HR People Pod – Ep 47: Disability disclosure | CEO avatars | Engagement | Productivity myths
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges of disability disclosure in HR, the potential of AI in leadership, and the issues surrounding employee engagement and productivity.
Why are HR professionals still feeling forced to hide their disabilities just to get hired? Could an AI version of your CEO really replace human leadership — and what happens when technology starts delivering the messages people most need to hear from a real person? And when engagement is falling and productivity remains stubbornly low, are organisations solving the wrong problems altogether? CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Clair Staines, Chief People Officer at POWWR, David Balls, Principal Consultant at Helix People Solutions, and Cheryl Samuels, People and Culture Director in the NHS and co-founder of #InclusiveHR. Recorded: 17 April 2026 --- Explore more from this episode: CIPD announces Neil Carberry as new Chief Executive Guide: Recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition Resources: AI in the workplace Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: David D’Souza
Guests: Clair Staines, David Balls, Cheryl Samuels
Topics covered
- disability disclosure
- AI in leadership
- employee engagement
- productivity myths
- HR challenges
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: CIPD, POWWR, Helix People Solutions, NHS
More episodes of CIPD
- HR People Pod – Ep 46: Measuring culture, driving performance – with Hani Nabeel
- HR People Pod – Ep 45: The problem with pay secrecy | Pressure-proof managers | Are PIPs broken?
- Podcast 228: The missing first rung: Are we sleepwalking into a talent crisis?
- HR People Pod – Ep 44: Crisis leadership | Impact of employee benefits | Friction-maxxing at work
- HR People Pod – Ep 43: Inside Davos – AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey
- Podcast 227: How to make learning stick and drive performance
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