While AI has been a prominent emerging technology for at least a decade, the speed of progress in the past few years has been remarkable - and possibly unsettling. Generative AI, most notably in the form of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT has gone viral - the first general purpose AI technology to reach a global audience.

In this talk, Michael will review what is generative AI and how is it different, and ask why generative AI has taken off now. He will explore the capabilities of generative AI now, and how will they evolve, and the implications for business, work and society.

Organisations are currently grappling with three issues; how to take full advantage of powerful AI systems, where they are best placed to provide the most value, and also how to govern it's usage. This is particularly difficult to do without clear guidance around ethical standards of AI usage. Despite this, some organisations have experienced increased innovation and an overall positive impact on ways of working. With this in mind, do we believe AI is a good thing for the world of work? 

• Dealing with concerns around data privacy and ethics
• Understand how AI algorithms can perpetuate bias and discrimination
• Explore how AI supports efficiency and innovation at work

Hear from leading people professionals on what it took for them to make it to the top. Discover how they started their career, the challenges they faced, and what it took to overcome them. Further discussion will include how to:

• Demonstrate authenticity whilst leading with empathy and transparency
• Instilling agility into your skill set to become a change warrior
• Develop people-centric approaches and create workforces that flourish.

Presentation 1: How to engage employees in your inclusion journey

• Why it matters to engage employees
• How leaders can empower employees
• Creating a culture of change
• How to celebrate success to keep people going on the journey

Presentation 2: Case study - Progressing towards better neuroinclusion

This session led by the Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, will share departmental case studies and dive into strategic solutions to tackle barriers in working with neurodiverse and additional needs employees. 

Key takeaways:

• Boost your confidence with best practices.
• Streamline recruitment
• Refine adjustment policies.
• Create a smoother, more inclusive workplace for everyone. 

Let's make inclusion effortless and enjoyable.

Join Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, for an insightful session on why investing in your workforce is the cornerstone of a successful, prosperous, and sustainable future. With over 20 years of experience in championing workplace excellence, Paul will share his expertise on how organisations that prioritise employee development and wellbeing are not only more resilient, but also better equipped to drive innovation and long-term growth.

As we face an evolving skills market and a growing structural deficit—where more individuals are retiring than entering the workforce—Paul will address the pressing need for organisations to invest in upskilling and reskilling their teams. He will explore how proactive workforce development can help bridge skills gaps, retain talent, and future-proof your organisation against demographic shifts. Learn how strategic investments in people not only mitigate these challenges but also position your organisation as a leader in a competitive, rapidly changing landscape.

Is your financial wellbeing strategy as effective as it could be? This session will equip you with cutting edge behavioural science, and real-world examples, to get better business impact from your financial benefits.

Dealing with difficult people at work is a complex challenge and one that can impact wider organisational culture. Solutions must balance the needs of the organisation, the individual involved, and those around them. This session will provide you with actionable takeaways ready to implement in your organisation, with a focus on: 

• Understanding why people become difficult at work, the costs of these behaviours, and what to tackle first 
• Discovering how to turn things around positively and with empathy to transform difficult interactions 
• Developing alliances to gain support and effectively build great working relationships and team dynamics.
  

• Addressing the most pressing issues surrounding the return to the office, focusing on the rise of hybrid working models and flexible working practices.
• How can compressed hours into a 4 day working week work for both employers and employees?
• What is truly working with hybrid working models and flexible working?
• Building trust and maintaining productivity and employee engagement with managing remote vs in-person teams.
• How to successfully coach and learn under hybrid working.

• Discover the core competencies and skills that are critical for navigating your early career within the people profession.
• Understand how to strategically develop and enhance your skill set through targeted learning experiences, coaching and practical application in the workplace.
• Uncover how to leverage your individual strengths and interests to craft a distinct skill profile that sets you apart from the crowd.

What does generative AI mean for the next generation starting work - from schooling through to their first jobs, their approach to life and ways of thinking may be fundamentally different. 

• How can we tailor our recruitment strategy to attract the generations who grew up with generative AI? 
• How might our recruitment processes change to reflect this? 
• What regulations or guidelines might be necessary to govern the use of AI in recruitment as technology evolves?

• Instilling effective communication frameworks that aid employees to navigate times of change, particularly within dispersed workforces.
• Recognising the importance of the people profession in ensuring smooth transitions during periods of change and overcoming resistance.
• Adopting collaborative cultures whereby HR strategies are linked to business outcomes to ensure success.
• Overturning negative workplace cultures through fostering agility whereby employees act as agents of change.
  

The BBC has always been a magnet for talented and creative individuals who are committed to its purpose and mission. For many, working at the BBC becomes a vocation and employees can spend a long time in the organisation and in role. Set against the backdrop of a flatter, leaner BBC, this created a perception of career ‘stuckness’ for many employees, evidenced in staff survey scores. In this session, you can hear about how we tackled this and set out to create a rich career proposition focused on empowering individuals, activating team leaders and enabling a culture where fresh career experience and mobility is the norm and ‘up is not the only way.

Case study 1: Improving organisational agility - creating a Centre of Expertise approach

This case study provides an insight into the Centre of Expertise at the Ministry of Justice People Function. Drawing from the rationale to design and develop the Centre of Expertise approach, the case study highlights the key challenges and considerations in drawing what's best from the Ulrich model of HR management. The resultant approach demonstrates how a Centres of Expertise model can produce organisational agility through delivering consultancy, growing community and building capability.

Case study 2: Leading your workforce through transformational change

In this case study you will hear how you can lead your workforce to be resilient and agile when faced with change transformation. You will gain practical advice on how you can support your workforce to overcome the challenges that organisational change brings and what you can do to deliver business results from change strategies.

Skills-based workforce planning is often discussed in the context of preparing for future skills in a digital transformation. While there are many technology solutions to help you, is this the right approach for your organisation?

• When a skills-based approach is helpful - and when it’s unhelpful
• Case studies on approaches to skills-based workforce planning and lessons learnt
• Alternative approaches you may want to consider for your organisation

• How can leaders navigate the ED&I crossroads to foster diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces?
• Embedding inclusion and diversity within organisational practice to drive innovation and improve performance.
• Instilling transparency within your ED&I metrics to enhance trust and accountability. 
• Inspiring your workforce through a shared vision to create a sense of belonging and drive meaningful work.

Join this panel session to understand how your workforce could better support all ages to thrive in the workplace and be truly inclusive.

Understand the benefits that an age-diverse workforce can bring – from fostering good team-working, driving real inclusivity to reciprocal mentoring and other advantages.

• The importance of taking a holistic approach to skills by ensuring not only learnt skills but essential skills are encouraged in lifelong learning practices and within job descriptions.
• Providing continuous skill-building opportunities to upskill employees and help boost their productivity.
• Utilising skills-based recruitment to identify essential skills in candidates and enhance success within job roles.

This will be a unique chance to hear from and directly question CIPD’s senior leadership team about the Institute's work over this year on behalf of members and the profession. 

o   State of the profession – A summary by CEO Peter Cheese of CIPD’s national and international achievements for the profession and members

o   Insights from the 2024 member survey

o   Review Of CIPDs More for 24 campaign

o   Showcasing new products and services for members including mentoring and career support

o   Q&A with the senior CIPD Leadership team

Join this interactive session to learn practical tips on how to get the most out of generative AI tools for your work.

• Learn good practices for writing clear, concise and informative prompts. 
• Watch and follow along live demos on how to prompt tools to draft, brainstorm and summarise HR content.
• Discuss how to refine and improve your prompts to get better results.

Tip: to follow along, bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone with internet connection. Open your browser and connect to a generative AI assistant like Claude, Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity.

With the rehabilitation of people with convictions high on the agenda alongside overcrowding in the criminal justice system, how can HR/People Professionals be game-changers in creating more inclusive policies, practices and perceptions?

Join this panel session to help you understand how to support people with convictions to enter and flourish in the workplace.  Our expert speakers are on hand to share practical suggestions and ideas to support you every step of the way.

• What should an organisation's responsibility be towards wellbeing vs employees’ own responsibility? 
• How can we create a supportive work culture conducive to employee happiness and fulfilment whilst avoiding stress and burnout? 
• Empowering managers to champion employee wellbeing initiatives.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of employee wellbeing programmes, with a focus on continuous improvement.
  

• How can organisations integrate green and digital upskilling into their workforces to contribute to both personal and business growth?
• Increasing the value of talent and retention by supporting career progression through reskilling and career activism.
• Explore how the evolving skills agenda will impact the future of workforce planning.

From mental health support and health diagnostics to personalised support for time and workload management, AI offers many possibilities for enhancing your wellbeing initiatives.In this session, you’ll brainstorm ways in which AI-embedded solutions can help nurture a healthy and performing workforce. Delegates will work through one question at a time on roundtables: 

• Where can AI-embedded solutions support your wellbeing initiatives for supporting a happy, healthy and performing workforce? Include existing solutions or new ones you’d like to see in the market. 
• Where wouldn’t you use AI-embedded solutions in your wellbeing initiatives for supporting a happy, healthy and performing workforce? What alternatives would you consider? (e.g. other technology solutions, process changes, skill development) 
• Is hyper-personalisation of wellbeing initiatives crucial for nurturing a happy, healthy and performing workforce in your organisation? Discuss situations where it’d be helpful or unhelpful to leverage AI and other technology solutions to enable hyper-personalisation.

Sustainability sits at the centre of many organisations today, with many now aligning their goals and actions to the sustainability agenda. But how can the people profession help drive sustainable people practice? Hear from senior business leaders, collaborate with peers, and develop your next steps in your sustainability journey. With further discussion on: 

• Assessing the value of social sustainability and what are the risks involved? 
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders to build partnerships to drive forward sustainable and ethical practices 
• Empowering employees to take action and play an active role in driving positive change 
• Placing sustainability and financial value hand in hand to drive growth moving forward.

• The impact of reward and recognition on employee motivation, engagement and retention.
• Designing effective reward and recognition programmes tailored to diverse employee needs – and does it always need to be financial?
• How can we build a fair pay transparency policy?

• How can digital learning unlock the creative, innovative and divergent thinking of your workforce?
• Harness the power of AI to help employees meet the needs of an ever changing skills agenda.
• Gain actionable insights into how you can integrate AI and automation to drive your L&D strategies.