HR Buzz Live Chat

The digital skills gap: Are we recruiting for the wrong future?

In this HR Buzz Live session, host Jamie Keeling is joined by digital skills educator Storm Rae to explore how AI is reshaping the workforce and challenging the way HR thinks about talent.

Together, they’ll discuss why many organisations are still recruiting for outdated skill sets, the growing shift between blue-collar and white-collar work, and how AI could help bridge the gap - if businesses invest in the right training and development.

Storm Rae, a lecturer at Cranfield University’s MK:U and a leading voice on AI literacy and workforce readiness, brings a human-centred perspective on how organisations can build digital capability at scale.

Expect a practical conversation about the future of work, digital skills, and what HR leaders should really be looking for when hiring in the age of AI.

Human Sustainability: Are we burning out our workforce?

As pressure, change and performance demands keep rising, many organisations are quietly exhausting the people they rely on most. 
This live session explores what human sustainability really means and why protecting people is no longer a nice to have, but a leadership responsibility. Bring your opinions and questions...
With guests: Lynsey Kitching and Dr Paul Jones, and our host Verity Gough.

Lynsey Kitching, co-founder of CAPE People Development and an expert in conversation-led leadership, works with founders, leaders and teams to build clarity, confidence and capability through everyday leadership conversations. She holds a postgraduate qualification in organisational leadership from Oxford University Saïd Business School and is co-author of Beyond Small Talk.

Dr. Paul Jones, Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience at Aston University, and a Teaching Fellow for Human Resources and Workplace Psychology. He has worked across the public, private and third sectors and brings with him a wealth of experience across various people orientated roles. He has worked in Higher Education for the last 15 years across roles including research management, careers advice and guidance and employability skills development. As a keen advocate of AI in the workplace, he brings a refreshing perspective on human sustainability.

Is ‘return to office’ really about culture - or about control?

As hybrid working becomes embedded, many organisations are struggling to balance trust, visibility and performance. The return-to-office debate isn’t going anywhere; it’s evolving.

So how do we engage people split between home and the workplace? How do we make the office feel worth coming back to? And how do we rebuild culture and connection across on-site and off-site teams?

We explore what good return-to-office strategies look like in practice, particularly in people-heavy, customer-facing environments.

Guest Matt Payne, HR Director at Build-A-Bear Workshop (UK & Ireland) and Board Director for the BABW Charitable Foundation, brings a real-world perspective on engaging hybrid teams, balancing flexibility with operational reality, and encouraging office return without mandates.

Join Jamie Keeling live for honest insight, practical examples, and audience Q&A.

The Big Festive HR Quiz

HR friends… ready to swap spreadsheets for a festive HR face-off?
This episode of HR Buzz: The Big Festive HR Quiz + 2025 HR Round-Up; is a live, interactive quiz on the big moments in HR, work and workplace culture this year. Host, Jamie Keeling is joined by three of our absolute fave HR people:

⭐ Debra Corey - Step It Up HR
⭐ Trish Hewitt- LLB, MA, FCIPD - Haylo HR®
⭐ Toby Kheng - Freeformers

You'll hear:

✅ A 10-question multiple-choice quiz on HR history, legislation, strikes, culture shifts & employee experience (ooooh)

✅ A 2025 HR themes round-up (of course!)

✅ Live audience participation in the comments - bragging rights included (get in!)

It's engaging and informative (and very, very funny!) So dip in, have a go at guessing the answers, and enjoy some good old-fashioned quizzy fun!

Talk Isn’t Cheap: The real cost of poor workplace communication

Talk Isn’t Cheap: The real cost of poor workplace communication
This session we’ll dive into the real cost of poor workplace communication and how clarity, empathy, and listening can transform culture, prevent burnout, and build trust from the top down.

🎧 Featuring:
Jo Coxhill – Workplace Culture, Employee Experience, Listening & Internal Comms Consultant | Burnout Advocate and Speaker | Founder of Vision 29 and ConnEXions:MK | Fellow IoIC

Jo helps organisations improve performance, profits and cultures by creating happy, healthy, and engaged teams. Known for her authenticity and results-driven approach, she champions better communication, burnout prevention, and belonging at work.

Tara Birch – Fractional Senior Leader and Co-Founder of Saffron & Birch
Tara specialises in change, communication, and culture, working with start-ups and small businesses to build workplaces people genuinely care about. Through Saffron & Birch, she connects leaders for honest conversations and real connection.

Expect authentic conversation, practical insights, and actionable takeaways to help your teams thrive.

Sustainability in HR: Passing trend or lasting legacy?

Exploring whether sustainable workplace benefits are fading into buzzword territory – or if they hold the key to future-proofing your people strategy.
Sustainability has been high on the workplace agenda for years, but is it starting to lose steam – much like some argue EDI has? In this HR Buzz Live Chat, we’re asking the tough questions:

Are sustainable benefits still a meaningful part of HR strategy, or are they just another fading trend?

Hosted by Jamie Keeling, our guests are:
Ali Argall, Business Development and Customer Retention Director at Tusker, who played a key role in launching the UK’s first salary sacrifice car benefit scheme.

Anjuli Parker, Founder and COO of Sustainable Business Ventures, and Assessor at the University of Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, who works with organisations to embed sustainability at the heart of their business.

Fresh energy. Fresh Voices. DisruptHR Birmingham Firsts

DisruptHR Birmingham is all about shaking things up - and this session brings together fresh energy and some new ideas from across the world of work. Our guests today include:

James Cumming – Founder of re:find interim & executive search, and co-organiser of DisruptHR Birmingham

Charlie Hart – Neurodiversity advocate, speaker, and founder of Ausome Charlie (who will be giving her first-ever Disrupt talk)

Emma Hickey – Director, Global Partnership and APac Growth, Abi Health, attending her first Disrupt as sponsor

Hosted by Jamie Keeling, this conversation dives into neurodiversity, innovation, wellbeing, and why fresh voices are the heartbeat of DisruptHR.

Whether you’re an HR leader, people manager, or simply curious about the future of work, this episode of HR Buzz Live Chat is your chance to hear what all the fuss is about, and get a taste of what to expect before the disruptors hit the big stage.

The Next Generation of HR Disruptors

What does the next generation of HR look like - and who’s shaping it?
In this special episode, Jamie Keeling is joined by Dr Paul Jones, Associate Dean Postgraduate Education and Student Experience and Lecturer in Human Resources Management and Work Psychology at Aston University Business School, and Zaaima Azmi, HR Coordinator for Caring Care and the winner of the student pitch at the Birmingham AI Summit.

We will be looking at why disruption is essential for the future of work and for the next generation of HR professionals; what students and early-career professionals gain from attending events and what to expect from their upcoming talks at DisruptHR Birmingham.

Whether you’re just entering the people profession or you’re mentoring the next generation, this is a conversation that will inspire, challenge, and energise.