HR Unpacked series two now live!

The HR Unpacked podcast series is back for 2024! Catch up on the series so far by searching ‘HR Unpacked’ wherever you get your podcasts, or visit the YouTube channel.

Jointly hosted by Salford Business School’s Dr Jonathan Lord, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, and Kate Palmer, Employment Service Director at the Peninsula Group, the podcast tackles the hot topics within the sector that everyone is talking about.

Having relaunched for a second series in January, the podcast features expert guests on a range of topics, from accent discrimination to artificial intelligence, via home-working and neurodiversity.

• Episode one features Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, Professor Rob Drummond, who chats with Jonathan and Kate about accent discrimination, how unconscious bias can creep into the recruitment process when it comes to someone’s accent. Jonathan recently spoke to BBC Radio Essex about this topic, and whether accent should be a protected characteristic, like gender, race or disability.
  
  
• Episode two is a topical discussion around artificial intelligence (AI) and how the rise in GenAI tools can impact your business. Kate and Jonathan are joined by Dr Maria Kutar, Reader in Information Systems at Salford Business School and Co-Lead of the Disruptive Technologies Research Cluster.
  
  
• Episode three sees Kate and Jonathan welcome Ian MacArthur, Director of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter. The three discuss how the Charter is paving the way for businesses of all sizes to offer more support for their workforce, with a particular focus on colleague wellbeing.
  
  
• Episode four focuses on neurodiversity and how anyone can support colleagues with neurodivergent conditions. With between 15%-20% of the population impacted by neurodiversity, many people face challenges in being understood in the workplace. Welcoming Kayleigh Frost, Head of Clinical Support at Health Assured, to the HR Unpacked podcast.