The HR Observer Podcast

In this episode we talk with Hadassah Vorm, trauma therapist and leadership coach on how our trauma affects the way we work. Vorm who is an expert in helping people manage their emotions, explains that confronting ourselves is the first step to ensure we heal and manage our workplace relations. 

In this episode, Mahesh Shahdadpuri, founder and CEO of TASC Outsourcing, talks about into the driving forces behind building and leading his firm. Shahdadpuri shares his journey to leadership and the crucial lessons learned along the way.  

Anant Sharma is the CEO and co-founder of Matter Of Form, a London-based brand and digital experience design agency. With a passion for innovation and storytelling, Anant leads his team in creating transformative experiences for global brands. He has extensive expertise in digital strategy and has worked across various industries, helping businesses embrace creative solutions that drive growth and...

In this episode Dr Frederick Morgeson, Eli Broad Professor of Management discusses how structural hierarchies influence the way employees behave in their organisations.  "The trend over time has been to flatten levels by getting rid of structures," explains Moregson. "One of the reasons why we see this flattening is cost control. if you can remove layers of management you have less...

This episode is part of a disability inclusion series  on The HR Observer podcast. In this episode, guest interviewer Nicole Stewart is talking about neurodiversity. “Differences in brain function and behaviour should be seen as normal,” Stewart said. These include autism, ADHD, dyslexia. “They are a natural  part of human diversity.” Topics covered in this podcast episode includes: Understanding...

In this interview with The HR Observer, Jo O’Driscoll-Kearney, the Chief Learning Officer at Majid Al Futtaim identifies two key areas of focus in today's L&D environment which are the ownership of learning and the pace at which learning must adapt to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

In this episode, Kate Maddison- Greenwell, the CEO of PeopleEfficient talks about how companies can help motivate remote workers and boost their productivity.   She highlights the potential benefits of remote and hybrid work environments, including improved productivity, well-being, and inclusivity. Kate stressed the importance of strong leadership, effective communication, and the provision of th...

In this episode, Keynote speaker and author Paul Gibbon talks about the importance of putting people first. Gibbon emphasised the importance of prioritising people over technology when implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in organisations.  He argued that leaders must first educate themselves and their teams to understand the potential uses and applications of AI across various functions, suc...

In this episode, Nicole Stewart, the Director of Organisational Culture and Inclusion at Dubai Holding  is the guest interviewer talking to Jeff Strachan, the AVP Dubai Economy & Tourism at Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism  and Saira Sayed, the Director of Opportunties at Immclusive. The discussion focuses on the efforts and successes in promoting disability inclusion in the tourism and...

In this interview, Arshy Ahmed, the CEO & Founder of Flying Hedgehogs discusses the concept of grief at work.  Arshy explains that grief at work often arises when employees feel unrecognised and unappreciated for their contributions, leading to a cyclical pattern of behavior that can disrupt their work.  Whilst it is not widely acknowledged, grief at work must be explained to employees in orde...

Laila Yousef Al Hassan is the lead on the Parent-friendly Label (PFL), a workplace award program, the only one of its kind in the region, that recognizes and honors parent-friendly workplaces across the UAE.  Through the PFL program, she is helping to usher in a new era for workplaces across the country where they lead with compassion and understanding for the needs of working parents of young chi...

Jason Averbook, Senior Partner at Mercer spoke to The HR Observer about the importance of digital transformation in the workforce. He said that for HR professionals to adapt and shift their focus from simply counting people to making them count, they need to look at the skills and competencies within their workforce.  Averbook explains that HR professionals lead digital transformation by looking a...

Nathalia Klein, CHRO at Allsopp & Allsopp Group talks to The HR Observer about how her primary focus is on employee retention and development. She believes that ensuring employee engagement and providing a good progression pathway for employees are crucial to their happiness and development; hence engagement and retention. Nathalia also highlighted the importance of nurturing and managing the...

In this episode, Sunita Menon, the CHRO of Data Flows Group, shares her journey to her current role at a company with a large number of employees across various locations. She reflected on her 20-year journey in HR, which spanned multiple industries and domains, and the benefits of her diverse experiences. Sunita emphasized that integrity and ethics are key qualities in a successful HR professiona...

In this episode, Dina Mohammad- Laity, a data scientist, shared her experiences and challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field.  She emphasized the importance of nurturing a collaborative and empathetic environment, having more women in leadership roles to encourage diversity.  benefits  Dina stressed the importance of effective communication, maintaining up-to-date industry knowledge,...

In this episode,  Mohamed Zarooni, the Senior Vice President and Country HR Officer at CITI Bank talks about the best case practices of recruitment.  Zarooni talks about the challenges of meeting recruitment targets, especially in niche talent markets, and the importance of maintaining engagement and communication with employees to ensure long-term retention. 

In this episode, Ramona Da Game, the business strategist talks about the significance of strategy within any company to achieve the required talent management.  She spoke about the the importance of strategic planning in businesses, highlighting the need for effective leadership that motivates and values team members.

In this episode, Lutz Wilson, acting head of design at Masdar City talks about the inspiration behind building the place. Wilson talks about how people can envision their products to be able to implement them and reach their goals. 

In this episode, Beth Yoder, the Wellbeing, Diversity & Inclusion Officer at the University of Groningen discusses how can companies ensure they are both diverse and inclusive.

In this episode Farid Khan, Head of HR at Mondelēz International, explains how the company ensure the workplace practices sustainability.  In this interview, Khan talks about the key practices that make a business unique on the front of encouraging sustainability within the workforce. 

In this episode, Randall Peterson, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Academic Director, Leadership Institute at  the London Business School discusses the methods by which companies can identify and enhance employees capabilities in order to avoid quiet quitting.  Peterson has published a lot of research in the fields of organisational behaviour with a focus on CEO personalities, leading di...

In this episode  Jafar Shunnar, Co-founder and CTO of The Talent Acceleration Platform (TAP) talks about how his organisations helps prepare Palestinian youth to fill in the talent gaps.  Shunnar believes that remote working can help increase global productivity by matching companies with the right talent with no extra cost of movement. TAP is a Palestinian-Dutch edtech and career acceleration sta...

Özden Yiğit, is the Head of Human Resources – Bayer Middle East and leads a regional HR team. Through her current role, she is responsible for 16 countries which has given her the experience to create corporate cultures that promote continuous talent development and high-performance culture. In this episode, she talks about her experience in leading multi-cultural teams and what companies can do t...

In this episode, Professor Fiona Robson, Head of Edinburgh Business School and Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Dubai discusses the importance of culture in the workplace.