Series 4: That's a Wrap!

One of the biggest topics in conversation currently within a professional setting is AI and how it can change the working world, with the fear that it could eradicate some roles. Today our CEO and Host Stuart Elliott is joined by Nicky Garcea, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Cappfinity to talk about the use of AI in the Talent Acquisition space.

In this episode, Stuart and Nicky discuss how Nicky came to set up Cappfinity; a skills-based talent intelligence business, they then cover where organisations currently sit in their relationship with AI, and whether candidates are more likely to use AI to secure a role. They also speak about current guidelines and regulations in relation to AI and automation. In contrast to AI being a predominant focus, there has been attention placed on skills-based hiring and development and Stuart and Nicky discuss whether the two conflict or complement each other. As the conversation draws to a close, Stuart asks where Nicky believes this topic would sit in 12 months and again in 5 years.

Nicky has a career spanning over 20+ years and is a chartered industrial and organisational psychologist passionate about how behavioural science can support the use of technology and AI in talent solutions. She has led on talent initiatives for over 250 global organisations, often in support of widening their talent pipelines. Nicky was featured on TAtech’s list of 100 Most Influential Talent Acquisition Thought Leaders and has co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work, she has also been featured in Forbes, Protocol, HR.com, Recruiter, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.

Key Timestamps:

• 01:50 – Introducing Nicky Garcea and Cappfinity
• 12:26 – When did Nicky first hear about AI?
• 16:28 – What are organisations currently doing with AI?
• 22:09 – Candidates using AI to help secure roles
• 28:54 – Guidelines and regulations regarding AI
• 32:25 – Skills-based learning and development
• 37:46 – Soft skills vs hard skills
• 39:52 – The difference in AI in 12 months and in 5 years 
• 43:30 – Advice for CHRO’s regarding AI

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

When building a career within HR it is important to consider the building blocks to success and the necessity to nurture and adapt to different cultures and ways of thinking. Today, joining our host, Stuart Elliott is Chief Talent and Learning Officer at Jardine Matheson, Peter Attfield to discuss his long spanning HR journey and his keys to success to ensure a flourishing and fulfilling career.  

In this episode, Stuart and Peter delve into how Peter moved from external consulting into an internal HR function, the important building blocks that have aided him throughout his career including embracing different cultures and building a strong network of peers who challenge and push the boundaries of your thinking, as well as his key takeaways from living and working in over nine countries. Peter highlights his greatest achievements throughout his extensive career and how he believes the HR function has adapted over this time, notably referencing technological advancements, employee expectations and the significance of upskilling to stay relevant. 

Peter Attfield is a Senior HR leader (Group HRD, SVP, CHRO level) with a proven global track record in strategic Business Partnering and HR Expertise leadership roles across multiple sectors and geographies in developed and emerging markets. He also holds deep expertise and over 30 years of experience in both large scale organisation and cultural transformation as well as HR functional transformation in both MNC’s and large regional family owned businesses.

 Key Timestamps: 

·      04:15 – Intro into Peter
·      06:03 – How and why Peter made the leap into HR
·      11:00 – The key building blocks in Peter’s career 
·      16:20 – The significance of influential mentors
·      18:45 – HR Business Partnering vs Centre of Expertise 
·      21:23 – What Peter has learnt from working all over the world  
·      27:50 – Peter’s greatest career achievements 
·      33:35 – How the HR function has adapted over time 
·      40:13 – Advice for people beginning their career in HR 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

Welcome back to February’s installment of ‘The Latest HR News’. This month, Stuart Elliott is joined by Justine Thompson and Taylor Bradley to discuss some of the themes from trending articles in business and HR. 

In this episode Stuart and our guests discuss a host of themes on how success can be fostered within an organisation. They start the conversation by discussing hybrid working and its continued prominence within the workforce; reflecting on the potentially damaging monitoring of remote work and the significance of trust in order to see productivity and retention of top talent. Our guests also touch on flexibility within the workplace and how this has become, a ‘non-negotiable’ to yield a successful culture in a post-covid world. They then move onto DEI and its necessity to build a winning business strategy and remain progressive. 

They also examine workplace culture, exploring how so-called ‘negative traits’ such as competitiveness and rivalry are being reframed to promote a healthy mindset where competition is seen as a motivation to excellence. The final topic explored is job ghosting, based on an article claiming that a large percentage of Gen-Z have avoided an interview or their first day on a job. Despite Justine's scepticism of these statistics, it provides an interesting perspective on how, in a virtual world, some individuals would rather severe communication to avoid difficult conversations.

Justine is an ED&I expert with over 20 years’ experience in HR and people focused roles. She has a particular interest in culture, psychological safety and belonging, and has worked with organisations across many sectors to bring these topics to life through training and facilitated discussion. She has extensive experience of working with diversity to identify barriers and design data driven strategies and is the Head of Market Intelligence at Inclusive Group. Taylor is a seasoned HR executive deeply committed to shaping organisational talent strategy and fostering a culture of growth and technical innovation. He is the Head of HRBPs and Compensation at Turing, an Al-empowered Talent Cloud and has worked with founder-led startups like DocuSign and Datto to craft IPO-ready talent strategies.

For links to the articles, please see our blog

Key Timestamps: 
- 00:52 – Intro into Justine Thompson

- 01:24 – Intro into Taylor Bradley

- 02:50 – Hybrid Working

- 11:33 – Operational effectiveness 

- 19:30 – Flexibility in the workplace 

- 34:32 – DEI: The success of diversification 

- 44:48 – AI: Fear vs Reality 

- 51:58 – Rivalry in the workplace 

- 59:05 – Job ghosting

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

Having a coaching culture in an organisation is in an impactful way to change your leaderships management style and allow every employee to reach their full potential. This a growing trend that we have been covering over the last year and today’s guest Karen Gilhooly, Engagement Expert & Transformative Leader, joins us to talk about the transition from a traditional management style to a coaching one.

• 01:21 - Intro into Karen Gilhooly
• 06:03 - Founding True North Collaboration LLC
• 07:37 - The difference between being a coach and being a manager
• 16:04 - Delivering feedback delicately 
• 18:17 - Adopting certain behaviours when transitioning from ‘boss to coach’
• 24:13 - Dealing with the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse
• 27:43 - The effects of the coaching management approach on employees
• 29:27 - Mitigating the potential risks of the coaching management style 
• 39:04 - The coaching management style in the hybrid world 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

Learning and leadership development of mid-level management is a pertinent topic in HR at this time of year and in a recent Gartner report was deemed as the top priority on Senior HR leaders’ agendas for 2024.

In todays’ episode, Stuart Elliott is joined by recognised Organisational Culture and Systems Workplace Expert, Tammy Dowley-Blackman whose collaboration with an array of sectors, has seen her work to improve leadership across many workplace generations. 

In this episode, Tammy joins Stuart to discuss leadership; its definition, the qualities one must possess to be a successful manager and the tools aspiring leaders, particularly those that fall under the umbrella of ‘Gen-Z’, can acquire in order to become great. Tammy also offers her own experience of evolving her leadership skills whilst running the Suite of brands under the Tammy Dowley-Blackman Group, a boutique consulting firm born in response to sector needs. 

Tammy Dowley-Blackman is a recognised organisational and leadership development authority. She has designed and delivered presentations, residencies, training and workshops across the United States. She has spent almost two decades building companies focused on delivering innovative approaches to leadership and organisational development and now runs her own boutique consulting group. In addition to her consulting experience, Tammy has developed partnership programs for higher education and the philanthropic sector. She has acted as a strategic advisor to hundreds of organisations on a range of topics and in her free time enjoys serving on boards that connect to her interests in the arts and strengthening communities. 

Key Timestamps: 

• 2:00 – Intro into Tammy 
• 4:55 – Defining leadership 
• 11:55 – How ways of working have evolved over the past few years
• 13:30 – Maximising the presence of Gen Z in the workplace 
• 20:10 – Tools for becoming a great leader as Gen Z 
• 30:35 – How Tammy has evolved her leadership over the past few years 
• 35:35 – The characteristics of a great leader 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

Neurodiversity is a fairly new topic in the world of DEI but affects an estimated 1 in 7 people, with diagnosis rates on the rise. This is a topic we expect to see more of over the next year with its prevalence in many more organisations’ agendas for 2024. Our CEO and Host, Stuart Elliott is joined today by an expert in this field Ritu Kiran, Founder and CEO of Aubilities. 

Throughout the conversation, Stuart and Ritu discuss her career, how and why she founded Aubilities and neurodiversity in the workplace. They take a deeper dive into what neurodiversity is and why it’s important, discussing the rise in cases and whether it is due to trends or general awareness around the subject. They also look into the recent high number of diagnoses within adults and what organisations can do to be more neuro-inclusive and how they can adapt the recruitment process to ensure they are getting the best out of people. Lastly, they discuss what Aubilities can offer and do to allow those with neurodiverse needs to thrive. 

Prior to founding Aubilities, Ritu had a corporate career for many years, starting her journey working for a major global Management Consultancy firm, specialising in HR consulting and HR projects across a multitude of clients. After this, she moved into the global learning and development space. In 2016 Ritu had her first child, who was diagnosed with autism in 2018, shortly after his diagnosis Ritu began researching autism to learn more about her son’s needs and quickly identified a gap in the corporate market of utilising these talented and specialist thinkers to add value to businesses. Ritu is also a Trustee Board member for the UK national charity – Resources for Autism. She has recently been picked up by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and has an impending book launch in 2025 on parenting autistic children. 

Key Timestamps:

• 01:19 – Intro to Ritu & Aubilities 
• 08:35 – Definition of Neurodiversity 
• 11:13 – Neurodiversity at work
• 15:40 – The rise in neurodivergent diagnoses
• 18:53 – Tips to start supporting neurodiverse employees
• 22:47 – Adapting the recruitment process 
• 21:47 – The person-centric approach – does it work for everyone?
• 36:30 – The 3 key pillars to start the conversation

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

When implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies into an organisation in an effective way, it is important to cultivate transformation, creativity and ultimately commercial success. Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Moët Hennessy, Greg Morley joins our CEO and host, Stuart Elliott today to speak about his career in DEI and the advice he has acquired over the years for building a safe and effective working community that champions inclusion.

In this episode, Stuart and Greg talk about his long-standing career in Asia and the cultural differences he has encountered that have in turn aided his development within the DEI landscape. They also discuss Greg's insight into the most important factors for making progress around Diversity and Inclusion, highlighted in his upcoming book, ‘BOND: Keys to Inclusion and Belonging’ as well as Greg’s response to recent derogatory articles around DEI and the significance of rewiring the system to enforce real change.

Greg Morley leads Global strategies to increase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across Moët Hennessy, the luxury wines and spirits division of LVMH, based in Paris. Greg brings personal and professional passion to the development of talent and to helping others achieve more than they believe they can.  Prior to joining Moët Hennessy, he was Vice President, Human Resources Asia Pacific for Hasbro, Inc.  and was Vice President, Human Resources for the Shanghai Disney Resort based in Shanghai. Greg played a leading role in the team that produces Gay Games Hong Kong 2023, a participant sports, culture and inclusion event, in Asia for the first time in its 40 years history.

Key Timestamps:

- 01:02 - Intro into Greg Morley
- 3:40 - Greg's transition into HR
- 9:00 - The cultural appeal of working in Asia
- 15:41 - The most important factors in making progress around Diversity and Inclusion
- 23:20 - Greg's upcoming book: 'BOND: Keys to Inclusion and Belonging'
- 31:56 - Response to recent derogatory views on DE&I
- 40:28 - The 2024 agenda for DE&I
- 48:25 - Advice for people throughout their career in HR 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

Over the last year, we have seen pushback from organisations around their DEI agenda with many questioning their approach to the topic. To bring some clarity to the situation, Diversity & Inclusion Architect, Toby Mildon, joins our CEO and Host Stuart Elliott, for today’s episode of HR Insights: The Podcast. 

In this episode, Stuart and Toby discuss his disability and how his personal and professional experiences with inequality when applying for roles affected him and led to his passion for diversity and inclusion. They also chat about what organisations do well in the DEI space and how they can improve, especially in the equity aspect of the acronym. The conversation then explores what Toby believes will aid the future of DEI, leading to a discussion on AI and the anxiety around new technology and the paralysis of fear when employing disabled staff.

As a Diversity & Inclusion Architect, Toby is passionate about creating diverse workplaces and cultures that are inclusive, which stemmed from his own experiences as a disabled man. He has helped some of the UK’s largest companies improve their staff retention, brand innovation, productivity and performance. Toby has also written a book called Inclusive Growth, which aims to future-proof organisations by creating a diverse workplace and providing a practical framework that allows the company to grow and succeed. 

Key Timestamps:

• 01:40: An introduction to Toby
• 07:25: Workplace barriers for disabled people
• 15:51: Toby’s book - Inclusive Growth 
• 18:53: Organisations that do well in the DEI space
• 21:04: The shift in HR's focus on DEI
• 25:39: The future of DEI 
• 28:12: Hiring managers' fears around hiring people with disabilities 
• 36:25: Tips for prioritising DEI with the aim to retain and obtain top talent

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

Welcome back to another installment of ‘The Latest HR News’. This week our host Stuart Elliott is joined by Amelia Lavery and Lee Murphy to discuss the latest topical news articles in business and HR.

In this episode, Stuart and our guests talk about the ever-prevalent topic of hybrid working and the importance that should be placed on workplace culture to foster a healthy work balance. As Amelia points out, ‘the culture sets the tone in the context of how everyone reacts together.’ They also examine the top five priorities for HR Leaders in 2024 which includes topics like management development, organisational culture, HR tech and more, and their ranking of these in terms of building a productive work environment. Further trending topics were touched upon such as AI; the need to embrace this as it becomes more advanced and the potential difficulties of working with Gen Z amidst anecdotal accusations of tardiness and disinterest. As well as the more provocative subjects discussed, they also converse over more entertaining topics such as so-called ‘Mondayitis’, using too much corporate jargon in the workplace and setting business New Year's resolutions. 

Amelia Lavery has over 18 years of experience in HR, starting her career in the Banking industry.  She brings deep experience in HR Business Partnering having performed country, regional and product line roles.  Sector wise, Amelia has worked across Financial and most recently Corporate Services at Vistra where she has recently been appointed as the Global Head of Talent Acquisition. Lee Murphy is a seasoned Human Resources executive with diverse global experience leading teams to deliver strategic HR initiatives. In a career spanning more than 25 years, Lee has worked in increasingly senior roles for global technology companies such as Google, Microsoft and Nokia. Most recently, Lee was Group Chief Human Resources Officer with FWD and is currently an adviser to Hupo, a technology enabled coaching platform in Asia Pacific.

Key Timestamps:

• 01:02 - Intro into Amelia Lavery
• 02:08 – Intro into Lee Murphy
• 04:30 – Hybrid Working 
• 10:25 – Leadership strategies for a strong work culture
• 19:15 – Top 5 priorities for HR leaders in 2024
• 25:27 – AI & technology
• 35:25 – Gen Z
• 54:50 – ‘Mondayitis’
• 59:38 – Buzzwords in the workplace
• 64:20 – Business Resolutions for the New Year 

For links to the articles, please see our blog

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!

*TRIGGER WARNING: Contains references to assault that some listeners may find distressing*

Welcome back to the first episode of HR Insights: The Podcast after our mid-season break! We are very excited to start this new year with a very important topic.

Amid increasing cases of workplace violence, safety at work has never been more paramount. This week, our CEO and host, Stuart Elliott sits down with Social Entrepreneur and CEO of ROAR, Yasmine Mustafa. ROAR have developed unique wearable technology in the form of a panic button to ensure safety, improve well-being and increase job satisfaction across all industries. 

Yasmine and Stuart discuss ROAR's inception and how the Panic Button Solution functions to foster a culture of safety within workplaces, particularly those experiencing a rise in violence and incivility such as healthcare, hospitality and retail industries. Yasmine also talks through the consequences of neglecting to protect workers and HR’s role in ensuring solutions are put in place to prevent this. From astonishing data, she shows how the adoption of ROAR into a business can result in an immediate shift in staff’s morale and perception of safety, with a newfound ‘shield’ that not only protects their wellbeing, but improves productivity. 

With over 15 years of leadership experience in the tech industry, including the successful sale of her first company, 123LinkIt in 2009, Yasmine is a driving force for positive change and balancing profits with purpose. A former refugee and undocumented immigrant, she draws upon her unique life experiences to lead ROAR in its mission to empower and protect workers across all industries. Her journey is a testament to her resilience and unwavering commitment. Yasmine has earned recognition from the BBC where she was named one of the Top 100 women, CNBC’s Upstart 100 and has spoken on prestigious platforms such as TEDx where she has shared her deep passion for positive change through harnessing technology. 

Key Timestamps:

• 01:15 – Intro to Yasmine Mustafa
• 03:20 – How ROAR manifested itself
• 07:28 – How the panic button works 
• 11:20 – What is causing the rise in violence and incivility in the workplace?
• 15:13 – The tangible and intangible consequences of not protecting a worker
• 18:28 – The role of HR in enhancing workplace safety
• 22:15 – Yasmine’s top recommendation to HR professionals for fostering a safe working environment
• 25:05 – The financial benefits of adopting ROAR into an organisation 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and most popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Thank you so much for listening and please rate and review!