The XpertHR Podcast (UK)

Ferzana Ahmed and Mith Ragukaran, solicitors at law firm Fragomen, join us to talk through the latest immigration developments and issues affecting HR professionals, including what's on the horizon. Read the transcript Related resources Transition to eVisas 2024: Key updates and action points for employers  Immigration rules and right to work On your radar 

In October 2024 the Government launched a major overhaul of employment law in the form of the Employment Rights Bill. A number of important amendments have been introduced since the proposed legislation was first published. Stephen Simpson, principal editor at Brightmine, joins the podcast to provide an update and help HR departments prepare for the changes. Download the transcript What to read, listen to and watch next On your radar  April 2025 employment law changes: Five-point checklist for HR  Podcast: Neonatal care leave - a practical guide   Webinar: Ethnicity data disclosure - fostering trust and building engagement for a better workplace 

Jo Broadbent, counsel knowledge layers at Hogan Lovells, joins us to discuss the new right to neonatal care leave and look at likely forthcoming changes to family-friendly employment rights in the Employment Rights Bill.  Read the transcript Related resources Webinar: Statutory neonatal care leave - how employers can prepare Neonatal care leave Neonatal care pay Neonatal care leave: Four scenarios employers could face

Susie Munro, senior legal editor at Brightmine, looks at three cases where employers have lost "discrimination arising from disability" claims after treating workers unfavourably because of disability-related absence.  Related resources Disability-related absence: Tribunal round-up On your radar Disability discrimination - line manager training

Justine Woolf, director of consulting at Innecto Reward Consulting, joins the podcast to tell us about pay transparency legislation in the US and EU and why employers in the UK need to be prepared for change - and how their organisations can benefit by taking a proactive approach. To access the white paper discussed by Justine, click here. Read the transcript What to read, listen to and watch next Pay transparency - do the right thing Demystifying the EU Pay Transparency Directive for UK employers Podcast: Gender pay gap reporting - a global view Webinar: Pay transparency - the value of honesty and some pitfalls to avoid

WhatsApp and other informal instant messaging platforms are an invaluable communication resource for individuals and groups. But as some recent legal cases have shown, they can also create problems when they are used in a work environment. Sam Dickinson, an employment lawyer and partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter solicitors, joins the podcasts to talk about the pitfalls - and what employers can do to manage risk. Related resources Sexual harassment liability: Employment tribunal round-up Compensation awards: Employment tribunal round-up Use of email, instant messaging and internet at work policy

A significant proportion of the population have criminal records. So what are the legal requirements when thinking about recruiting someone with a spent or unspent conviction? And are employers that shy away from engaging with ex-offenders failing to make use of a valuable resource and even damaging their organisations? Debbie Sadler of Unlock and Brightmine senior legal editor Laura Merrylees join the podcast to discuss these questions and more.  Related resources Job applicants with convictions Recruitment of people who have criminal record policy Six key takeaways from the 2023 CIPD conference

Psychological safety is one of the cornerstones of a productive, progressive workplace. Strategist, futurist and data scientist Wilson Wong joins the podcast to discuss how to build it, how to measure it and what can go wrong when it's lacking in an organisation. Read the transcript Related resources How to create psychological safety at work Developing employee performance: Purpose, psychological safety and belonging Materials referenced/recommended by Wilson Amy Edmondson's book The Fearless Organization The APA 2024 survey on Psychological Safety in American Workplaces A meta-analytic review examining the antecedents and outcomes of psychological safety Wilson's own blog about identity at work: Navigating Identity at the workplace and Corporate Behaviour in 2024: How did it get so bad?

Laura Kimpton, HR strategy and practice editor at Brightmine, discusses how organisations, and line managers in particular, can support and champion neurodiversity in the workplace. Topics include: employers' legal duties under the Equality Act; the value of adopting a "needs-led" approach; making reasonable adjustments; approaches to onboarding and communication. Read the transcript Related resources Neurodiversity policy Introduction to neurodiversity - line manager training Supporting neurodivergent candidates - line manager training Onboarding: Workplace orientation - line manager checklist Tailored reasonable adjustments plan for disabled employee Employment law cases concerning neurodiversity

The Labour Government published its highly anticipated Employment Rights Bill on 10 October 2024. In this edition of the podcast, Brightmine employment law experts Zeba Sayed and Stephen Simpson analyse the key proposals in the Bill and offer advice on how HR can begin to prepare for the changes. Read the transcript The accompanying slides can be downloaded here Related resources Podcast: Employment Rights Bill Q&A  Employment Rights Bill published: 10 highlights for HR from the first draft  On your radar  Webinar: Employment Rights Bill – how HR can get ahead of the changes 

The Labour Government published its highly anticipated Employment Rights Bill on 10 October 2024. In this edition of the podcast, Brightmine employment law experts Zeba Sayed and Stephen Simpson answer questions on different aspects of the Bill, from the timeline for the measures coming into effect to the nuances of the proposed unfair dismissal and fire and rehire changes. Read the transcript Related resources On your radar  Podcast: What changes should HR prepare for from the Employment Rights Bill? Employment Rights Bill published: 10 highlights for HR from the first draft  Webinar: Employment Rights Bill – how HR can get ahead of the changes 

What will the people profession look like in 2035? How will AI transform HR practices over the next decade? And how can HR teams prepare for the ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies like AI? Tessa Hilson-Greener joins the podcast to answer these questions and many more besides. Related resources AI fundamentals: How to identify AI needs in HR Three areas of focus for the AI workplace revolution Revolutionising AI rules for global employers Use of AI chatbots at work policy

With changes to the law regarding sexual harassment in the workplace coming into effect this autumn · and further changes promised in the Government·s Employment Rights Bill · we are joined by Lisa Bell from Tell Jane to discuss the new legal duty on employers, the impact of technology and generational shifts in attitude.  Related resources Building a working environment free from harassment and sexual harassment – Leading practice guide New sexual harassment prevention duty: 10-point checklist for HR Sexual harassment risk assessment form

The phrase ·four-day week· has been trending in the media of late · and being used to refer to quite different things, to the confusion of many! In this edition of the podcast we aim to clear up some common misunderstandings. Related resources Right to request flexible working  Flexible working requests policy Compressed hours policy  Managing hybrid/flexible workers - line manager training

Justine Woolf, director of consulting at Innecto Reward Consulting, offers tips for HR to boost employee engagement and ensure that organisations get a better ROI on their benefits. Related resources Webinar: Why now is the time to align your rewards with your EVP Podcast: Evolving your EVP to meet the needs of a multigenerational workforce How to develop a reward strategy Rebuilding in 2024: Strategies for reshaping worker expectations

Andrew Walker, new business development director with Personal Group, joins us to discuss the significant changes and trends shaping the future of work, and to explore strategies to evolve your employee value proposition (EVP) to meet the diverse needs of a multigenerational workforce. Related resources Webinar: Why now is the time to align your rewards with your EVP How to develop a reward strategy Rebuilding in 2024: Strategies for reshaping worker expectations What is an employee value proposition (EVP)?

From wellness and neurodiversity to ·hotelification·, Rachel Basha, founder and CEO of the architecture and design practice Basha-Franklin, discusses the ways in which the shifting needs and character of the 21st-century workforce are reshaping office design. Related resources Deskless and disengaged - how can you stop me from leaving? Introduction to neurodiversity - line manager training Health and wellbeing policy Webinar: Hybrid working - how to personalise the employee experience

Bags for life, tea containing a surprising substance and more: Susie Munro, senior legal editor at Brightmine, discusses four recent employment tribunal cases where employees were dismissed for misconduct after making what they said were mistakes.  Related resources Misconduct dismissals following employee mistakes: Employment tribunal round-up How does a tribunal gauge whether an employee has been unfairly dismissed on the basis of misconduct? Misconduct - line manager training

Steve Allan joins us to talk about HR's role in mergers and acquisitions and offers five top tips for getting M&As right. We talk about: company culture; the impact of AI; understanding TUPE; and how to get integration right. Related resources Hiring across borders: Five compliance challenges and how to solve them Podcast: Global hiring - AI, EORs and worker misclassification risks  Guide for global employers: Recruitment and selection

Miranda Zolot, general counsel at Oyster, talks about the benefits and challenges of distributed working and global hiring. Join her as she discusses subjects including: •    EORs and PEOs; •    compliance issues; •    employee/contractor misclassification risks; and •    AI. Related resources What is an employer of record? Hiring across borders: Five compliance challenges and how to solve them Guide for global employers: Recruitment and selection Guide for global employers: International assignments

According to research, almost half of the skills used by the workforce today will no longer be relevant in a couple of years. Given this context of a fast-evolving workplace with shifting needs, it's perhaps unsurprising that organisations are struggling to hire people with the right skills. What is to be done? Career mentor Laurie Macpherson joins us to discuss ways for HR and employees to begin to rethink recruitment and reskilling. Related resources Four steps HR can take to help businesses and employees embrace the new "squiggly" careers era Whose responsibility is employee development anyway? Managing retention: Creating a retention strategy Global learning and development 2024: XpertHR survey report

A raft of employment law changes have come into effect over the past few months. In this edition of the podcast, Zeba Sayed and Stephen Simpson discuss some developments that have perhaps received less attention than others: the changes to special redundancy protection for family-related leave that came into force on 6 April 2024. Read the transcript here Want to learn more? April 2024 employment law changes: Eight-point checklist for HR Redundancy policy Redundancy: Letter offering suitable alternative vacancy to pregnant employee Redundancy during or after maternity leave: Letter offering suitable alternative vacancy to employee

International and domestic politics, issues of gender and sexuality: people disagree about lots of things. Understandably, many organisations worry about the impact of controversial beliefs being expressed in the workplace - perhaps because of the effect on other employees, perhaps just because of the distraction that disputes can cause. In this edition of the podcast, employment law specialist Darren Newman joins us to discuss how organisations can navigate conflicts of belief in the workplace. Darren sets out the relevant case law and tackles questions including: Can employers distinguish between what is said in the workplace and what is said elsewhere, eg on social media? Can they put rules in place governing how people talk about controversial issues? What can they do to protect themselves and their employees? Related resources Gender reassignment discrimination: Gender fluid and non-binary identities are protected Religion or belief discrimination: Gender-critical belief is protected, EAT holds Balancing competing rights: A difficult challenge for employers

Running an employment tribunal claim can be complicated and requires careful management. We are joined by part-time employment tribunal judge Tina Elliott, who offers practical tips on how to prepare effectively. The topics we discuss include: case management hearings; document disclosure; witness statements; and video hearings

We are joined by Louise Haycock, immigration solicitor and partner at law firm Fragomen, to discuss the latest immigration changes affecting employers and the workforce, and how HR can prepare for them.

The rules around COVID-19 were very clearly drawn in 2020. But what is the state of play now, not just in relation to COVID but to illness in the workplace generally? What should organisations do about employees who are nervous about returning to the workplace? Or about at-risk employees, particularly when infection rates are high? Or about long COVID - is it now treated as a disability? Bar Huberman, strategy and practice head of content at XpertHR, offers guidance. Resources Disability discrimination: Employee with long COVID was disabled Hybrid working: Setting up the workplace for effective hybrid working How to respond where an employee is reluctant to return to the workplace

According to a YouGov survey, 15% of people meet their partners at work. Given how widespread the phenomenon is, to what extent does HR need to take an interest in office romances? Stephen Simpson, principal strategy and practice editor at XpertHR, joins us to discuss the finer points of workplace relationship etiquette and to answer the (somewhat unromantic) question: Should the UK introduce US-style "love contracts"?   Resources How to manage personal relationships at work Personal relationships at work - line manager training Personal relationships at work policy Personal relationships at work quiz - line manager training

Rebekah Martin, senior vice president of reward, inclusion and talent acquisition at AstraZeneca, joins us to talk about the changing motivations and requirements of the workforce - connection to purpose, skills-based learning, recognition and more. She discusses her role at AstraZeneca and sets out a series of ways in which organisations can try to ensure that they are employers of choice for Gen Alpha, the next generation to join the workforce. Resources Managing retention: Employee development  Six strategies to attract talent and remain competitive in 2024 Rebuilding in 2024: Strategies for reshaping worker expectations Five HR priorities for 2024

Mindfulness can be a great tool for building employee engagement and team cohesiveness. XpertHR's in-house mindfulness teacher, Christopher Bryant, explains how to make it work for you. Related resources How a mindfulness group can help HR promote engagement and teamwork

Gender pay gap reporting is now well established in the UK. But what approaches are being taken elsewhere in the world, and what difference might the new EU Pay Transparency Directive make? Elle Barreto and Ro Carracedo Lopez, international editors at XpertHR, answer these questions and more. Related resources Demystifying the EU Pay Transparency Directive for UK employers EU employment law developments Gender pay gap reporting How to measure and report a gender pay gap

What financial challenges does the coming year have in store for organisations as they plan their reward strategy? Paula Flores and Hannah Mason, data insight analysts at XpertHR, make their predictions based on the findings from our autumn pay forecasts and priorities survey. Resources XpertHR surveys Reward planning 2024: priorities and key challenges Forecasts for pay awards in 2023/2024 Benchmarking - HR Metrics

In this edition of the podcast we are joined by Fay Wallis to discuss growth mindsets, the power of small steps and other strategies to build your confidence as you develop your career. About Fay WallisFay specialises in career and executive coaching for HR professionals. She is the creator of The HR Planner, a resource for setting and achieving your work and career goals for the year. She is also the host of HR Coffee Time, a podcast that focuses on career development in HR. Her website is brightskycareercoaching.co.uk. Resources Leading practice guide: Managing change successfully Podcast: Five steps to yourself from burning out - help for struggling HR professionals Webinar: Adapting to change - helping HR find balance and calm in uncertainty Podcast: Building HR resilience

There's been a lot of discussion around flexible working reforms in the media and elsewhere recently, sometimes generating confusion as well as providing insight. So what are employers' current obligations, what changes have been agreed by Parliament and when are they due to be implemented? In this edition of the podcast, we are joined by XpertHR senior legal editor Laura Merrylees to answer these questions.

We explore the key changes in discrimination law that have occurred since the Equality Act 2010 came into force and offer an overview of important case law. Resources related to this podcast Employment law guide: Equality and human rights Employment law cases

In this edition of the podcast we are joined by Kate Redshaw to discuss the future role of AI in the workplace, and the pivotal role that HR professionals can play in terms of how their organisations can best unlock its potential.

Zeba Sayed and Stephen Simpson discuss the importance of having workplace policies that advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion, and highlight some of the innovative policies that progressive employers are now adopting. If you have questions or ideas for future editions of the show, you can email us at podcast@xperthr.co.uk. We would love to hear from you!

It is critical for employers to follow a fair procedure before dismissing an employee. Here, Fiona Cuming, senior employment law editor at XpertHR, discusses a series of recent employment tribunal decisions where unfair dismissal claims proved successful because of procedural mistakes made by the employer during the disciplinary process.

Workplace sickness absence is a complicated area for employers. In this edition of the podcast, Paula Flores, an HR Data Insights Analyst at XpertHR, leads us on a tour of the findings of our annual survey of absence rates and costs. What are the trends and what measures can employers adopt? Resources referenced in this podcast How to manage an employee with a poor sickness absence record How to set absence triggers and targets Short-term sickness absence policy Long-term sickness absence policy Absence rates and costs: XpertHR survey 2023

Age discrimination can be a tricky area for employers. In this edition of the podcast, Susie Munro, Senior Legal Editor at XpertHR, leads us on a tour of recent cases that offer examples of how things can go wrong if they are mishandled and provides some tips on avoiding typical age-related traps. If you have questions or ideas for future editions of the show, you can email us at podcast@xperthr.co.uk. We would love to hear from you! The resources Susie refers to are:  Age discrimination: Case law round-up Age discrimination: Employment tribunal round-up Can direct age discrimination be justified? Workforce planning How to work without a compulsory retirement age Retirement Managing poor performance More episodes from The XpertHR Podcast

According to a recent survey, 98 per cent of HR professionals said they had felt burned out in the past six months. In this episode we ask: What is burnout exactly? Why is it afflicting so many people working in HR? And - crucially - what can you do to keep burnout at bay? On hand to address these questions are Debbie Kleiner, from Wellbeing in Work, and Bar Huberman, XpertHR's HR Strategy & Practice Content Manager. We are also hoping to make a second episode in which we explore your experiences of burnout. You can email us at podcast@xperthr.co.uk. We would love to hear from you! If you would like to discover more about Debbie's work, you can visit her website, wellbeing-inwork.co.uk, or email her at hello@wellbeing-inwork.co.uk. For all the resources mentioned in this podcast, visit XpertHR.

We look at the challenges and opportunities arising in immigration in 2023 for HR and employers, including: the introduction of new visa types; an additional exemption to the immigration skills charge for senior or specialist workers; the importance of planning ahead to manage the impact of longer lead times; changes to right to work checks; benefits and issues arising from hybrid and remote working; managing sponsored workers when dealing with recruitment, restructures and redundancies; and trends and developments, including the anticipated Electronic Travel Authorisation system for EU nationals.

We reflect on the key decisions from last year and look forward to the case law trends likely to emerge in 2023. These include cases on: gender identity, holiday pay, coronavirus-related health and safety cases, industrial action, and dismissal and re-engagement.

We shares some practical tips on how HR and employers can improve the working experience for neurodiverse employees and make the wider workforce more cognisant of some of the issues they experience.

If an employer dismisses for gross misconduct, what does this mean for an employee's contractual rights? Does a failure to pay notice pay, make an otherwise fair dismissal unfair? Max Winthrop, partner at Sintons LLP, joins us to answer these questions and more, drawing on his legal and practical expertise. Max also shares his thoughts on the potential for significant change to employment law under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Jen Rooney, disability inclusion specialist and founder of The Wellbeing tortoise, explores why employers need to understand and embrace the human case for reasonable adjustments to cultivate inclusive workplaces.

Nick Chronias, partner in DAC Beachcroft's employment and pensions group discusses the steps employers can take to avoid industrial action and what obligations employers have once a ballot for industrial action has been successful among employees who are members of a trade union.

Adrian Martin, head of the employment team at law firm Burges Salmon, discusses the tricky issues that can crop up when there are multiple contractors in a TUPE transfer, and how both outgoing and incoming employers can navigate these issues. Adrian takes you through the legal and practical issues involved in service provision changes, including: when and why TUPE might apply; the "fragmentation" of services; recent case law; and how HR can help to structure and shape the services to achieve the commercial objective.

Gemma Dale, HR professional and lecturer at Liverpool's John Moores University and author of the book "How to work remotely" published in June 2022, joins us to talk about progress to date with hybrid working. We cover challenges as well as emerging benefits - including dealing with reluctant returners, cultivating the right culture, building trust, and what HR should be advising senior leaders in terms of the way forward.

Bev Thorogood, menopause specialist trainer and coach, joins us to discuss how you can create and cultivate a workplace that is supportive of people experiencing the menopause transition. Bev discusses how managers can hold conversations with sensitivity and understanding, together with the steps and strategies they can use to support menopausal team members including: menopause-related initiatives; the role of policies; adjustments to working life; and tailored adjustment plans.

We outline the steps HR can take to embed authentic trust between people managers and employees and build psychological safety within workplaces.