Jessica joins us to explore what fairness really means in a global workforce spanning 120+ countries. Drawing on more than 20 years in Total Reward, Jessica advocates that fairness cannot rely on manager discretion or good intentions alone - it has to be designed through clear frameworks, consistency and transparency – all powerful drivers of trust, fairness and organisational credibility.

Sharing how Deel approaches equitable pay at scale, Jessica explains how standardised compensation for high-volume roles balances with local context and regulation, and reflects on the growing impact of pay transparency, already happening through social media, whether organisations are ready for it or not.

Looking to the future of HR, Jessica makes the case for stronger commercial capability within the profession. From partnering closely with finance and sales teams to using AI for faster insight and better decision-making, Jessica believes HR's influence grows when it understands how the business makes money.

Thank you to Deel for sponsoring this episode.

What does HR look like when it's built for global scale?

With Deel, HR teams can hire, onboard, and manage talent in 150+ countries without setting up local entities or managing multiple vendors.

· Generate compliant contracts in minutes.

· Automate onboarding.

· Tackle performance reviews.

· Centralize employee records, time off, and benefits in one place.

Deel takes care of compliance and document management, so you can focus on people, not processes.

From that first offer letter to ongoing support, Deel makes global HR feel local, fast, and easy.

Visit www.deel.com/uplift today.

Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? 

Our book of the month for May is The Working Parent Equation, Balancing small humans with big careers, by Georgie Rudd.

Know a working parent? A colleague that has all the plates spinning, and you're not quite sure how they're managing? Or perhaps that's you?!

The Working Parent Equation is an extra special book, packed with practical exercises for anyone to reflect on their own, personal, working parent equation, and wonderfully our very own Cecilia Crossley wrote the foreword.

Here's her summary: It's an incredibly helpful tool for any working parent - one that will help you, your family, your organisation, and society – because each of us intentionally designing our own equations takes us a step closer to gender equality.

Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.

Renata brings a commercial lens shaped by 35+ years as a CFO and CEO before moving to HR. Her approach to HR is grounded in business reality: if you want to lead people well, you need to understand how value is actually created. That means learning the business model, shadowing sales and marketing teams, spending time with clients and working with operations to see how the business really runs day to day.

Renata sees three priorities for HR. First, staying adaptable and future-focused in a world that keeps shifting. Second, moving towards skills-based organisations, where continuous learning matters more than fixed roles or job titles. And third, building psychological safety.

A strong advocate for gender equity and recognising that "talent is universal, but opportunity is not", Renata leads FNZ Group's Inspire and Impact Network. At the heart of her message is courage: speak up, challenge respectfully, question outdated systems and stand for fairness even when it feels uncomfortable. For Renata, real impact comes from small, consistent acts of courage that gradually create change.

Timely for Mental Health Awareness Week: 11th – 17th May 2026

Elevate Wellbeing to a Strategic Priority:

Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode.

In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives.

As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability, and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential.

Learn more: How Geoff can help you elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk

Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? 

Our book of the month for May is The Working Parent Equation, Balancing small humans with big careers, by Georgie Rudd.

Know a working parent? A colleague that has all the plates spinning, and you're not quite sure how they're managing? Or perhaps that's you?!

The Working Parent Equation is an extra special book, packed with practical exercises for anyone to reflect on their own, personal, working parent equation, and wonderfully our very own Cecilia Crossley wrote the foreword.

Here's her summary: It's an incredibly helpful tool for any working parent - one that will help you, your family, your organisation, and society – because each of us intentionally designing our own equations takes us a step closer to gender equality.

Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.

Describing HR's greatest impact as creating and protecting value, Tim discusses what we should carry forward from COVID - the deeper connection that came from seeing each other as whole people - and why HR is fundamentally a team sport requiring connection and community. He introduces the "future-back" approach: start with a detailed vision 5 years out and work backwards to identify the scaffolding needed today.

Addressing AI and youth unemployment, Tim emphasises intentional choice – that it's not a shift being done to us – that we have agency. He discusses access to employment programmes including a prison-to-work scheme that reduces reoffending from 60% to six.

His wish for you: Be a student - continually better understand the organisation, our society and the individuals we work with. That is HR's life's work. And look after yourself, because we must put our own mask on first.

Elevate Wellbeing to a Strategic Priority

Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode.

In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives.

As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability, and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential.

Learn more: How Geoff can help you elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk

Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? 

Our book of the month for April is Start with Why by Simon Sinek – a powerful exploration of what separates truly inspiring leaders from the rest.

Simon challenges the conventional focus on what we do or how we do it, and instead argues that great leaders and organisations start with why – their purpose, cause, or belief. Through his Golden Circle framework, he demonstrates how the most inspiring leaders think, act and communicate from the inside out.

Drawing on examples from Apple, Martin Luther King Jr, and the Wright Brothers, Sinek shows that people don't buy what you do – they buy why you do it. When organisations are clear about their purpose, they attract employees and customers who share their beliefs, creating cultures of trust and belonging where people feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work. This isn't just about messaging; it's about building sustainable success through authentic, purpose-driven leadership.

Whether you're looking to inspire your team, build deeper trust with clients, or create a culture where innovation thrives, Start with Why offers a compelling framework for leading with intention.

Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.