

Host Ellie Gelder is joined by Zahra Lakhan-Bunbury, Account Manager at Employers for Carers, (the workplace arm of Carers UK), Sheena Goodey, Central Services Manager at Carers First, and Charlotte Reid, Senior Associate in RPC's Employment, Engagement & Equality team.

Together, they discuss:

• the findings of the recently published Tipping Point report and why unpaid carers leave work;
• the existing statutory entitlement to time off for parent carers, including statutory carers leave and the "patchwork" of other leave options;
• what effective employer support looks like beyond the minimum;
• the importance of visibility, disclosure – including carer passports - and peer networks; and
• practical actions for employers, for example paid carers leave where possible, manager upskilling, leadership role-modelling, and tracking take-up and data.

Please note: This episode was recorded before the government launched its consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children. Employers, stakeholders and carers are encouraged to provide feedback and can respond to the consultation here.

Listen to Part 1: Unseen realities of working and caring for neurodivergent children, with Caroline Withers, Michaela Gibson and Rachel Pears here.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

To access further support, you may wish to visit: Carers UK, Carers First, Support SEND kids and for those of you working in the insurance sector, please visit Insurance Families Network.

References

1. Carers Week report: Building Carer Friendly Communities (June 2026)
2. Government consultation: Make Work Pay: Employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children (Open until 1 September 2026)
3. Research by Sense: Nearly half of all parents fear educational support will be taken away from their disabled children (January 2026)
4. Report by Department for Work & Pensions: The cost of working age ill-health and disability that prevents work (March 2025)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

Content warning: The following content is about real experiences of caring and the pressures that can come with navigating systems around support for children, which some people might find distressing.

To mark Carers Week - and this year's theme of building carer-friendly communities - we are devoting a two-part conversation to colleagues who are balancing their work with caring for their neurodivergent children, and how employers can implement effective support at work.

In part one, we focus on the lived reality, what colleagues and line managers can often misunderstand, and what can make all the difference between someone staying and thriving at work or quietly stepping back, burning out or leaving altogether.

Host Ellie Gelder is joined by a panel of parent carers from across industry: Caroline Withers, Legal Director at Virgin Media O2 and trustee at Carers First, Michaela Gibson, Head of DEI at Standard Life and founder of Insurance Families Network, and Rachel Pears, Associate Director, Responsible Business & Employment Counsel, RPC. Together, they discuss:

• their own experiences as parent carers, including the associated unpredictability, hypervigilance and the need for real-time flexibility;
• how workplace culture and line manager response shape whether parent carers can stay and thrive in work;
• the importance of visibility and disclosing caring needs, while also protecting privacy and careers;
• intersectional nuances and harmful assumptions; and
• the employer benefits and practical tools that have helped them to stay, and progress, in their careers.

In Part 2, we'll explore what good employer support actually looks like in practice, and the legal considerations organisations should have on their radar.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

To access further support, you may wish to visit: Carers UK, Carers First, Support SEND kids and for those of you working in the insurance sector, please visit Insurance Families Network.

References

1. Mind the caring gap: Exploring the impact of caring responsibilities in the legal sector (Report by RPC, LawCare and Next 100 Years, June 2024)
2. Government consultation: Make Work Pay: Employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children (Open until 1 September 2026)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

In our third Work Couch live episode, host Ellie Gelder interviews Sandra Lewin, founder of 100 Women in Insurance, as part of an evening of collective conversation and networking hosted by RPC's FIG and the Gender Inclusion Network. 

Together, they discuss the topic of imposter syndrome, including:

• what imposter syndrome is and how it can feel in high-stakes, regulated roles, particularly in the insurance and financial services sectors;
• intersectionality and belonging: how background and identity can intensify imposter feelings;
• the importance of networks and community;
• "confidence" versus "competence", and how language used in feedback and performance reviews can adversely impact women;
• how to manage comparison triggers such as social media; and
• practical tools to overcome stress, burnout and imposter feelings.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

• 100 Women in Insurance podcast: An honest conversation about inclusion at work, with Teniola Tijani
• 100 Women in Insurance podcast: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and Building a Successful Career with Zoe Parsons
• 100 Women in Insurance podcast: Defining career success, without comparison trap with Suneeta Padda and Sam Nowell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

Content warning: The following content explores themes around addiction in a workplace context, including substance use and gambling, which some people might find distressing.

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we are devoting a two-part conversation to explore how substance use and other addictive coping behaviours can show up in high-pressure environments, including the legal sector - and what a more recovery-informed, psychologically safe culture looks like in practice.

In part two, and building on this year's theme of action, we discuss how we can be effective allies and outline the practical actions employers, managers and colleagues can take to support people in and beyond recovery. Host Ellie Gelder is joined once again by Steve McCann and Becky Banks from MCG Consulting - a pioneering consultancy specialising in addiction awareness, recovery-informed inclusion and workplace culture transformation – and completing the panel, Charlotte Reid, senior associate in our Employment, Engagement & Equality team.

Together, they discuss:

• what allyship does and does not mean in the context of recovery and beyond;
• how allyship can strengthen an employer's legal and regulatory obligations, for example duties owed to the FCA and SRA;
• institutional allyship and the shift in attitude among regulators;
• how support in US law firms compares to UK firms;
• creating psychologically safe work cultures;
• and training line managers on recognising patterns and handling disclosures sensibly.

Listen to part 1 here: Shattering the stigma and shifting mindsets 

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please subscribe to be notified when new episodes release. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

To access further support on addiction issues, you may wish to visit: Alcohol Change UK, Smart Recovery, GAMCare (for gambling related harm) or We Are With You.

References

• Work Couch podcast "Addiction at work: Disciplinary or wellbeing issue?" (10 April 2024)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.