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What if? The podcast that dares to think differently about people and business. What if?, from the CIPD’s Work. magazine, asks curious and unexpected questions about everything from inclusion to artificial intelligence. And it brings together world-leading experts, including academics, authors and business leaders, to try and find some answers. If you’ve ever wondered whether it would be better if your colleagues knew your salary, or if we should all just work from home forever, this is the place to explore ideas and think the previously unthinkable.cipd.co.ukpeoplemanagement.co.uk/voices/podcasts
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51 Episodes
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During the Covid-19 lockdowns we all gained a renewed appreciation for frontline workers – healthcare professionals in particular, but also delivery drivers and supermarket staff. So why do we pay some of those doing jobs with arguably the most real-world impact the least? Should we pay them more, or would this lead to unintended economic consequences? Academics Zeynep Ton and Julian Jessop discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
‘Unconscious bias’ has not enjoyed the best of reputations over the last few years, with much training labelled ineffective, and concerns around the concept being used to justify what is actually fully conscious, overt prejudice. So is it just fact that everyone is biassed on a purely subconscious level? And if so, what should HR and EDI professionals do about it? Academics Keon West and Pragya Agarwal advise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
To become a farrier (fitting horseshoes) in the UK, there is a legal requirement to have certain qualifications or experience and to register with a regulatory body before practising. No such requirement exists for HR – but should it? The CIPD’s David D’Souza and ‘father of HR’ Dave Ulrich explore what the advantages – and disadvantages – of more direct, explicit professional oversight might be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rules drawn up by ITV following the Phillip Schofield scandal mean staff must now declare all workplace relationships – including friendships – to the broadcaster or risk losing their jobs. But is such a system workable in practice? And might it have a chilling effect on positive working relations? Organisational psychologist Susan Hetrick and friendship app founder Claudia Gård explore how HR should approach this perennially knotty topic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Many people’s lives now feel fully ‘back to normal’ several years after Covid-19 lockdowns, almost as if the pandemic never happened... But should the possibility of another deadly virus be more heavily factored into how workplaces organise themselves, and how businesses approach risk management? And what other ‘unexpected’ events should also be on our radars, ask academics Cassandra Berry and David Alexander. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Some of today’s most high-profile leaders make no secret of micro dosing – the practice of ingesting small amounts of psychedelic substances to enhance creativity and leadership. Could this one day become the norm in workplaces? And what are the dangers? Business leader and psychedelics-for-wellbeing advocate Sandra Statz and Imperial College London professor David Nutt discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Many might be unaware that the pandemic led to the greatest ever surge in billionaire wealth globally. So is it time to take steps towards wealth redistribution? Or would doing so put the brakes on the ambition and vision that creates jobs and opportunities for everyone? Financial journalist David Bain and angel investor and Patriotic Millionaire UK member Julia Davies discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is calling for an individual or institution to be boycotted ever justified, or productive? Or do we just need to grow thicker skins against offensive comments, if we want to protect free speech? And what about those from less privileged, diverse backgrounds trying to avoid triggering content? Work. puts all this to HR director Neil Morrison and founder of freespeechunion.org Toby Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Have the people of this country – as Michael Gove had it back in 2016 – simply had enough of experts? HR leader Amanda Arrowsmith and AI expert Rob McCargow explore how the notion of expertise is being impacted by technology, societal norms and polarising viewpoints. And what that means for work, skills and the functioning of society at large. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the wake of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, many are trying desperately to expect the unexpected – to anticipate the next ‘unthinkable’ global crisis. But are there bigger threats to worry about in relation to China – most notably security- and surveillance-related? Work. puts this all to academic Rana Mitter and former diplomat Charlie Parton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In a world of work that looks very different to even five or 10 years ago, is employment legislation in the UK fit for purpose? Do any regulations stifle growth for smaller businesses especially, or do they provide necessary protection for workers and bosses alike? Professor Len Shackleton and employment law consultant Kate Palmer explore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What if… you could brainwash staff? Whether deployed knowingly or not, ‘choice architecture’ is everywhere in the workplace, from encouraging people to move about more, to reminding them to practise better cyber security. But is application of nudge theory always ethical? And do rapid advances in neurotechnology – or mind reading – complicate the issue? Academics Nick Chater and Nita Farahany discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Why, come 2023, is childcare still perceived as a predominantly ‘female’ domain by so many? Why is leave at the start of a child’s life still very rarely shared by parents? Do we need to scrap the current system of SPL in the UK? Academics Sarah Jackson and Michael Kimmel discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The way many people now work post pandemic is almost unrecognisable compared to how this looked before, raising the question of whether formal employment contracts have had their day. Academics Peter Cappelli and Ranjay Gulati explore what it might mean for the future of organisational culture and employee loyalty if we all essentially became contractors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Examples of company bosses taking a hardline stance on political and social issues have proliferated over recent years – particularly in the US, on highly emotive matters such as climate change, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and Black Lives Matter. Academic and author Margaret Heffernan and CEO of NHS Employers Danny Mortimer discuss where such activism is appropriate, and how to get it right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In times gone by, it was an unspoken fact of life that come a certain age, everyone would swap their careers for a life of gardening, golf and general relaxation. But those days are already long gone. Academic Lynda Gratton and former pensions minister Steve Webb debate whether this is a good thing, and whether our economy will be able to sustain such widespread later life working. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fuelled by a cost of living crisis and several years of frontline workers having put themselves at risk during the pandemic, the UK is facing the biggest wave of industrial action since the 1970s. Professor Melanie Simms and equality and diversity organiser at Equity Ian Manborde discuss just how far this might all go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this first episode of series three, we ponder whether complete self-expression at work is the ED&I holy grail, or would lead to total anarchy in practice. Academic and author Rob Goffee and leadership development expert Yetunde Hofman discuss why authentic leadership, in particular, is so vital – and how to get adapting to different contexts just right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Since the financial crisis of 2008, the #MeToo movement and a series of high-profile corporate collapses, the business world has begun to question a certain brand of forthright – often macho – leadership. But do we still need ‘superstar’ leaders in some contexts?...ponder academics Randall Peterson, professor of organisational behaviour and academic director of the Leadership Institute at London Business School and Doyin Atewologun, dean of the Rhodes scholarships at Oxford University and director of the consultancy Delta Alpha Psi. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If the traditional unstructured interview is about as useful at predicting on-the-job success as astrology and graphology, and many employers still rely heavily on this, should we just dispense with the whole process altogether, and recruit at random? Academic Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and recruitment firm CEO Cynthia V Davis discuss the state of play currently, and how to make hiring better – and fairer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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