HR Insights: The Podcast, Series 6 - The Latest in HR News - December

In the second installment of ‘The Latest HR News’, our host, Stuart Elliott is joined by Friska Wirya and Jig Ramji to discuss a host of topical news articles in business and HR, exploring current trends and the impact they are having on organisations.

In this episode, Stuart and our guests discuss the impact of hybrid working and the prevalent reluctance to commit to returning to the office. They also touch on hot desking and its benefits as well as the difference between Managing and Leading, particularly the toxicity that can materialise from having a ‘bad boss’. Along with talking about more thought-provoking topics for example, as Jig highlights, the impetus for organisations to consider the terminology they use around diversity, as well as the emerging HR trends of 2024, Stuart, Friska and Jig touch on the more light-hearted topic of Christmas parties and the differing perspectives on whether they are worthwhile for building company camaraderie.

Friska Wirya is a top 50 Global Change Management Thought Leader, a TEDx speaker and is a triple best-selling author of 'The Future Fit Organisation: A Leader's Guide to Transformation'. She has been featured in a number of publications including Vogue and Smart Company and is a frequent contributor to Women’s Agenda. Jig Ramji has over twenty years of experience as a Human Capital Leader specialising in HR Strategy, Organisation Transformation and Change, Talent Management and Leadership Development. He has wide scale international experience having lived and worked in the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong whilst leading Global and Regional teams. Following an extensive career working with some of the largest global multinationals, Jig was most recently the Chief Talent Officer at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and is also a non-executive Director and trustee at Roffey Park Institute.

Key Timestamps of the articles discussed:

• 01:12 – Intro into Friska 
• 02:13 – Intro into Jignesh Ramji
• 03:15 – Hybrid working 
• 13:25 - How to make hot desking work
• 20:25 – Managing vs Leading 
• 25:35 – Toxic Management 
• 32:35 - Ray Dalio's brutal management regime
• 39:50 – ESG and Diversity 
• 47:30 – Pay Transparency
• 54:40 – 2024 HR Trends 
• 63:28 – Christmas Parties 

Articles referenced, please note that some require subscriptions to access:

• Self-sabotaging home workers are hitting the ‘Zoom ceiling’ in their careers
• Amazon ‘blocks promotions for staff who won’t come back to the office
• Would you rather be a manager or a leader?
• The inescapable tyranny of the bad boss
• The Wall Street giant and his brutal management regime
• Conflict of interest fear over ESG ratings from MSCI
• Asos ditches diversity targets in bonus scheme
• The Top 5 HR Trends for 2024
• HR trends to watch in 2024 for high-performing workforces
• Ontario introduces pay transparency law
• Festivity, not debauchery: Now is the time to ensure that your Christmas celebrations don’t turn sour
• Ageism row | HR worker, 45, felt victimised by younger colleagues who rebuffed her Christmas party suggestion