Show Notes
Is loneliness at work the hidden crisis no one is talking about? The CIPD’s Good Work Index 2025 report revealed that more than a third of working adults say they sometimes, often, or always feel lonely at work — a feeling that carries serious consequences for organisations. But what can be done? Is it an inevitable by-product of modern working life, exacerbating feelings of isolation, or can organisations take meaningful action?
Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Caroline Woolland, Director of HR at The King’s Fund; Liggy Webb, award-winning author, consultant and wellbeing expert; and Stephanie Davies, Founder, CEO and Head of Happiness at Laughology – as we explore how to tackle workplace loneliness head-on. Could your culture or job design be exacerbating feelings of loneliness, and what are the signs you should be alert to? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from CIPD
What opportunities does building commercial acumen as a skillset bring for the profession? Does quality of management matter more than any productivity metric? And what does it take for organisations to be bold about AI, without being reckless?
AI governance, the framework that ensures AI is deployed ethically, transparently and with proper accountability, is no longer a secondary concern. It is foundational to organisational stability and trust. Yet governance has not kept pace with implementation, exposing organisations to real business risks: loss of trust, reputational damage or litigation. But good AI governance doesn’t slow innovation. It establishes the foundations that make innovation possible.
The CIPD’s latest Resourcing and talent planning 2026 report, supported by Omni, reveals that an increasing number of organisations are extending their workforce planning timeframes from the short to the medium term. Overall, 24% take a short-term approach (up to six months), down from 31% in 2024. However just a fraction of organisations (16%) are planning more than two years into the future.
What does it really mean for an organisation to know its culture, and is it possible to borrow the best bits of someone else’s? Who should hold responsibility for shaping culture when roles and structures are shifting so fast? And as AI transforms the workplace, can it be a genuine ally in culture change rather than a threat to it?
According to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are approximately 548,400 refugees in the UK – yet many highly qualified, experienced people remain locked out of meaningful work. Not by ability, but by structural barriers: recruitment processes that filter out valuable candidates, unrecognised or unfamiliar qualifications, and in many cases, a basic misconception among employers about whether refugees can legally be employed at all.