HR Unpacked: Recent Episodes
Dr Jonathan Lord & Kate Palmer
Welcome to HR Unpacked…a podcast about HR workplace issues, where we analyse and then discuss the latest developments in HR & Employment Law that impact both employers and employees. We will unpack the latest legislation and regulations to provide practical guidance on how to tackle the HR issues that are affecting the world of work.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing Digital Maturity in the Third Sector. Charities have traditionally been slower to adopt digital innovations compared to their public and private counterparts and today we welcomeProfessor Marie Griffiths and Marc Harrison from Salford Business School who are working on a project to help charities improve their digital skills.
For more details on the project , click on this link - Salford collaborates with local charity to drive digital transformation and enhance service
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing The Healing Process, which was established to support current and former NHS Highland employees affected by bullying. Based on “Healing Principles” agreed upon by NHS Highland executives, trade unions, and whistleblowers, The Healing Process provided a non-adversarial avenue for addressing concerns, prioritising personal recovery over blame. Today we welcome Tracy Boylin and Rebecca Foreman, who have been heavily involved in the foundation and running of The Healing Process. You can download 'The Healing Process WhitePaper' discussed in this podcast by clicking on this link - https://salford.figshare.com/articles/preprint/The_Healing_Process-_A_no_blame_approach_to_resolving_workplace_disputes/28639127?file=53145224
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing Menopause in the workplace, which under current legislation, is covered under the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Safety at Work Acts.
We are delighted to welcome Guest Emma Neville - Founder at This Is Me- Emma is the founder of the online community This Is Me, a person-centred counsellor, and a passionate philanthropist who volunteers for numerous charities. She is also a qualified menopause coach.
Emma was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) at the age of 40, experiencing early menopause more than a decade before the UK average of 51. This diagnosis led her to research menopause extensively, deepening her understanding of its phases and inspiring her to become a menopause coach.
Determined to raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding menopause, Emma created This Is Me, an online community where she shares her story and encourages open conversations. Her mission is to reshape the narrative and be part of the generation that makes menopause matter.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be reviewing Peninsula’s Employer Confidence Index report, taking a look at some of the key issues and challenges that businesses around the world are facing.
We are delighted to welcome Alan Price , Group Chief Operating Officer at Peninsula UK
You can download the Peninsula’s Employer Confidence Index report HERE
Welcome to this podcast where we will be reviewing the Employment Rights Bill, taking a look at some of the key employment law changes made as well as prospective changes over the next 12 months.
We are delighted to welcome Nicola Mullineux , Associate Director - HR Content at Peninsula
This podcast is based on the amended Bill as it was published on 27 January 2025. It is still possible that adjustments will be made to the details of these proposals as it proceeds through the parliamentary process. Due to the procedural steps needed to bring in new laws, it is not likely that implementation of these changes will take place until 2026.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing the topic of
We are delighted to welcome Laura Kelly, Head of Talent and Culture at GG Hospitality.
Laura has 17 year’s experience in the hospitality industry and has significant experience within HR across multiple brands. Laura’s focus remains on the employee journey and experience as well as developing team members and delivering core brand values. Welcome Laura
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing the topic of Men's mental health which has become an increasingly important public health issue, with significant implications for individuals, families, and society at large. Mental health statistics show that over a third of men (35%) think they've had a diagnosable mental health condition at some point in their life.
According to research by The Priory organisation:
• 77% of men polled have suffered with symptoms of common mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress or depression
• 40% of men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health
• 29% of those say they are "too embarrassed" to speak about it, while 20% say there is a "negative stigma" on the issue
• The biggest cause of mental health issues in men’s lives are work (32%), their finances (31%) and their health (23%)
• 40% of men polled said it would take thoughts of suicide or self-harm to compel them to get professional help
We are delighted to welcome Hannah Bermudez, Director of People & Culture at Salford City Football Club. – Hannah is a highly qualified and experienced HR Professional as well as a qualified Management Coach and Mentor.
As Director of People & Culture, Hannah advises the Board on business critical and strategic areas at the Club, relating to Human Resources; Safeguarding; Player Care; ED&I and Welfare & Wellbeing.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing the 2024 General Election, taking place on the 4th July, we’re taking a look at some of the key promises relating to employment law made by the leading political parties.
We are delighted to welcome Nicola Mullineux , Associate Director - HR Content at Peninsula
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing Wellbeing at Work with the effects of lockdown still affecting workplaces and how the balance has tilted from sickness absenteeism to sharp rises in presenteeism and leaveism. Other recent research also shows that, despite much more homeworking during and after pandemic lockdowns, 43% of people still experience presenteeism and slightly more (47%) leaveism.Research shows that good line management can make the difference between having great days at work and having a miserable time
We are delighted to welcome Sir Cary Cooper who is a distinguished psychologist and professor specializing in organisational psychology and workplace well-being. Currently, he serves as the 50th Anniversary Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. With a prolific career spanning over four decades, Professor Cary has authored and edited over 250 books and numerous scholarly articles. His research focuses on occupational stress, mental health in the workplace, and work-life balance.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing Neurodiversity which affects between 15–20 % of the UK population. According to the National Autistic Society, 45% of neurodivergent people have lost or left their job because of challenges due to being misunderstood, with 102 cases being heard at employment tribunals in 2022 where employees said that their neurodiversity was part of the reason for the discrimination they experienced.
We are delighted to welcome Kayleigh Frost who is Head of Clinical Support at Health Assured, WelcomeKayleigh, great to have you on our podcast to discuss this important and increasingly challenging topic.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing the Good Employment Charter which supports all employers in the Greater Manchester region regardless of size or sector, to improve employment standards.
We’re delighted to welcome Ian MacArthur who is Director of the GM Good Employment Charter
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing AI and whether it can support HR professionals at every stage of the employee lifecycle.
We’re delighted to welcome Dr Maria Kutar who is a Reader in Information Systems at Salford Business School, Co-Lead of the Disruptive Technologies Research Cluster and a Board member of the UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS).
Maria is a multiple award-winning educator with extensive experience in curriculum development and academic leadership. Seeking to inspire individuals and businesses to achieve success through the use of digital technologies, Maria has fostered an understanding of the ethical and societal implications of their actions.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be discussing Accent Discrimination and whether it should be a protected characteristic.
We’re delighted to welcome PROFESSOR ROB DRUMMOND who is Professor of Sociolinguistics, Head of the Research Centre for Creative Writing, English Literature and Linguistics (CELL), and a founding member of the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies.
He has extensively researched on the ways in which spoken language varies between individuals and groups of speakers, and the role that language variation plays in the construction and performance of identity. His book, You’re All Talk: Why we are what we speak explores the enormous diversity in our spoken language to reveal extraordinary insights into how humans operate: how we perceive (and judge) other people and how we would like ourselves to be perceived.
- https://www.theguardian.com/global/2023/oct/08/we-still-make-judgments-from-the-way-people-talk-rob-drummond-decodes-accent-prejudice
- https://www.bigissue.com/life/regional-accents-disappearing-rob-drummond/
The notion of ‘quiet quitting’ has been around for centuries with trade unions using ‘working to rule’ as a means of industrial action. However, there is now a contemporary trend where Generation Z workers are encouraged to do the bare minimum at work in order to avoid burnout, as they 'recalibrate what's important to them' after Covid. In this episode we are delighted to welcome Dr Ashley Weinberg who is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford as well as a Chartered Psychologist. He has 20 year’s experience in lecturing, researching and consultancy work, having produced four books on well-being at work and provides a fascinating insight into the psychology behind Quiet Quitting as well as the impact it has on the psychological contract.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be looking at ‘value-based leadership’
We’re delighted to welcome Ged Mason the CEO of Morson International, Britain's leading manpower services company. The organisation specialises in supplying skilled white-collar staff - engineers, quantity surveyors and project managers - to the aerospace, defence, nuclear, rail, oil, gas and construction sectors. With an annual turnover of 930+ million(TBC), and on target to reach over £1 billion turover, Morson's clients include: BAE Systems, Airbus, Network Rail, Transport for London and the British Nuclear Group.
We discuss values based leadership where leaders draw on both their own core values and the negotiated and defined values of the work organisation for guidance and motivation and is a way of making authentic decisions that builds trust and commitment.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be looking at how HR can help identify and support staff facing domestic violence
We’re delighted to welcome Sophie Travis who is Counselling Manager at Health Assured, an award-winning employee assistance programme and the UK and Ireland’s largest EAP, giving caring and compassionate support to over 15 million lives.
Welcome to this EXTRA podcast where we are delighted to welcome Sami Ben-Al who is Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Wood, a company with 40,000 professionals, across 60 countries and are one of the world’s leading consulting and engineering companies operating across Energy and the Built Environment. Sami talks about how Wood have made meaningful changes to workplace E,D & I and some of the innovative strategies to tackle bias, both conscious and unconscious.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be looking at the issues of discrimination in the workplace. A new Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch has highlighted the ongoing issue of how companies are defending their acts of discrimination through blaming abstract forces that impact life, in this case beauty standards, but also structural racism. Organisations that have a top-down system have relied on existing biases but with ever increasing equality legislation and changing societal attitudes what can employers do to ensure they meet Equality, Diversity and Inclusion standards?
We are delighted to welcome Sami Ben-Ali who is Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Wood, a company with 40,000 professionals, across 60 countries and are one of the world’s leading consulting and engineering companies operating across Energy and the Built Environment.
Send your questions to j.d.lord@salford.ac.uk and we will answer these during the podcast.
Welcome to this EXTRA podcast where we are delighted to welcome John Lansdown, a P & O staff member for 15 years who has worked as a sous chef on the Pride of Canterbury and has refused his redundancy terms of £30,000 as well as signing a non-disclosure agreement. John talks through his tribunal claim and why he will never accept the methods undertaken by P & O in terminating his 15 year career with the company.
Send your questions to j.d.lord@salford.ac.uk and we will answer these during the podcast.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be looking at the implications of P & O’s decision to sack 800 staff members without consultation, the affect this will have on staff members & their families as well as the wider implications for employment relations in the UK.
We are delighted to welcome John Lansdown, a P & O staff member for 15 years who has worked as a sous chef on the Pride of Canterbury and has refused his redundancy terms of £30,000 as well as signing a non-disclosure agreement.
Throughout the episode we look at:
- Why businesses are allowed to operate and make tough decisions
- How businesses should follow a legal process when making redundancies
- What is the impact of redundancy on staff?
- What is the impact of not treating staff fairly on staff who remain in the company as well as the brand?
- Why Ethical Leadership should be a forefront off all modern day organisations
Send your questions to j.d.lord@salford.ac.uk and we will answer these during the podcast.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be looking at the future of recruitment and what it will look like in a post-COVID world. COVID has affected all our lives in numerous ways and some will argue that it’s changed the way we live and work for good. More employers are recruiting for those with a different set pre-covid and candidates will be looking for job roles within businesses that allow for more flexibility which means that businesses will need to be prepared to offer this in order to attract the top talent. But, what does all this mean? And how could that affect the future of recruitment? We're delighted to welcome special guest Charlotte Turner- Director at The Portfolio Group, Specialists in Credit Control, HR & Reward, Payroll & Procurement recruitment across the UK.
Send your questions to j.d.lord@salford.ac.uk and we will answer these during the podcast.
You can also download our episode companion guide HERE which provides more information & guidance.
James Potts, Legal Services Director at Peninsula UK, outlines the tribunal decision in the Ms C Allette v Scarsdale Grange Nursing Home Ltd case. which found that the refusal by an employee to be vaccinated constituted a failure to comply with a reasonable management instruction, justifying a dismissal on the grounds of conduct.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be analysing mandatory vaccination in the workplace and how tribunals have reacted to claims around this contemporary area of employment law.
We welcome special guest James Potts to cast his expert eye over the finite details and how employers can support all stakeholders navigate the continuous changing nature of government policy .
Send your questions to j.d.lord@salford.ac.uk and we will answer these during the podcast.
You can also download our episode companion guide HERE which provides more information & guidance.
Welcome to this podcast where we will be focusing on the covid rules that have affected all of us over the last 2 years and impacted permanently how the world of work will look in the future.
1-Welcome to the podcast
2-What have been the Covid regulations?
3-What are the current changes to covid workplace regulations?
4-The Great Resignation v The Great Reshuffle
5-Support / advice around post-pandemic workplaces