Here, Richie Poulton reflects on the need for better top-down approaches when it comes to managing workplace wellness, the importance of leading by example, and how HR departments and C-suite executives can show greater care and empathy for their staff, particularly in the current climate.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Instantia CEO Richie Poulton about his background as a nightclub owner in Europe and the other directions his vocational journey as taken, why he's so adamant about running a business that prioritises transparency, his experiences with burnout and what it has taught him, and how he benefited from working on himself.

Poulton also delves into how he manages his role as a CEO, what he's learnt about good leadership, how workforces respond to his approach, the need for a new leadership approach from the C-suite, what HR must do moving forward, and what excites him about such top-down leadership.

Workplaces across the board can, at times, trigger fear responses from workers. Here, we reflect on how incorporating play into not only the processes but also the mindset of the workforce can both bolster and maintain optimal levels of psychological safety for staff.

In today's episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Culture Hero founder Dara Simkin about how and why play in the workplace means something entirely different from having a ping-pong table on the floor, why the incorporation of play is so essential in the current climate, how high-stakes workplaces can trigger fear responses, and the consequences of this.

Simkin also delves into the compounding effects of stress both inside and outside work, the impact of constantly feeling exhausted, how play can help, the problems to be overcome, how HR can better push for the incorporation of play, how HR can support team leaders in driving change, and the need to remain human in a shifting landscape.

This week on The HR Leader Podcast, in a special episode produced in partnership with LinkedIn, we explore how professionals and leaders can make sense of how working life is evolving and better support their staff in building skills, confidence, and agency in the age of AI.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with LinkedIn Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman about his varied and storied career, what LinkedIn is observing in the market right now that the HR function must be on top of, the need for HR to feel empowered about ongoing change rather than overwhelmed, and what it looks like for HR to strike the right balance between maintaining the human aspect of work while rolling with the punches in an AI-driven landscape.

Raman also delves into HR's agency in driving change, the volume of skills that are shifting or becoming redundant and what that means for workers, taking a more skills-based approach to work, what businesses are getting right in AI adoption and utilisation, undervalued human skills, and how HR can better manage any sense of overwhelm.

To learn more about LinkedIn, click here. To learn about LinkedIn's new book, Open to Work, click here.