In this interview with The HR Observer, Jo O’Driscoll-Kearney, the Chief Learning Officer at Majid Al Futtaim identifies two key areas of focus in today's L&D environment which are the ownership of learning and the pace at which learning must adapt to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

In this episode, Kate Maddison- Greenwell, the CEO of PeopleEfficient talks about how companies can help motivate remote workers and boost their productivity.

She highlights the potential benefits of remote and hybrid work environments, including improved productivity, well-being, and inclusivity. Kate stressed the importance of strong leadership, effective communication, and the provision of the right systems and structures for remote success.

In this episode, Keynote speaker and author Paul Gibbon talks about the importance of putting people first.

Gibbon emphasised the importance of prioritising people over technology when implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in organisations.

He argued that leaders must first educate themselves and their teams to understand the potential uses and applications of AI across various functions, such as marketing, customer service, and finance.

Paul also stressed the need for thr culture of continuous learning and adaptation, as he believes that mastery of AI will become essential for future job prospects.

Despite initial investment cost, Paul asserted that this approach will ultimately lead to more effective and efficient use of technology.

In this episode, Nicole Stewart, the Director of Organisational Culture and Inclusion at Dubai Holding is the guest interviewer talking to Jeff Strachan, the AVP Dubai Economy & Tourism at Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and Saira Sayed, the Director of Opportunties at Immclusive. The discussion focuses on the efforts and successes in promoting disability inclusion in the tourism and employment sectors in Dubai.

In this interview, Arshy Ahmed, the CEO & Founder of Flying Hedgehogs discusses the concept of grief at work.

Arshy explains that grief at work often arises when employees feel unrecognised and unappreciated for their contributions, leading to a cyclical pattern of behavior that can disrupt their work.

Whilst it is not widely acknowledged, grief at work must be explained to employees in order to understand and acknowledge it, and hold space for themselves as they go through the experience.

Laila Yousef Al Hassan is the lead on the Parent-friendly Label (PFL), a workplace award program, the only one of its kind in the region, that recognizes and honors parent-friendly workplaces across the UAE.

Through the PFL program, she is helping to usher in a new era for workplaces across the country where they lead with compassion and understanding for the needs of working parents of young children.

Laila has been a Senior Advisor on Organizational Culture and a member of the leadership team at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, which is tasked with overseeing the Early Childhood sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE.

In that role she has focused on maintaining a unique culture at the organisation and recently earned the authority international recognition for this purpose.

During this interview, she discusses insights gained from the parent-friendly label program, noting that applicant organisations are making tangible policy changes to achieve the label's criteria. They also observed an increased awareness of the business benefits of becoming a parent-friendly workplace, with organisations viewing this as a long-term journey.

A parent-friendly workplace is one that recognizes an individual's needs extend beyond the office, offering benefits such as fully paid parental leave, work-from-anywhere options, unlimited nursing breaks, peer-led support groups, and structured guidance for managers.

Jason Averbook, Senior Partner at Mercer spoke to The HR Observer about the importance of digital transformation in the workforce. He said that for HR professionals to adapt and shift their focus from simply counting people to making them count, they need to look at the skills and competencies within their workforce.

Averbook explains that HR professionals lead digital transformation by looking at the role of HR in employee care whilst understanding the importance of digital transformation, and defining success in the context of organisational changes.

He explains that many organisations struggle with outdated HR practices and the need to adapt to new strategies. He emphasized the importance of aligning HR's vision with the corporate strategy and treating employees as assets rather than expenses.

Nathalia Klein, CHRO at Allsopp & Allsopp Group talks to The HR Observer about how her primary focus is on employee retention and development.

She believes that ensuring employee engagement and providing a good progression pathway for employees are crucial to their happiness and development; hence engagement and retention.

Nathalia also highlighted the importance of nurturing and managing the entire employee life cycle, keeping up with industry trends, and setting standards for employee practices.

She stressed the need for communication, transparency, and clarity to make employees feel cared for and valued. Nathalia also pointed out the challenges of maintaining a balance between employee happiness and business growth in a fast-changing industry like real estate in Dubai.

She is a mum to a wonderful 13 year old daughter, who she's setting some incredible examples for on a daily basis.