Resetting our workplaces – Programme

Responsible Leadership in Crisis and beyond: new forms of trustworthiness.

For two consecutive years, in the summers of 2020 and 2021, Veronica was given access to interview over 100 CEOS and senior directors, including HRDs, about their personal and professional experiences in leading through the COVID pandemic. The result is a unique and intimate picture of how these directors led through the biggest unexpected crisis of their careers.

Veronica will highlight how they balanced financial sustainability with their responsibilities to employees, to customers, to communities and other stakeholders and how that affected perceptions of their trustworthiness as leaders.

Veronica will conclude by identifying the way in which leadership and HR practice has, or has not, been changed as a result. 

The research has been published by the CIPD (November 2020 and November 2021) and Veronica wishes to acknowledge their support of this research.

Panel session: Flexible working

The ability for people to work more flexibly has been one of the positives that has come out of the pandemic. Our panel members will share different perspectives on flexible working, as well as taking part in an interactive discussion taking your questions.

The panel will include Lisa Gallagher from Flexibility Works and Chris Slemp from Microsoft, with further panel members to be announced.

Employment Law Update: Navigating the new normal Clyde & Co

Our update will take the form of a round up of recent employment law cases.

As well as summarising some of the growing COVID-related body of case-law, the team from Clyde & Co will comment on developments in the field of whistle-blowing and discrimination, including recent cases about gender identity.

Shaping the new world of work

The pandemic has changed the world of work forever. While it has thrown up huge challenges for organisations, it has also given us the opportunity to re-think about our work and working lives, what’s important, and how we ensure that people strategy is at the heart of business strategy, so we can shape a future that helps people, organisations and society in general, and ensures that work can be a force for good. 

In this interactive session, Peter Cheese will discuss how HR and leaders can adapt to the new world of work, and how to deal with the myriad of wellbeing and mental health issues, the productivity crisis, skills gaps, technology challenges and other inhibitors, so we can focus on the things that will allow us to build better organisations which are responsible, trustworthy and transparent. 

Much of this will require a different sort of leader in the future. Peter will discuss the mindsets and capabilities required to lead future-fit organisations, and the importance of leading with compassion, and using evidence and judgement for ethical decision making.