Tap'd Talks HR

In this special 100th episode of Tap'd Talks HR - coinciding with Tap'd Solutions' 10-year anniversary - we bring together voices from across the Tap'd team for a conversation on the world of work and the HR function. Together, we look back at how the workplace has changed over the past decade, share insights into current challenges facing HR and organisations, and explore what's next in this ever-shifting landscape.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Kirstie Sneyd, an organisational psychologist and author of a new book: Returning well: A guide for working parents and their managers. They discuss the every day challenges parents face from managing guilt and feeling overwhelmed to dealing with missed career opportunities, through to the challenges facing managers as they try to effectively manage and support those returning from parental leave.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony discusses Line Manager Capability with Laura Weaving, CEO of Perform, the modern management development platform. In a world of different generations, where employees want, and expect, more, and different things, from their managers, are organisations doing enough to support their managers? With research revealing that managers directly influence 70% of employee engagement, Anthony and Laura discuss why investing in developing good managers should be a non-negotiable.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Lisa-Maree Blumenfeld, CEO & Founder of Retain and Co-Founder of getelevenapp, on the important topic of leading through a crisis. They discuss what businesses need to consider when a crisis is happening, the importance of leaders building trust, listening and being authentic, and the role that HR needs to play.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR Anthony speaks to Julia Yong, Head of Public and Voluntary Sector work at Engine, an organisation that advises and builds AI products for SMEs. They discuss how AI is making a difference on the ground in organisations, its potential to make a real difference, and how its making employees happier and more motivated, and more attached to their jobs.

In this year's end of year episode of Tap'd Talks HR we again highlight some of the key moments in the conversations with our guests over the last year. We're always so grateful to our guests in giving up their time to share their insights with our listeners. Hopefully this “best of” podcast will make you want to jump in to some of the over 95+ podcasts we have now recorded on Tap'd Talks HR.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR Anthony speaks to Amy Bouque, Chief People Officer of global workforce solutions company, Kelly Services. They discuss how organisations can build trust and connection in virtual teams. Amy share some great stories from pre and post pandemic, including the work she has done to increase trust.

In this month's episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Gary Cookson, Director of Epic HR and author of a number of books on hybrid working. They discuss this important continuing challenge for organisations, why leaders have struggled, the common mistakes organisations have been making and his advice for making Hybrid Working work. Gary's new book can be pre-ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Hybrid-Working-Work-Practical/dp/1398619345/ref=sr_1_1

In this month's episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Kelly Swingler, a Burnoutologist and former HR Director. Kelly has a mission to banish Burnout in today's changing world of work. It's what gets her out of bed every day. Kelly started her career in HR in 1998, convinced that she could stop the Monday-to-Friday dying cycle that so many people go through every single working week. She quickly gained a reputation for being a rebel and a rulebreaker and she was named by the CIPD as the UK's Youngest HR Director when she led HR at an organisation of over 4000 people. They discuss Kelly's own burnout journey that followed, the importance of HR's own wellbeing and how she is now driven by raising awareness and educating on this important topic.

In this month's episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Ellie Rich-Poole, a recruitment and career development coach, on the importance of HR harnessing the power of networking. They discuss how you can overcome the fear of networking and do it in a way that works for you, and in a way that you will enjoy.

In this month's episode of Tap'd Talks HR Anthony speaks to leadership and conflict coaches Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst, co-founders of The Power House, a global leadership development business focused on unlocking the potential in organisations and people. They discuss how it's possible to have conflicts in the workplace in a way that feel constructive and not toxic and the importance of having meaningful debates without them turning into a damaging force. Alice and Louise also share some insights from their book 'Turning difficult conversations into Smart Conflict' that will be published in the summer of 2025.

In this month's episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Jamie Mackenzie author of '28 Bags of Sprouts' a new book that explores delivering storytelling with impact. They discuss the importance of storytelling, how it can be superpowerful and inspiring, and why storytelling should not be seen as a one-off or ad-hoc big moment, but to deliver real impact, part of everyday communication.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to leadership expert Andi Roberts on the importance of HR practitioners being more entrepreneurial. Andi discusses how not only will entrepreneurialism give HR a bigger voice at the top table, but why he believes it will allow you to create more value and make more impact, across your entire organisation.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to nutrition coach Candy Duval on the importance of healthy eating and its connection to productivity in the workplace. They discuss how food choices can affect our brain functions and the real impact of leaders neglecting their nutrition. Candy offers up some excellent advice to ensure leaders can continually maintain their high productivity levels.

In this month's episode of Tap'd Talks HR, we speak to Katy Henrickson, founder of WellFi, an organisation dedicated to delivering a happier, more productive workforce through financial wellbeing. With 77% of employees experiencing some form of financial stress and anxiety over the last 12 months, what can leaders do to support their people and maintain productivity? Katy shares her thoughts and explains why the financial wellbeing of your employees is critical to the vitality and growth of your company.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Fred Thompson, Founder and CEO of Thirst, an Ai driven learning platform. They discuss the world of learning and development in 2024, the exciting developments, the importance of leveraging advance technology and yet still maintaining a human approach to learning, and importantly how technology advances have accelerated the way we measure and report back to the business.

Welcome to our end-of year compilation Tap'd Talks HR podcast where we highlight some of the key moments in the conversations with our guests over the last year. We're always so grateful to our guests in giving up their time to share their insights with our listeners. Hopefully this “best of” podcast will make you want to jump in to some of the over 80 podcasts we have now recorded on Tap'd Talks HR.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Siobhan Sheridan, Chief People Officer at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Siobhan shares some insights into her own recent wellbeing research and discusses why it's so important for the HR function to place a strategic importance on its own wellbeing.

In this month's episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Leadership & Management Educator Matt Offord. Anthony and Matt discuss the value and impact of outdoor learning and the concept of Ecopedagogy. Drawing on his 30 years experience in the Royal Navy, Matt shares why the outdoor environment can be extremely powerful for leaders and managers.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to storytelling author, Karen Eber. Karen has recently published a book, 'The Perfect Story - How to Tell Stories that Inform, Influence and Inspire.' They discuss the science of storytelling, why it's important, what makes storytelling work inside an organisation, and how you can best tell a story.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with John Hackston, Head of Thought Leadership at the Myers Briggs Company. They discuss recent research which explores how people adapted to home working and working back in the office, through the lens of MBTI personality profiling. They discuss the key findings and why it's so important for organisations to be offering employees a choice and why there's no one size fits all approach.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Megan Butler, an analyst who focuses on all things AI in HR. They discuss the latest AI HR trends, how the narrative around AI is switching from one of replacing jobs to its use in making people more productive, chat GPT and why it's so important with any use of AI to get solid foundations in place.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Rachel Lewis, an Occupational Psychologist specialising in work, health and wellbeing. Rachel has recently released research on how organisations can support employees through the cost-of-living crisis. With the biggest fall in living standards since records begun, they discuss the different ways organisations can be helping their employees, and the initiatives that may feel right, but are actually doing more harm that good. Rachel's work in mental health at work has seen her recently named in HR Magazine's 2023 Most Influential List.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR Anthony speaks to Nelson Sivalingam, CEO & Co-Founder of HowNow and author of 'Learning at Speed'. They discuss the future of learning, the importance of making learning meaningful for the individual, and why learning environments need to be fit for the future and developed focusing on the learning experience rather than admin efficiency. Is it time to wave goodbye to the traditional LMS system?

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR Anthony speaks to Kate Faxen, an Organisational Change Specialist, working for WHEN, the Women in Higher Education Network - a network developed to accelerate change and propel people to achieve their ambitions in academia. Kate discusses WHEN's pioneering 100 Black British Women Professors programme and shares findings from their research. In 2018, there were only 25 Black British Female professors in the UK, compared to over 12,500 white males. Kate shares why 70% of the cohort have felt, since launch, the programme has already accelerated their career progression.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Victoria Brown, Head of Research and Development at Belbin. They discuss the effect of hybrid working on your teams, how you can make sure your people's strengths and personalities can shine, and how you can go about designing the perfect virtual and hybrid team.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Tony Eames, CEO of Total Active Hub, a global platform that enables employees to be more physically active, supporting their long term health. They discuss the misconceptions of physical exercise, what being active really means and why physical activity is so important to organisations.

Welcome to the launch of our new series of Tap'd Talks HR. In this short launch episode Anthony gives us a sneak peek into what you can expect from the podcast in 2023. With new episodes each month, we will be discussing relevant and up to date HR topics with some exciting guest speakers and covering hot topics such as fostering and engaging hybrid workforces, balancing a fair wage and protecting the longevity of organisations.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony revisits three previous podcasts, all on the topic of hybrid working, and discusses both the benefits of remote working, and of being back in the office. In this episode we hear from Wayne Clarke, Founder of the Global Growth Institute, Dr. Aeron O'Connor, an Anthropologist at University College London, and from Tap'd leadership expert Andi Roberts.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with Tarin Calmeyer, Holistic Wellness Practitioner and Founder of Remote Team Wellness, on the topic of remote wellbeing. They explore the benefits of being location independent and its impact on employee wellbeing, as well as the challenges that often come with it.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with Wayne Clarke, Founder of the Global Growth Institute, on the challenges of remote leadership. Wayne explores the difficulties leaders have faced over the past two years, and highlights the factors that can bring about more effective remote leadership. They also discuss the importance of one-to-one meetings between leaders and team members, and how interacting with teams on a more personal level can better engage and motivate them.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with Kevin Teoh, Senior Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London, Department of Organisational Psychology. They explore the latest research on job crafting, and Kevin discusses the importance of employees balancing workplace demands & resources with their own personal needs & abilities.

2021 has been a chaotic year, full of change, so for our final Tap'd Talks HR episode of the year, we reflect back - through podcast snippets - on the important topics we discussed this year, including D&I, resistance to inclusion, the challenges of remote working, productivity, and employee wellbeing.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with Sherry Bevan, Leadership Consultant, on the importance of boosting your visibility in the workplace. Sherry focuses on how women can increase their visibility at work, how this can accelerate their career development, and how it can ultimately help close the gender pay gap.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with Marie Chequer, Organisational Wellbeing Consultant, on how an organisations success is driven by the wellbeing of its employees. Marie shares insight into what wellbeing is, different approaches to it, and how you can get begin to address employee wellbeing yourself.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with Jina Kim-Prunera, Intercultural Consultant, around the topic of difference, what difference can mean, and the value that different perspectives, backgrounds and behaviours can bring to a business.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks with Erika Ferszt, founder of moodally.com, on the factors that can affect your mood, how to manage them, and how to use your mood to boost productivity. We also touch on how you can improve your mood in a remote working environment to reduce stress and improve performance.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony reflects on four recent podcasts themed around the changing world of work that the pandemic has accelerated. You'll hear some of his favourite clips from Dr Aeron O'Connor, Andi Roberts, Jenni Workman and Caroline Lindner, as they discuss how dispersed team leaders can address resilience and mental health.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Jo Drury, Senior Inclusion Consultant at Tap'd Solutions on the topic of overcoming resistance to inclusion activities. Jo discusses the different types of resistance that organisations face, the complexities surrounding them, and what you can do to overcome resistance and improve workplace inclusivity

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Kelly Cooper, founder and CEO of The Centre of Social Intelligence. They discuss Kelly's book, 'Lead the change - The competitive advantage of gender diversity and inclusion' and in particular the value proposition of D&I, a blueprint on how you can take action right now and importantly how you can get your C-Suite to listen.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Elaine Mahon, Deputy Director of Workforce Experience & People Insight and Karen Notaro, People Insight Manager at the Ministry of Justice on the topic of productivity. They discuss how the MoJ has delivered positive productivity growth through their people and share their journey to identifying their own internal drivers of productivity.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Jo Drury, Senior Inclusion Consultant at Tap'd Solutions on the topic of Inclusive Organisations. They discuss the insight behind our recently released report: 'Inclusive Organisations: How inclusion leads to strategic success', and explore the inclusion issues and challenges organisations are facing today, and what leaders can do to truly build inclusion.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Dr. Aeron O'Connor an Anthropologist from University College London (UCL). Dr. O'Connor discusses a recent study conducted at UCL that examined the challenges of working remotely. The aim of the research was to understand how the shift to working from home has impacted staff at UCL, the nature of their work and working relationships, all with the aim of seeking out ideas for improvements.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to diversity & inclusion leadership expert Jo Drury. They discuss 'engaging with allies' in an organisation. Jo explains what she means by an 'ally' and the impact an 'ally' can have in supporting the inclusion cause.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Author and Leadership and Diversity & Inclusion Expert Deanna Singh. They discuss the concept of 'Purposeful Hustle' and how people can direct their life's work towards making a positive impact and to create positive change.

2020 has been a crazy year, full of change, so for our final Tap'd Talks HR episode of the year, we reflect back - through podcast snippets - on the important topics we discussed this year, including D&I, employee engagement, remote working, the importance of resilience, mental health and wellbeing, outdoor coaching, agile HR and leading dispersed teams.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Natal Dank, co-author of the recently published book 'Agile HR: Deliver Value in a Changing World of Work'. They discuss what agile HR is and why she wrote the book, the effect of the pandemic on the HR function and why the HR profession has never had a better opportunity to transform our workplaces.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Emma Bridger, Managing Director of the People Lab and author of the CIPD publication 'An Introduction to Employee Engagement', on Employee Engagement in 2020. They discuss why it matters so much, the rise this year of the 'human connection' and what you can do to raise engagement during these challenging times.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to our leadership expert Andi Roberts on the topic of leading dispersed teams. They discuss why leaders will need to lead and interact differently in the new world of work with a particular focus on concentrating more on the emotional side of their leadership.

A year ago we spoke with Karen Notaro and Ruth Patel, People Insight Managers at the Ministry of Justice about their engagement journey, 12 months on, Karen and Ruth rejoin us to explain how they have driven engagement through Covid, the experiences of their engagement champions and their advice on building engagement through a pandemic.

In this episode of Tap'd Talks HR, Anthony speaks to Opemipo Koshemani, HR Business Partner at UCL, on VUCA and its impact on HR. They discuss what VUCA is, how Ope has seen VUCA play out as an HR Business Partner and how HR leaders can develop skills of VUCA in their teams.