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Is HR ready to become People and Culture?  HR may have moved beyond its traditional role, is it really ready to become something bigger? For organisations to succeed, they need engaged people working in high-performing teams. But creating that kind of workplace requires HR to think differently about how we align purpose, values, strategy, processes and behaviour, and how we create cultures that are not only high-performing, but fair, kind, inclusive and sustainable. Join Lucy and David Liddle as they discuss replacing adversarial grievance and disciplinary procedures with a resolution-first approach, why compliance and compassion aren’t opposites, how traditional processes can destroy trust and relationships, and what becomes possible when we assume that adults are capable of resolving many workplace issues themselves. They also look at the future role of HR: spending less time managing bureaucracy and more time listening, interpreting people data and helping leaders anticipate what may happen next. Finally, they explore why AI is fundamentally a people and culture issue and the opportunity for HR to shape its adoption so that it augments human capability without diminishing judgement or connection. David is CEO of the TCM Group and President of the People and Culture Institute. For more than 25 years, he and his team have worked with organisations around the world on conflict resolution, leadership development and cultural change.  Chapters 00:03 Why HR is standing at a precipice 09:31 The thinking behind People and Culture 22:09 Transformative justice: moving beyond blame and punishment 31:43 HR’s future role: culture, listening and predictive insight 41:46 Why HR must take the lead on AI Find out more about David Liddle Buy People and Culture: A Practical Guide for HR Professionals and Leaders Find out more about David and The TCM Group Join the People and Culture Institute Read The People Leader More about Disruptive HR Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club

In this episode of HR Disrupted, Lucy Adams is joined by Andy Doyle, Chief People and Agent Officer at Kantar. While much of the conversation around AI focuses on hype or fear, Andy shares a grounded, practical perspective on how Kantar has embedded AI agents into the heart of its HR operations. Lucy and Andy dig into why Kantar chose to take this path and how their ambitions evolved along the way. What started as a cost and efficiency conversation quickly expanded into something far more strategic – rethinking how work gets done and what HR’s role should be in that shift. Andy shares the realities behind building AI capability in-house, the importance of leadership courage, and why HR professionals need to get comfortable owning technology, not just responding to it. The discussion also tackles the implications for the HR function itself. As AI agents take on more transactional work, what’s left for HR? Andy offers a clear view: this is an opportunity for HR to become more impactful, not less – but only if it’s willing to step up, experiment, and lead from the front. This episode is a practical look at what it really takes to move from AI curiosity to meaningful transformation. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and why AI is dominating the agenda 07:30 Why Kantar decided to invest in AI agents 18:45 What they actually built – from payroll to employee support 30:10 Lessons learned and challenges along the way 41:20 The future role of HR in an AI-enabled organisation About Andy Doyle Andy Doyle is Chief People and Agent Officer at Kantar. Connect with Andy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajdoyle/ Useful Links Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/ https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/

n this episode, Lucy Adams is joined by Eva Murciano to explore one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today: how to keep careers moving in environments where people stay for a long time. Drawing on Eva’s experience at the European Central Bank, they unpack the tension between having a highly committed, purpose-driven workforce and the unintended consequences of low turnover; stagnation, limited progression, and skills that risk becoming outdated. Their conversation challenges the traditional idea of career progression as a ladder to climb. Instead, Lucy and Eva discuss the need to reframe careers around growth, skills, and experiences. They explore why both employees and managers often resist internal mobility, and what organisations can do to shift mindsets. From redefining success to making movement the norm rather than the exception, this episode offers practical insight into what it really takes to future-proof careers. Eva also shares how the ECB is experimenting with a structured approach to mobility through its “3–5–8 model,” encouraging employees to think proactively about their next move. It’s an honest discussion about what works, what’s still evolving, and why HR has a critical role to play in nudging both individuals and leaders towards more dynamic, flexible career paths. Chapters 00:00 – Rethinking careers in a fast-changing world 08:12 – The hidden challenge of long-tenured workforces 16:45 – Why internal mobility is so hard to make happen 25:30 – The 3–5–8 model: encouraging movement and growth 33:10 – What HR can do to shift mindsets and behaviours About Eva Murciano Eva Murciano is an HR leader at the European Central Bank, with a focus on talent, development, and organisational effectiveness. She is passionate about enabling people to grow through diverse experiences and helping organisations build more agile, future-ready workforces. Contact Eva https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-murciano-831a5a13/ Useful Links Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/ https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/

In this episode, Lucy Adams and Karen Moran take stock of the people and work trends that are likely to shape 2026. Drawing on what they’re seeing across organisations right now, they focus on the changes that genuinely matter for HR and leaders, from shifting employee expectations to the growing pressure on organisations to operate with greater trust and transparency. They explore how ideas about leadership, performance and culture are continuing to evolve, why traditional HR models are being stretched, and what this means for areas such as hybrid working, capability building and organisational design. The discussion highlights where HR can add the most value over the next few years, and where it may need to step back from long-established but increasingly unhelpful practices. Lucy and Karen also reflect on what this moment means for HR more broadly, and how teams can prepare for 2026 in a way that is pragmatic, human and grounded in reality.  The HR Disrupted podcast will be taking a break due to other commitments but the conversation very much continues! For more insights from Lucy and the team at Disruptive HR, check out the website at www.disruptivehr.com. Chapters 00:00 – Looking ahead: Why 2026 is a turning point for work 09:10 – Shifting expectations: What employees and leaders want next 21:05 – Rethinking HR models: What may need to change or disappear 34:00 – What’s next: Preparing for 2026 Useful Links Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/

HR doesn’t struggle with not having enough data - we’ve got tons of it. Engagement scores, churn and absenteeism rates, performance ratings, DEI metrics - the works. But can we honestly say we’re brilliant at using that data to drive our people strategies? The answer is probably, “not yet.” So, this episode explores how we can get better at turning data into real insight and how that insight can help us build more trust, better performance, and stronger cultures. Lucy is joined by Jenny Deaborn who’s spent her career helping organisations do exactly that. Her new book, The Insight-Driven Leader, is a practical roadmap for HR teams and leaders who want to make analytics genuinely useful and human. Drawing on over 100 one-to-one interviews with CEOs, CHROs and board members, Jenny explains why the best organisations aren’t using “magic” HR metrics – they’re just using familiar ones with far more rigour. She unpacks why “regrettable attrition of top performers in critical roles” beats a single company-wide turnover number every time, how to define “top performer” and “critical role” with real fidelity, and why every good HR metric should be in service of a small handful of measures the board genuinely cares about. They then dig into what it really means to be an insight-driven leader rather than just “data-informed”: connecting people data with customer metrics to show where revenue, risk and growth are truly sitting in your workforce. Jenny shares practical examples of using AI to join up disparate data sources, warning that technology is no longer the barrier – mindset and culture are.  Chapters 02:15 – Jenny’s story: neurodiversity, quotas and the credibility that comes with numbers 08:35 – Business-first HR: the tiny set of people metrics CEOs and boards really care about 16:50 – From data-informed to insight-driven: joining HR, CRM and ERP data (and where AI helps) 25:20 – Is your culture ready for analytics? Plus practical first steps for aspiring insight-driven CHROs Disruptive HR  Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/ Contact Jenny https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennydearborn/

Lucy and Karen get honest about one of HR’s toughest challenges: helping leaders and managers actually change how they behave. Drawing on their own “humiliations” as former HR Directors, they unpack why influencing senior leaders can feel so hard – from fear of getting it wrong, to loss of status, to simple overload – and introduce four familiar resistance types: the Defiant, the Intellectual, the Busy Operator and the Reluctant. They share ten practical ways to shift behaviour without a 50-slide deck. You’ll hear how to start with sharp, leader-focused questions instead of programmes, use commercial numbers to earn attention, set clear people outcomes rather than more process, offer genuine choice, and make change feel tiny and doable through simple nudges. They also explore how to swap “HR as trainer” for peer-to-peer learning, use more human language, and tailor your message to different decision-making styles – from fast-moving Drivers to cautious “steady hands”. Finally, Lucy and Karen show how to stop pouring energy into the hardest resistors and instead “go with the energy” – working first with early adopters, then using their success to win over results-focused pragmatists.    Chapters 00:03 – Setting the scene: Why influencing leaders feels so hard for HR 03:31 – Four types of resistance: Defiant, Intellectual, Busy and Reluctant 08:48 – Ten practical tips: Questions, data and focusing on outcomes 16:35 – Making it easy: Choice, tiny nudges and peer-to-peer learning 28:23 – Personas, packaging and next steps: Olivia, Jessica, Michael and a simple plan for your next leader conversation Useful Links Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/ https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/

One of the biggest challenges facing HR is the perennial challenge of leadership capability. Despite years of investment in programmes, frameworks, and workshops, many organisations still struggle to see real behavioural change. The world around us is moving faster, the expectations on leaders are higher, and yet our development approaches can still feel generic, theoretical, and removed from the realities of day-to-day work. But what if technology - and specifically, AI - could help us do it differently? Instead of a one-size-fits-all course, what if every manager could have a personalised coach in their pocket that gives them real-time, practical guidance in the moment they need it most? To explore the benefits and risks of AI coaching, Lucy is joined by Anand Chopra-McGowan, Managing Director, Europe at Valence. Anand explains how Nadia, Valence’s AI coach, learns your context (company principles, programmes, your team) and supports both the “small moments” such as a tricky feedback chat, and the “big moments” like onboarding and performance reviews. He shares a live example of using Nadia minutes before a meeting, why perfect memory beats good intentions, and how the tool integrates where managers already are . We dig into trust and ethics, what data Nadia uses, and how clients are measuring value - from time saved on reviews to uplift in leadership effectiveness scores and store-level customer outcomes. Anand’s deployment advice is refreshingly practical: point the coach at high-friction moments in your HR calendar, customise to your ways of working, and use early wins to convert sceptics. Chapters 00:29 — Why traditional leadership development stalls 10:22 — What Nadia is and how it works (with an in-the-moment example at 12:12) 14:47 — Ethics, data, and measuring impact (ROI examples from 19:23) 23:01 — How to deploy AI coaching and bring sceptical managers with you Discover more about Disruptive HR Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/ Contact Anand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/achopramcgowan/

As we know - AI isn’t something that’s coming in the future — it’s already here, and it’s already reshaping how we hire, develop and engage our people. The pace of change can feel daunting at times, but the big challenge for us in HR is how we shift from dabbling with new tools to really using AI as a strategic enabler. In this episode, Lucy explores the key opportunities and risks — from ethics and trust, through to leadership development, talent management and employee engagement with the help of one of the leading voices in people analytics and digital HR David Green. David shares research showing more companies now have dedicated AI governance for HR, and why moving from “jobs” to “tasks and skills” matters if we want technology to augment work rather than trigger blunt headcount cuts. The conversation explores what great employee listening looks like when you blend surveys with collaboration and behavioral signals (at aggregate level), plus the implications for hybrid work, org design, and keeping the human experience at the centre. For HR professionals wondering where to start, David’s advice is simple: build AI literacy, experiment hands-on, identify a few high-value use cases tied to business priorities, and iterate with a sponsor. The capability stack HR needs now ranges from data/AI literacy and stakeholder influence to human-centred design, storytelling, and emotional intelligence—so we can automate the repetitive, personalise the meaningful, and lead the transformation with credibility. Chapters 00:03 — Meet David Green David’s journey from recruitment to people analytics; Insight222 and the Digital HR Leaders podcast. 07:04 — What’s actually being used Adoption snapshot; chatbots, sentiment analysis of feedback, and augmented JD writing. 12:40 — Trust, ethics & redesigning work Governance and transparency; shifting from jobs to tasks/skills; keeping the human experience central. 20:50 — Strategy to practice AI as a strategic enabler; leadership development, employee listening/hybrid insights, the HR skillset, and where to start. Contact David: www.insight222.com Discover more about Disruptive HR Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/

In HR we have always tended to prefer standardisation. The instinct to make everything and to treat everyone in the same way comes from a mixture of practicality, compliance, and tradition. Standardisation makes processes easier to administer at scale, creates the appearance of fairness, and reduces the risks of inconsistency. For HR teams under pressure to manage large workforces efficiently, there is comfort in producing a set of policies or frameworks that apply equally to all. However in recent years there has been an increasing demand for the personalisation of HR, to counteract the limitations of having standard, universally applied processes. In this episode Lucy is joined by her co-founder of Disruptive HR, Karen Moran to consider when HR should be customised or personalised – and when it should be a standard, consistent approach for all.  They look at when it makes sense to have standardisation and the risks are of being too rigid in your uniformity. They give three practical examples of customisation in action, how AI helps to personalise and they also discuss how to personalise without adding complexity, by using “employee personas” to design around real people. Discover more about Disruptive HR Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/ Chapters 00:03 – Why HR Loves Standardisation Lucy and Karen reflect on HR’s instinct to make everything consistent – and why “fairness through sameness” has dominated for so long. 03:32 – The Risks of One-Size-Fits-All HR They unpack how over-standardisation ignores individuality, stifles judgement and turns processes into tick-box exercises. 09:48 – When Standardisation Still Makes Sense From safety and brand consistency to data accuracy, Lucy and Karen explore where sameness genuinely adds value. 15:06 – How to Personalise Without the Chaos Real examples from Telstra, Wipro and Adobe show how HR can tailor experiences – with help from AI and employee personas.

In this episode, Lucy digs into one of the big questions right now: if most organisations have landed on hybrid, why does it still feel so clunky? Ranya Nehmeh, senior HR strategist, lecturer and co-author of In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work - joins to unpack why many hybrid set-ups deliver the “messy middle”: full calendars, half-empty offices and confused norms. She makes the case that the office still offers something distinctive: spontaneous interactions, faster trust-building and the sort of collaboration you can’t schedule into a diary. Lucy and Ranya explore the long-term culture risks of ineffective hybrid working such as lower discretionary effort, individualism over collaboration, and promotion decisions skewed by proximity bias. They look at practical ways to make hybrid better including designing anchor days around activities that need co-location, fixing meeting hygiene and measuring outcomes not optics. They also discuss a divide many miss - pre- versus post-pandemic hires—and how HR can act as “architect of connection” through extended onboarding, mentoring across cohorts, and rituals that make everyone visible. This episode looks at how you build flexibility and a healthy culture. The answer isn’t blanket policies; it’s clarity and intention. Think presence with purpose, flexibility with structure, and leaders equipped to have grown-up team conversations about what works now—for the work, the customer and the people involved. Chapters (00:03) The Future of Hybrid Work (15:24) Optimizing Hybrid Work Strategies for Success (21:54) Bridging Pre & Post-Pandemic Workplace Gap (26:15) Hybrid Work Flexibility and Structure (31:17) Importance of Office Relationships (34:53) Exploring Hybrid Work Strategies Contact Rayna https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranyanehmeh/ Discover more about Disruptive HR Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/

Whilst we’re seeing tons of innovation in some of the key employee processes, reward and recognition can often be put in the ‘too difficult’ box. Recognition efforts often lack differentiation and are just vanilla or one-size-fits-all, and flexible benefits packages, meant to deliver choice, can too often feel overwhelming or unclear to employees. This week’s guest Rachel Richards, Reward and People Operations Director at Virgin Group, joins Lucy to share how they have broken away from the usual script. She shares their new benefits arrangements and how they've made them feel more meaningful, clear, and truly relevant.  In this episode you’ll hear how to engage your employees in shaping reward and recognition, how to create benefits from a position of trust and provide an offering that feels inclusive, brand-aligned and genuinely compelling - without increasing spend. It’s a conversation about trust, transparency, and the courage to break away from vanilla rewards to build something that reflects modern lives and makes employees proud. Chapters (00:03) Revolutionizing Employee Benefits at Virgin (08:30) Enhancing Employee Benefits Through Engagement (16:29) Empowering Flexibility and Wellbeing at Work (24:56) Designing Employee Benefits With Purpose Contact Rachel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelreclarke/ Disruptive HR Website: www.disruptivehr.com Join the Disruptive HR Club https://disruptivehr.com/welcome-to-the-future-of-hr/ Email: [email protected]

Assessments have always played a crucial role in how we identify potential, develop talent, and shape future leaders. But with the rapid rise of AI and digital tools, we’re facing both incredible opportunities and real risks. In this episode we’re diving into a subject that sits right at the intersection of innovation and humanity and asking, how do we harness the power of technology - particularly AI - to build fairer, more human-centered approaches to leadership assessment and development? Joining Lucy to discuss this is a real expert in the field of leadership assessment - Tom Verboven from The Talent Enterprise which is part of the Mercer group. Lucy and Tom discuss some of the big questions around assessment and technology, including:  Where do we currently stand in the adoption and effectiveness of AI and technology in assessments?  How can we effectively eliminate bias and noise in assessments, whether human or AI-driven? What is the candidate or participant experience like when interacting with AI and technological assessments? What are the implications of passively collecting data to generate insights on strengths, areas for development?   Chapters (00:03) Harnessing AI for Leadership Assessment (05:52) Navigating AI in Leadership Development (15:45) Ethical Considerations in AI Assessments (28:21) The Future of AI in Leadership Contact Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-verboven-b85a691/ Disruptive HR Website: www.disruptivehr.com Join the Disruptive HR Club https://disruptivehr.com/welcome-to-the-future-of-hr/ Email: [email protected]

Storytelling to support leadership communications has been around for a while now. And whilst it’s often seen as an effective way of getting our message across, what does it really mean to be a great storyteller - and how does it work on a practical level in a business? It could be that you are trying to help your leaders communicate the strategic priorities for the coming year or you want your own HR comms to have more impact. In this episode we’re going to really break it down for you and to do that Lucy has enlisted the support of someone who has straddled the world of leadership and engagement - and actual proper storytelling as a published author - Simon Wright. This episode of HR Disrupted looks at how storytelling can change the way we communicate at work, especially in HR and leadership. It explores how stories go beyond facts and figures to create emotional connection, build trust, and help people really understand and care about what’s being said. Instead of treating storytelling as something fluffy or ‘extra’, the episode shows how it can be a powerful tool for getting messages to stick and for helping people feel part of something bigger. The episode explores how storytelling isn’t just for creative types, it’s something anyone can use to make their communication more meaningful. Whether you’re explaining a new strategy or trying to build team connections, telling a story helps people understand not just what you’re doing, but why it matters. It looks at how good storytelling often starts with vulnerability and honesty and shares tips to bring storytelling into everyday communication without it feeling forced or awkward. HR and leaders need to see storytelling not as a ‘nice to have’, but as a core part of how we inspire, influence and build stronger, more connected workplaces. Discover Simon Wright’s novels - The Red Scarf Series - and contact him at   https://simonwrightbooks.com/ Disruptive HR Website: www.disruptivehr.com Join the Disruptive HR Club https://disruptivehr.com/welcome-to-the-future-of-hr/ Email: [email protected]

In this episode of HR Disrupted, Lucy Adams is joined by Karen Moran to explore whether artificial intelligence can help leaders get better at the “people stuff” including giving feedback, recognising effort, and holding difficult conversations. Despite over $360 billion being spent annually on leadership development, most programmes fail to deliver meaningful change. Lucy and Karen ask: can AI offer a smarter, more practical solution? We explore how AI can act as a real-time “pocket coach,” supporting leaders with small nudges and advice exactly when they need it. Rather than waiting for a scheduled training session, leaders can use AI to reflect on their leadership style, build micro-habits, or prepare for tricky conversations. We look at how AI is transforming hiring and onboarding by helping managers to write more inclusive job descriptions, generate interview questions, and create onboarding plans tailored to each new hire.  When it comes to recognising and engaging teams, AI can prompt leaders to show appreciation more often and in more meaningful ways. And prompts can also help with career development conversations, especially the tricky ones, such as when someone isn’t quite ready for a promotion. Importantly, it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Free tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot can deliver a big impact. Simple prompts like “What are three ways I can improve team morale this week?” or “Write a thank-you message for a five-year work anniversary” can help managers act with more empathy and intention.  Disruptive HR Website: www.disruptivehr.com Join the Disruptive HR Club https://disruptivehr.com/welcome-to-the-future-of-hr/ Email: [email protected]

In an age where a single tweet can spark a crisis, reputation management is no longer the preserve of PR teams. In this episode, Lucy is joined by Lis Anderson, founder of the award-winning PR agency Ambitious, to explore how HR can (and must) play a bigger role in shaping, protecting and enhancing an organisation’s reputation. They delve into the shifting dynamics of trust, the power of employee advocacy, and why the most credible voices about your culture aren’t your leaders – but your people. Lis also shares what often goes wrong when HR and comms don’t collaborate, and offers practical ideas to help HR teams get ahead of reputational risks, not just clean them up. Whether it’s Glassdoor reviews, crisis planning, or understanding digital reputational threats, this episode is packed with insights to help HR step confidently into its growing communications role. Connect with Lis Anderson Website: www.ambitiouspr.co.uk LinkedIn: Lis Anderson Useful Links Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: [email protected] Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/welcome-to-the-future-of-hr/