CIPD

What opportunities does building commercial acumen as a skillset bring for the profession? Does quality of management matter more than any productivity metric? And what does it take for organisations to be bold about AI, without being reckless? Lisa Pearl, People and Change Director at the CIPD, is joined by new CIPD Chief Executive, Neil Carberry. Recorded: 16 October 2026 --- Your next listen: C...

AI governance, the framework that ensures AI is deployed ethically, transparently and with proper accountability, is no longer a secondary concern. It is foundational to organisational stability and trust. Yet governance has not kept pace with implementation, exposing organisations to real business risks: loss of trust, reputational damage or litigation. But good AI governance doesn’t slow innovat...

The CIPD’s latest Resourcing and talent planning 2026 report , supported by Omni, reveals that an increasing number of organisations are extending their workforce planning timeframes from the short to the medium term. Overall, 24% take a short-term approach (up to six months), down from 31% in 2024. However just a fraction of organisations (16%) are planning more than two years into the future. So...

What does it really mean for an organisation to know its culture, and is it possible to borrow the best bits of someone else’s? Who should hold responsibility for shaping culture when roles and structures are shifting so fast? And as AI transforms the workplace, can it be a genuine ally in culture change rather than a threat to it? Leah De Silva, Senior Programme Manager for the CIPD Trust, is joi...

According to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are approximately 548,400 refugees in the UK – yet many highly qualified, experienced people remain locked out of meaningful work. Not by ability, but by structural barriers: recruitment processes that filter out valuable candidates, unrecognised or unfamiliar qualifications, and in many cases, a basic misconception among employers about whether refuge...

When it comes to AI-generated grievances, is this really a new problem for the profession, or a familiar one that AI has simply thrown into the spotlight? Has ‘resilience’ become a bit of a tainted word, quietly placing all the onus on the individual to cope? And during a period of labour market stagnation, how do organisations create the conditions for innovation to thrive without relying on an i...

Why does the question of L&D's return on investment refuse to go away, decade after decade? What does it really mean to measure success as a learning and development function — and are we often measuring the wrong things entirely? And as organisations transform at pace, what will businesses be asking of L&D professionals in five years' time that they aren't asking today? Jo Squires, CIPD L...

How often do we shy away from tough conversations, or avoid workplaces issues in the hope they’ll simply resolve themselves? It’s human instinct to avoid the uncomfortable, after all. But what impact is this avoidance having in our workplaces? Performance issues go unaddressed, poor behaviour gets worked around, and tension between colleagues is smoothed over rather than named. Left unresolved, th...

How can L&D build the infrastructure, capabilities and credibility needed to become a true growth engine within organisations? What role should L&D play as businesses adopt a more skills-based approach? And when it comes to habitual learning, is the responsibility with the organisation, the individual, or both? Jo Squires, CIPD Learning Designer is joined by David James, Chief Learning Off...

Curate, create, communicate – why are these three Cs so pivotal to future-proofing your career? What's the risk of dehumanising work through automation? And how can we help leaders think about the future without oversimplifying it or overwhelming them? CIPD Director of Profession David D'Souza is joined by Applied Futurist, Tom Cheesewright as they explore why planning for the future isn't a one-o...

As business priorities shift, skills shortages intensify and technology changes the nature of work, organisations need a clearer view of the skills and capabilities they have — and how to deploy them where they can create the greatest impact. But how can learning professionals support the building of new capability at pace and scale, when many organisations still struggle to see what skills exist...

HR People Pod – Ep 53: Progression conversations | ERA 2025: Probation | Relationship building What's the real cost when organisations avoid honest career progression conversations? As the qualifying period for unfair dismissal drops from two years to six months under the Employment Rights Act 2025, how ready are managers to really make probation periods count? And with managers stretched thinner...

What does courageous leadership really look like when the pressure is on? How can leaders move beyond assumptions and opaque messaging to create genuine clarity? And why is humility one of the most important pillars of good leadership? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by author, leadership coach and founder of Courageous Leadership Consultancy, Diana Osagie, to explore how leade...

For decades, jobs have helped organisations structure work, allocate responsibilities and make decisions about people. But as business priorities shift, skills shortages intensify and technology changes the nature of work, organisations need a clearer view of the skills and capabilities they have — and how to deploy them where they can create the greatest impact.    Join Nigel Cassidy an...

As agentic AI moves beyond being a tool and starts to act with greater autonomy, how should organisations think about trust, oversight and accountability? If entry-level roles are changing — or even shrinking — what does that mean for young people trying to take their first step into work, and for employers hoping to build future capability? And which pivotal career moments can change how HR profe...

It’s National Volunteers’ Week from the 1st to the 7th of June. The impact of volunteering on creating pathways and enhancing career opportunities both into and within the workplace is well known. But what about the benefits and rewards for those who offer their time as voluntary mentors? Plus, a recent People Management Magazine article suggests that only 15% of non-managers find the prospect of...

Financial wellbeing is often treated as a personal challenge, but money worries can have a direct impact on performance, absence, engagement and retention. More concerningly, just 15 per cent of UK organisations have a formal financial wellbeing policy or strategy, according to the CIPD’s latest Reward Survey 2026, supported by Everywhen. So, what role should people professionals play in supportin...

As organisations face growing pressure to perform, how can HR move beyond operational excellence to become a true driver of business performance? What does it take to put employee empowerment at the heart of the workplace and give people the trust and clarity to act with confidence? And with the pace of change only accelerating, how can the profession build the mindset needed for genuine change re...

What do senior HR leaders wish they had known before stepping into a CPO or HRD role? How can organisations move beyond vague talk of “future skills” and build a practical view of workforce capability? And when employees increasingly work beyond their formal remit, is that simply the reality of modern work — or a sign of workload creep?  CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by...

As use of artificial intelligence moves beyond experimentation, are organisations starting to see real value – or struggling to turn promise into impact? As AI experimentation gives way to scaled adoption, the pressure is on to achieve tangible returns while managing new risks for people, jobs and organisational culture. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Gr...

Why are HR professionals still feeling forced to hide their disabilities just to get hired? Could an AI version of your CEO really replace human leadership — and what happens when technology starts delivering the messages people most need to hear from a real person? And when engagement is falling and productivity remains stubbornly low, are organisations solving the wrong problems altoge...

How do you take culture from something leaders instinctively talk about to something they can genuinely understand, measure and act on? What can one of the largest behavioural studies of its kind tell us about the link between culture and business outcomes? And if traditional measures like engagement only tell part of the story where should people professionals look for a clear...

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? CIP...

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 Tale...

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 m...