CIPD

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 and this month’s guests – Simone Carroll, CHRO and Director; Stephen Findlay, Head of Organisational Development at Skills Development Scotland; and Alex Boulting, Global OD & HR Transformation Leader at Ebbnflow – as they explore what it means to become a skills-based organisation.

In this episode, our panel explores:
•What it means to become a skills-based organisation, and how skills can complement rather than replace traditional job and role structures
•How people professionals can identify current and future skills needs, connect skills to business impact, and rethink recruitment, workforce planning, performance and development
•Why skills-based transformation is not just an HR project, but a people strategy requiring co-creation, trust, cultural change and the right use of skills data and technology

---

Your next listen:
CIPD Podcast 207: HR’s next top operating model
HR People Pod – Episode 48: Leadership reflections | Skills visibility | Workload creep

More from this episode:
Guide – Skills matching: Using and deploying people’s skills effectively in the workplace
Analysis – How L&D can create value: Focussing on skills development
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 professionals think about their work, their leadership and their impact?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza, is joined by Jo Carlin, Chief People Officer at Effective Energy Group, and Andy Stephenson, Director at Dove Nest Group.

Recorded: 11 June 2026

---

Additional resources:
Case studies: AI in the workplace
https://www.cipd.org/en/topics/artificial-intelligence-workplace/

Guide: How people professionals can develop, deploy, and use AU in an ethical, legal and sustainable way
https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/guides/people-professionals-ai-use/

Skills for the future: Why investment in early talent is crucial for workforce success
https://www.cipd.org/en/views-and-insights/thought-leadership/insight/investment-early-talent/

Your next listen:
CIPD Podcast 228: The missing first rung: Are we sleepwalking into a talent crisis?
https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/podcasts/missing-first-rung-are-we-sleeping-into-a-talent-crisis/

CIPD Podcast 229: From AI experimentation to AI maturity
https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/podcasts/from-ai-experimentation-to-ai-maturity/

HR People Pod - Ep 43: Inside Davos - AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey
https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/podcasts/hr-people-pod/#:~:text=on%20benefits%202026-,HR%20People%20Pod%20%E2%80%93%20Ep%2043%3A%20Inside%20Davos%20%E2%80%93%20AI%2C%20work%20and%20the%20future%20of%20identity%20%2D%20with%20Allyn%20Bailey,-Duration%3A%2000%3A34

HR Coffee Time with Fay Wallis - Episode 155
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zi4ib2ER6g
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 becoming a line manager appealing, so how do we prepare the next generation of professionals to embrace line manager roles and the challenges that come with that? Finally, with the CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook Report Spring 2026 demonstrating that 58% of employers are prioritising cost challenges above growth, how can organisations strike the right balance between controlling costs now and protecting their ability to expand and remain competitive in the future?

In this special fiftieth episode of the HR People Pod, we welcome back guest host, Leah De Silva, Senior Programme Manager for the CIPD Trust. Joining her in the studio are Emma Jayne, Chief People Officer at KYN and Elaine Grell, Chief People Officer (EMEA) at Ogilvy.

Recorded: 30th May 2026

---

Explore more from this episode:

National Volunteer’s Week
Volunteer opportunities - CIPD Trust
Impact and guidance - CIPD Trust
Most employees say becoming a manager is not appealing, survey reveals
Labour Market Outlook | CIPD
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 supporting employees’ financial wellbeing?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Mona Parikh, Associate Director, Reward at Coventry University; Charlie Goodman, Client Director at Everywhen; and Charles Cotton, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser, Pay, Reward and Performance – as they explore why financial wellbeing is not an ‘add-on’, but a strategic workforce challenge.

---

More from this episode:
Report: Reward Survey: Focus on Benefits 2026
Guide: Employee financial wellbeing
Website: Money Helper
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 readiness?

In this special International HR Day episode, CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Asha Musoni, Chief People and Transformation Officer at the CBI, and Mark Pavlika, Chief People and Purpose Officer at Bicycle London.

Recorded: 15 May 2026

---

Explore more from this episode:
CIPD Members: Change management tools
AI in the workplace: Case studies
Creating People Advantage Survey 2026

Your next listen:
HR People Pod – Ep43: Inside Davos – AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey
CIPD Podcast – Episode 229: From AI experimentation to AI maturity
CIPD Podcast – Episode 223: Beyond learning - Mobilising L&D for organisational change
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.