HR Leader Podcast Network

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with ELMO, we explore AI as a workforce transformation from the perspective of the HR function. What does a tangible impact look like? And how ELMO's own journey shows HR teams how to reduce overwhelm, build capability, improve process design, and take on a more strategic role. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with ELMO global chief people officer Anne Tosky about why AI transformation is workforce transformation, why Australian businesses are falling behind what ELMO learnt on its own journey, and the practical, evidence-based steps HR can take, from engaging staff in open dialogue to using ELMO's AI Maturity Assessment tool. To learn more about ELMO's AI Maturity Assessment tool , and to learn more about ELMO, click here .

Bolstering the technological proficiencies of staff has to be a collaborative process with the workers on the ground, rather than a top-down dictation, at a time of voluminous market change. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Grant Thornton head of digital capability and enablement Jemma Hirst about her background in L&D, what's inspiring large businesses to invest time and energy into AI capability uplifts, the challenges in doing so, how Grant Thornton undertook the process of uplifting the workforce's AI capabilities, the need for bottom-up feedback rather than top-down communication, the need for a people-led approach, lessons learnt, and guidance to other businesses in learning from Grant Thornton's successes.

In this special episode of The Legal Brief, produced in partnership with Kingston Reid, we explore how HR professionals can harness the benefits of artificial intelligence while managing the legal and practical risks that come with it. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kingston Reid partner Michael Stutley about the growing role of AI in workplace decision making, investigations, and people management – from the risks of automation bias, over-reliance on AI-generated outputs, and the misuse of sensitive employee information to sharing practical guidance on governance, privacy and the importance of keeping humans in the loop. The conversation also outlines a series of practical "golden rules" for responsible AI use, helping HR professionals and employers embrace new technology with confidence while maintaining procedural fairness, accountability, and trust. To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here.

New technologies are reshaping daily operations and processes, but – since every workplace has access to such tools – what will truly separate businesses from the pack is how they harness and grow their people. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with an organisational psychologist and the former head of strategic talent at the IMD Business School in Switzerland, Tania Lennon, the ongoing shift in perspective about people, leadership, and talent, the need to future-proof businesses, necessary workplace capabilities moving forward, taking a holistic approach to leadership development succession planning, strengthening productivity and innovation without losing key human skills, and the essential role of HR moving forward.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with Deel, we unpack the imperative for HR to not only implement successful AI-inspired workflows but also get the most out of teams by having a stronger focus on the people within them. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Guy Fenton, Global Director at Deel, about getting AI implementation right. When done properly, AI becomes an amplifier – not a replacement. Drawing on Deel's transformation, Guy shares the framework that works: the questions that drive success, cascading benefits of smart deployment, and how to keep people central while revolutionising workflows. They tackle tricky conversations around team composition and make a compelling case for why Australian businesses are positioned to make the pivots that matter. If you're leading through AI's inflection point, this is your playbook. To learn more about Deel, click here .

The reshaping of how people work raises myriad pertinent questions, including, and especially, how employers can and must use new technologies to elevate human potential rather than replace it. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Insight APAC people and culture director Elyse Philippi to discuss what it means to be a good and productive worker, how to view performance in the current climate, the inherent risks with mistaking productivity for capability, how to define capable workers, ensuring that the right skills and traits are being recognised in the age of AI, practical steps that HR must take, bringing the C-suite along for the ride, balance upskilling the workforce on new technologies against not losing sight of the need for capability, and why she's optimistic about employers' willingness to view performance as being tied to capability.

Here, an award-winning HR practitioner reflects on the headline trends that will impact the vocational direction of the human resources function in FY2026–27 and why it is so important to put one's self forward as a leader in the workplace. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Heritage Real Estate director of people and culture Hayley Adcock, who won the Innovator of the Year (HR Manager in a Large Business) category at the inaugural HR Innovation Awards, about her transition from being a registered psychologist to working in HR, the need for HR to step into leadership roles and why, the impact of new technologies in the market, honing soft skills, prioritising psychological safety, bringing the C-suite along for the ride, best practice in FY26–27, and why staff are the first clients.

According to this award-winning HR professional, the next frontier in workplace wellbeing is shaping up to be how well workplaces manage the breakdown of relationships. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with The Separation Guide chief executive and co-founder Angela Harbinson, whose business won the Innovator of the Year – Best ESG Program at the inaugural HR Innovation Awards, about the hidden wellbeing gap that employers haven't solved, why relationship stress is becoming an HR issue, the financial and social impact, what the data is telling us, the future of workplace wellbeing, lessons for HR leaders, and why this conversation matters.

Traditional designs for a business's HR function often lose sight of the problems they are trying to solve and fail to tie programs to commercial outcomes. Here, we explore the need to move towards more modern, holistic thinking about the role of HR and how best to succeed in FY2026–27 and beyond. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with We Are Charlotte founder and chief executive Jessica Trumble about what she likes about outsourced HR work as opposed to being in-house, unpacking the differences between older HR approaches and newer ones, the imperative of having a commercial mindset, taking advantage of environmental opportunities in the post-pandemic market, rethinking the function of HR, what constitutes being commercially minded, and getting business buy-in for a new approach.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with Deel, the all-in-one payroll and HR platform for global teams, we unpack the imperative for Australian businesses to build global workforces and not be constrained by the domestic market. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Deel's Asia-Pacific mid-market director, Joji Kurosaki, about why businesses must be positioned for global expansion in the post-pandemic environment, structural challenges facing Australian businesses, tax, labour, and regulatory considerations, risk and compliance costs, managing idiosyncratic jurisdictional matters, what HR needs to do moving forward, working collaboratively with the C-suite, and the opportunities available for businesses that look beyond domestic borders. To learn more about Deel, click here .

In the post-pandemic workplace, when leaders appear more reactive and less inclined to challenge toxic employees, the costs to the business can be significant. To this end, culture must be a shared leadership responsibility. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Rise and Thrive Global founder Dr Catherine Plano about lessons from listening circles, key takeaways from recent research she's conducted, the dangers of being fearful of losing certain employees, the cost of toxic employees, broader workforce challenges post-pandemic, how HR can get leadership to better own culture questions, and the role of HR moving forward.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with ELMO, we reflect on the workplace shifts that must occur if business use of new technologies can meaningfully transition from experimental to foundational. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Inventium founder and organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber about how Australian workplaces are falling behind global counterparts on AI implementation and therefore failing to have a bigger impact, key findings from ELMO's HR Industry Benchmark Report and what it says about the state of affairs, why adoption isn't translating into impact, why HR needs clear metrics for AI transformations, prioritising outcomes over activity, and how ELMO's AI Maturity Assessment tool can assist workplaces in moving forward. To learn more about ELMO, click here .

In transforming a workplace's behaviours around technology and ultimately productivity and innovation, human resources teams have a real opportunity to partner with business leaders to help staff move out of the experimentation phase and make meaningful impacts. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Publicis Groupe ANZ and APAC chief talent officer Pauly Grant to discuss why such transformation is so essential in the new financial year, the need to explore how best to utilise new technologies and effectively roll them out, how she and Publicis Groupe approached the problem through its PL.AI Ground initiative, the need for community-led, collegiate dialogue around AI usage and implementation, the business's headline lessons and takeaways from its program, the role of HR in such initiatives, overcoming challenges, and what constitutes real confidence and adoption of AI in Australian workplaces.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with Danny King Legal, we explore the increasing prevalence of employment disputes and how businesses must put culture, care, and communication at the centre of the employee experience. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Danny King Legal principal Danny King about her passion for employment law, the most common disputes being lodged at the moment, what gives rise to such disputes, avoiding black-and-white approaches to managing staff, building the right kind of culture, employer mistakes when terminating employment, the place for employee benefits, putting in place proper documentation, policies, and processes, and how best to optimise the employee benefits approach as part of broader considerations around workplace experience. To learn more about Danny King Legal, click here .

Ensuring workers can meaningfully engage with colleagues and understand how best to communicate under pressure is a critical but oft-overlooked skill that HR must be on top of. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with communications and leadership specialist Leah Mether about what constitutes high school-like behaviour or communication at work, how and why it occurs, whether the frequency of such conduct is increasing, the steps that HR must take to ensure professional, mature conduct across the workplace, and how best HR can manage such a priority amid myriad competing priorities in a tech-driven professional landscape.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with DLPA, we explore the fundamentals of building workplaces that are psychologically safe, cater to employees' holistic wellness needs, and understand that "if people don't want to be your employee, then the benefits [offered] are pretty meaningless". Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia (DLPA) chief executive Karlie Cremin about the work of DLPA across Australian businesses, the difference between proactivity and reactivity in embedding psychosocial risk prevention into everyday work practices, the role of leaders in better managing psychosocial risks, going beyond baseline initiatives, what workers expect from their employers right now, why it "starts with strategy", and how DLPA supports businesses in navigating such matters. To learn more about DLPA, click here .

With advocates pushing for reproductive health to have its own leave entitlements, businesses and their HR functions must consider both the benefits and trade-offs inherent with the potential introduction of such allowances for workers. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Probiotec Limited chief people officer Annalinde Nickisch about the push from unions and other stakeholders for the National Employment Standards to include leave entitlements for reproductive health, why this push is happening, the existing concerns and unintended consequences of such entitlements, the possibility for unconscious bias, the broader place for gender-based entitlements, how HR can interpret the current state of affairs and advise their workplaces accordingly, and broader best practice for HR on this issue.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia (DLPA), we explore the new and emerging risks and hazards for workplaces to contend with in times of technological change and what the HR function can do about them. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with DLPA chief executive Karlie Cremin about AI adoption-inspired psychosocial risks and what HR needs to observe, the extent to which businesses are on top of such issues right now and the need to be proactive, what regulators will be looking for, the nexus between these issues and burnout and overwork, best practice steps for HR and leadership to take, and opportunities for leaders and HR to step up in challenging times. To learn more about DLPA, click here .

Redesigning traditional workplace structures to better accommodate idiosyncratic worker needs is nuanced, with no one-size-fits-all solution available. However, in an evolving professional and technological landscape, HR has a real opportunity to make a difference and ensure workers can focus on what truly matters. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with GumGum director of people and culture, Emma Mani,about: Why she loves working with humans. What practical work design means. How certain trends have accelerated in recent years. Lingering issues to be addressed by resigned work practices, and cultural and economic hurdles to overcome. Implementing mindset shifts alongside structural changes. The place for microshifting. How HR can get started in redesigning work practices. Practical steps to take in enacting new measures, and bringing the business along for the ride.

Longer negotiations, harder lines, and a new arbitration pathway offering relief from prolonged industrial deadlock – but not without cost. Once a rarely used mechanism, intractable bargaining workplace determinations are now arising more frequently where enterprise bargaining stalls and agreement proves elusive, bringing protected industrial action to a halt while transferring control over the remaining contested issues to the Fair Work Commission. In this special episode of The Legal Brief, produced in partnership with Kingston Reid, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kingston Reid partner Lucy Shanahan about how intractable bargaining workplace determinations are reshaping enterprise bargaining strategy, and what organisations need to be thinking about to manage their exposure, right from the beginning. In an industrial relations landscape that is becoming more complex and contested, organisations that recognise the implications of these shifts and proactively manage bargaining risk before positions become entrenched will be better positioned to retain control over outcomes. Those that do not may find that the endgame is decided for them. To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here .