The CIPD's Chair, President and incoming Chief Executive say now is the time for people professionals to lead on productivity and performance.
In an interview with HR journalist and editor Trevor Merriden for the latest episode of “The Merri-Cast” - entitled “HR’s Moment of Truth: A Time to Lead” - the CIPD's Incoming Chief Executive Neil Carberry, President Chloe Smith and Chair Chris Bones have one shared view: this is a pivotal moment for the people profession, and the way to meet it is by leading on productivity and performance.
As part of a wider conversation about where the profession stands and where it's heading next, Carberry, Smith and Bones are upfront about the fact that perceptions of HR have not always been positive. Rather than brushing past this, they discuss why this is the very reason we need to be clearer about what the profession delivers.
The best HR teams, as Bones puts it, are the architects behind how an organisation performs – not a function sitting alongside the business, but one shaping it. Carberry traces that same idea back to the CIPD's own Royal Charter: a founding purpose that ties the institute directly to productivity and performance in the workplace, in service of the public benefit.
Smith brings the conversation into the present moment. The workforce is shrinking and ageing. AI adoption is often moving faster among employees than employers can keep pace with, and much of the working world is still only experimenting with what it can do. Rather than treating this as a threat, Smith explores how it is exactly where people professionals can add the most value – bringing strategic thinking to a shift that most organisations haven't yet got ahead of.
Across the conversation, the message is consistent: this is a genuine turning point for the profession, and the way through it is leading with confidence on the issues that matter most.
Listen to the full episode of The Merri-Cast - “HR’s Moment of Truth: A Time to Lead” - on Apple podcasts and Spotify.
Trevor Merriden is an HR journalist, editor and founder of CEO of Merriborn, the content strategy and executive coaching specialists. His show, The Merri-Cast, produced by Charlotte Walter, is dedicated to putting listeners on the fast track to leadership confidence.
In this blog, Lisa Hogan, Membership Development and Communications Manager at the CIPD in Ireland, looks at some of the most important questions organisations should be asking about performance, productivity, trust and wellbeing. She explains how the themes explored at the CIPD in Ireland Thrive Conference can help organisations build the conditions for lasting success.
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