The Green Room: Questions That Matter Most In Business

Talking about disability at work isn't something new. But how has the conversation changed over the years? And is it changing fast enough? There are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK. That's one in five. And it's something that can affect us all - whether personally, or through friends, family, and colleagues. The world of work is changing rapidly. From the spaces we work in, to our hiring an...

Many of us are trying to change something. No matter who we are or where we live, we want to make our corner of the world a little bit better for those around us. Around the world, people continue to inspire us by standing up for what they believe in. Climate school strikes. LGBTQ+ rights. #MeToo. And Black Lives Matter, to name a few.  These movements are all vital if we're to create a more equal...

Hybrid working. It sounds like the shiny solution to what the future of work is going to look like. But we wouldn't blame you if you felt part excited, part wondering how it's all going to work.​ The past 18 months or so have been challenging. But hey, we've learnt some valuable lessons about what we really want from work. Next stop: taking those positives to create workplaces, whether they're vir...

Many of us can relate to taking pride in performing to the highest level we're capable of. Writing the best essay we can at school. Running that 5k in the park against the clock every Saturday. Nailing our first 100 days in the new job, even if we're still learning. Doing the best we can – every single day.   But what does it take to be the best you can be? And perhaps more importantly, how do you...

What does it mean to be responsible? There's no right answer. In fact, it's easy to get it wrong.   Every day we make decisions. Driven by what we believe in. What we stand for. And our sense of purpose.   In our personal lives, it might be showing up for our best friend when they need us, paying our bills on time, and educating ourselves on the big issues in the world around us.   In business, it...

Vehicles running on clean electricity for miles. It seemed like something out of a movie – until it wasn't.​ The modern car invented by Karl Benz and produced for the masses by Henry Ford has changed the world. Mobility. Convenience. Status. Freedom. And lots of emotion. Everyone has a story about their first car or that epic road trip down the coast.​ But there's a new player on the market. It dr...

We've seen female leaders applauded for their responses to the global pandemic. Female activists driving the agenda on climate change, period poverty and everything in between. And laws being reformed in support of gender equality all around the world. From politics to the boardroom, women are flipping the narrative that empathy and warmth indicate weakness. They're telling other women looking up...

We're all looking for a little hope at the moment. Since we launched The Green Room two years ago, we've seen the world around us change in so many ways. We wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on some of the incredible conversations we've been lucky enough to take part in. As we look back over the 29 episodes we've recorded, we realised that there are so many reasons to be hopeful and exc...

They say money makes the world go round. And it's not untrue. At the very least, it keeps our washing machines going round, the wheels on our cars spinning and the hours you clock in at work ticking. But if money is so embedded in our lives, why don't we talk about it more? Why is it so hard to understand? And why are some people excluded when it comes to matters of finance? As children, we're tau...

It's hard to think of a part of our lives that isn't impacted by technology. It's made our world more connected. Our work easier to do. Limitless choice at our fingertips. But it's also contributed to a society that consumes more resources than ever before. We replace instead of repair. We upgrade instead of keep. We follow trends rather than embrace the timeless. Are these technologies enough to...

Hands up if you had a trip cancelled because of COVID-19. As the pandemic continues to evolve, spending time abroad, exploring that new city or walking along a deserted beach may have to wait a little longer. Since lockdown, some of us have been discovering our local areas. Others probably need a holiday now more than ever. We can't imagine a future without travel. It's a fundamental part of human...

Humans are funny creatures. We wake up and brew ourselves a cuppa, using only our favourite teabags of course. We butter our bread using our favourite spreads (or not, you love it or you hate it after all) and we message our friends on our mobiles, the same make we've had for the last decade. Some of these brands have been around for generations. But we keep going back for more. And it doesn't mak...

How often do you think about race? If you're white, chances are – rarely. That's because you're unlikely to be the only person in a room who looks like you. If you're Black, race defines your experience from the day you are born. The street you grow up in. The school you attend. The friends you make. The jobs you go for. We might say we don't see colour, but our skin marks every aspect of our live...

When our CEO Richard Houston took on the role in 2019, he spoke to our hosts about starting a new job and preparing for his next step. He was prepared for a challenging year, with uncertainty around Brexit, the ongoing audit debate and the pressures of life at the top. But what he couldn't predict was a global pandemic. A pandemic that would turn our lives upside down and change the world forever....

At 23:00 on January 31, three years and four months after the EU referendum, the UK officially stopped being a member of the EU.  In that time, we've had three prime ministers and two general elections, with countless disagreements, debates and unexpected turns along the way. Newspapers around the world kept us up to date with daily headlines. Families across the country banned the B-word from the...

Over the last few decades, businesses have struggled to keep up with our demand for more. Supermarkets provided us with a dazzling selection of affordable ready meals. Online retailers gave us a fresh look at the click of a button. We bought new phones every year, sipped lattes from plastic cups and splurged on the latest beauty products without thinking twice.  But things are beginning to change....

We live in a data-driven world. And it would be pretty difficult to exist in it without sharing information about who we are and what we like. But are we trading our privacy for the convenient life data gives us? How far are we willing to go? Where is this valuable information going? And what happens when it all goes wrong? For our first episode of season three, we're discussing something about ou...

Back in 2016, economists said Brexit was unlikely to happen and the media reported that Hillary Clinton was a safe bet for the US presidency. Since then, it's fair to say that world events have taken an unexpected turn. But why didn't we see it coming? Did the experts really get it wrong or are we being unfair? In an ever evolving business and economic landscape, is certainty now a thing of the pa...

From smarter healthcare to remote working, there's no doubt that technology has had a positive impact on our lives. But there are downsides too. In an always-on world, how is constant connection affecting our mental and physical health? Or is it too early to tell? As our lives move online, how can we be sure that businesses are keeping our data secure? Should we completely switch off from technolo...

Tax forms. Mortgages. Pensions. Most of us have to deal with them at some point in our lives, but do we really understand them? We all know we'll have to take control of our finances when we 'grow up', but we don't always know where to start. In fact, our research shows that most people in the UK do not understand their personal tax affairs, with the younger generations the most confused. So why a...

Today's younger generation are the most informed, educated, connected generation in human history, with a lot of ideas too. Every day, we're seeing young activists hitting the headlines in their drive make the world a better place. But are young people really more engaged, or do they just have a bigger platform? Are we listening to them in the workplace and society? And how do we balance this ener...

Comical stereotypes of dads often show fatherhood as a bit of fun. Think dad dancing, dad jokes, dad bods and daddy day care. But with more dads than ever before now actively involved in parenting, is this really the case? Are we fuelling these stereotypes by treating working parents differently? And why are people still surprised when dads do decide to take on an active parenting role? How can wo...

We all have mental health, in the same way we all have physical health. So why do we only talk about it when something goes wrong? Why don't we look after our mental health until we have to? And why are we more likely to make time to go to the gym than we are to take time out for our mental wellbeing? Is it time we stopped talking about mental and physical health and just talked about 'health' ins...

Starting a new job can be daunting, as our new CEO Richard Houston knows only too well. As he approaches his first 100 days on the job, we're talking first day nerves and how to prepare for taking the next step. This week, we'll be getting to know all about Richard and how he's settling in to his new job. What made him decide to go for it? Is it everything he expected? And how do you find time for...

In a modern world dominated by software, has coding become the most important language of all? Or are we focusing on tech skills at the expense of all others... How do we ensure the next generation is properly equipped to enter the future workforce, and make sure they're not left behind? This week we're talking to experts representing both sides of the coding coin – in schools and in the workforce...