Digital innovation has continued to move at an unprecedented pace, and few would argue the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has shifted the model for organisations, and equally, if not more so, in the realm of L&D. 2023 research from the CIPD revealed that just 5% of respondents currently use AI to support L&D, with a modest 6% additionally planning to use AI into 2024. So, is an untapped opportunity waiting for the curious L&D professional to uncover? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Radha Bharj, Co-founder of Rythmik and Erica Farmer, Co-founder of Quantum Rise, as we explore how learning professionals can embrace the disruption AI offers to increase their capacity to deliver impactful and effective learning for organisations?

Awareness of what it means to be neurodivergent has grown amongst employers, as well as the understanding of the value this talent pool offers the organisation. But what does it mean to be neuroinclusive? Are we in danger of pigeon-holing or shoehorning neurodivergent talent into specific roles? And is there more that we can do to create workplaces that respond to individual working preferences? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Kevin Lyons, Senior HR Manager at Pearson; Alex Hirst, Co-founder of Hoxby; and Dr Jill Miller, Senior Diversity and Inclusion Policy Adviser at CIPD, as we explore how you can make your organisation more neuroinclusive.

There’s no time to lose in making our businesses environmentally sustainable, but among the myriad of responsibilities falling on the shoulders of people professionals, what role can you play as agents of change within the environment agenda? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Dr Jan Maskell, Business Psychologist; Gilda Neiman, Board Director at Chapter Zero in Brussels; and Susannah Haan, Senior Corporate Governance Advisor, as we explore how people professionals can better influence boards and senior leaders while also embedding sustainable checkpoints in your day-to-day processes.

The role of a people professional can often feel like an impossible task, being pulled from pillar to post in one of the most multi-faceted jobs in the organisation. Given the growing portfolio of responsibilities that people professionals need to manage, and the expectations around that, what does it take to thrive in this complex role? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Laura Callahan, Director at Willow HR; David Balls, Chief People Officer at Newcross Healthcare Solutions; and Peter Cheese, Chief Executive at CIPD, as we explore the skills, behaviours and competencies required to create the ‘unicorn’ people professional.

Learning professionals may not be asked to ‘show me the money’, but they will be expected to demonstrate value and return on investment. So, what can learning professionals do to best set themselves up for success? Could the answer lie in simply asking the right questions to properly diagnose an organisation’s real learning need? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Natalie Richer, Natalie Richer Consulting; Payal Gaglani-Bhatt, Chief People Officer at The Little Gurus; and Steve George, Interim Head of Learning and Development at CIPD, as we explore how learning professionals can ask the right questions to better understand and diagnose the real learning requirement for your organisation or client.

CIPD’s latest health and wellbeing at work report revealed that sickness absence is at a ten-year high and that wellbeing support for individuals at different life stages can be patchy. So, how can organisations offer sophisticated and nuanced wellbeing support without truly understanding the individual needs of their people? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Krystal Wilkinson, Associate Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University; Nick Pahl, CEO at Society of Occupational Medicine; and Rachel Suff, Senior Policy Advisor at CIPD, as we explore how your organisation can better understand and tailor individual support for the different wellbeing needs of your people.

How are you balancing new working freedoms with post-Covid realities? For many organisations, remote working was a boon that enabled their businesses to carry on through the pandemic. All the while their people uncovered and experienced the benefits that working remotely had to offer. But as we unwind from the pandemic, some organisations that had seemingly settled on a balanced hybrid approach are making headlines for scaling back offering flexible remote working. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Danielle Harmer, Chief People Officer at Aviva; Kevin Lyons, Senior HR Manager at Pearson; and Claire McCartney, Senior Policy Advisor at CIPD, as we explore how your organisation can take a more nuanced, deliberate approach to hybrid working.

Despite increased resources in most organisations, CIPD’s 2023 Learning at Work survey found that over half of L&D teams had intensified workloads over the last year. This has left L&D professionals battling with a lack of capacity, puzzling over business priorities and with a lack of insight about what is needed. So, what can learning professionals do about it? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Sonali Narendran, Talent and Learning Partner at Starbucks; Laura Overton, Founder at Learning Changemakers; and Andy Lancaster, Head of Learning at CIPD, as we explore a number of practical solutions to help you overcome capacity barriers and deliver impactful learning.

Is your cybersecurity training fit for purpose? There’s a common perception that cybersecurity is an issue for the IT function, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that modern cyber-criminals have mastered the psychological techniques of manipulating their target to perform a specific action, making the issue of cyber-security a far more human issue than you may think. So, how can people professionals get on top of the issue, better understand their people and then identify where the risks might lie? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Shelby Flora, Managing Director at Accenture; Tim Ward, CEO at ThinkCyber; and Tarquin Foliss OBE, Vice Chairman at SASIG as we unpack the human side and behavioural science of cybersecurity.

Have we over-expanded the remit of people managers? As the world and the workplace have become increasingly complex, management requirements and expectations are expanding exponentially. So, what steps can People Professionals take to support managers, to relieve the risk of being overwhelmed, and equip them with the competencies and behaviours to thrive? Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Zofia Bajorek, Research Fellow at Institute of Employment Studies; Wayne Clarke, Founding Partner and Leadership and Management Expert at Global Growth Institute and Amanda Arrowsmith, People and Transformation Director at CIPD, as we discuss how people professionals can best support managers to tackle the demands of a new era of people management.

Do we need to start thinking differently, perhaps more creatively, to reengage your people with organisational learning? For many, a perception exists that traditional approaches to organisation training have become stale. It’s imperative for learning professionals to remain curious and open minded towards new techniques and methods, in order to get the best from their programmes. Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests: Andy Hoang, Founder of Beyond Blocks, Rita Isaac, Learning Coordinator at CIPD and David Hayden, Learning Content Manager at CIPD as we discuss how L&D professionals can incorporate the element of surprise and tap into human emotions to help people learn more effectively.