HRchat Podcast
Listen to the HRchat Podcast by HR Gazette to get insights and tips from HR leaders, influencers and tech experts. Topics covered include HR Tech, HR, AI, Leadership, Talent, Recruitment, Employee Engagement, Recognition, Wellness, DEI, and Company Culture.
Hosted by Bill Banham, Bob Goodwin, Pauline James, and other HR enthusiasts, the HRchat show publishes interviews with influencers, leaders, analysts, and those in the HR trenches 2-4 times each week.
The show is approaching 1000 episodes and past guests are from organizations including ADP, SAP, Ceridian, IBM, UPS, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Simon Sinek Inc, NASA, Gartner, SHRM, Government of Canada, Hacking HR, McLean & Company, UPS, Microsoft, Shopify, DisruptHR, McKinsey and Co, Virgin Pulse, Salesforce, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Coca-Cola Beverages Company.
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Podcast Music Credit"Funky One"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
HRchat Podcast
Building Inclusive Cultures in the Third Sector with Idris Arshad
Imagine reshaping the very essence of HR within the charity sector. That's exactly what today's guest, Idris Arshad, has been doing as a top HR influencer in the UK.
Tune in as Idris shares his inspirational journey of challenging stereotypes and redefining the role of HR as an integral force in supporting charitable missions. Bill Banham uncovers how Idris has utilized platforms like LinkedIn to amplify his advocacy, and they discuss the role of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in driving HR excellence. Idris's insights reveal the heart of HR as a vocation rooted in helping people and championing social good.
As we steer into the world of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the third sector, we dive into the intricacies of leading DEI initiatives that are both impactful and genuine.
In the discussion, there's a focus on how transparency and data-driven strategies can foster a more inclusive work environment. We also touch on the pressing issue of declining DEI efforts in some corporate and governmental spheres and what this means for future DEI trajectories.
This episode promises a wealth of knowledge for anyone eager to understand the evolving landscape of HR and DEI in the charity sector!
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Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's most downloaded and shared podcasts designed for HR pros, talent execs, tech enthusiasts and business leaders. For hundreds more episodes and what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit hrgazettecom and visit HRGazettecom.
Speaker 2:Welcome to another episode of the HR Chat Show. Hello listeners, this is your host today, Bill Bannam, and joining me on this episode and I'm delighted about that because it's his first time on the show and he's a super cool dude is Idris Arshad, a passionate HR leader in the charity sector who advocates to uplift the reputation and showcase the value of HR, especially how HR helps the people who charities are set up to serve. Idris is listed in the top 10 HR most influential practitioners in the UK 2024 and he is currently the head of people for asthma and lung UK.
Speaker 3:Idris, welcome to the show thank you, bill, pleasure's all mine.
Speaker 2:I am very excited about this. I wanted you on my show for quite some time because you are a very well respected and lovely human being. So, beyond my wee introduction just a moment ago, why don't you take a minute or so and tell our listeners a bit more about you and what gets you up in the morning?
Speaker 3:Brilliant. Aside from that, I do a bit of teaching on CIPD qualifications in the evenings and some on the weekend. I've got, from a personal point of view, got a wife, three kids running around, so that keeps me busy as well. But what gets me up in the morning? I think life really, family work as well, hr making a difference those are the sorts of things you know really, really gets me up, and I'm fortunate and blessed to be in a career that I do enjoy and I'm really passionate about.
Speaker 2:Thanks for listening to this episode of the HR Chat podcast. If you enjoy the audio content we produce, you'll love our articles on the HR Gazette. Learn more at HRGazettecom. And now back to the show. You mentioned CIPD just a moment ago. You often speak at CIPD events, including Manchester towards the end of 2024. What role does the CIPD play, idris, in maintaining high levels of excellence in human resources?
Speaker 3:For me, they are the go to body. I've been with the CIPD ever since 2013 and I've watched their progress, which I think is the key bit that they haven't stood still. They've looked after the profession, they have got involved in matters that are important to its members and they've tried and I think that's the biggest thing I'll say, they've tried to be better and better as time has gone along. They will not get it all right, but for me, they are the go-to when it comes to HR, professionalism and for its members and accreditations, and I think the role it plays I mean you just take look, one look at framework, which has evolved over the past 10 years of what it started and what it looks like. It's moved with the place of work, the world of work, and it's also moved with its members as well. So for me, I'm a big fan and I think it helps a lot of people in a lot of different ways.
Speaker 2:OK, so big shout out to the CIPD. Today let's talk about advocating for hr in the charity sector. I mentioned that as part of the intro for you. Uh, what, what inspired you to become an advocate for uplifting hr's reputation within the charity sector, and how do you think hr can better showcase its value in this space?
Speaker 3:I think, to be honest, it came naturally. There was never a concrete plan, but I think through increasing my own presence on LinkedIn and, over the past year, increasing my influence as well, it's become more natural and more to the forefront. I always saw in the very beginning. So I've been in the charity sector since I was 21 or 15 years plus, and I've always seen in different charities how HR is set up, how it functions and the value it plays, to varying degrees. Now, seeing the good and the bad helps you to come to a place of why you should advocate. Seeing the good helps you celebrate and seeing the bad helps you to actually realize what you don't want to be doing. So I think it came naturally.
Speaker 3:But I think the the area of reputation and HR in any organization is really key, and I'm a big advocate for making sure that people know what we do, and it's very common that people have wrong assumptions about HR and, as a result, have a wrong experience with HR as well. So it's for me that's something that came naturally. But I think there's a lot of stereotypes to kind of a myths, to kind of eradicate and actually show what we do as a profession, which I sum it as as two words is helping people. And I only came to that realization quite late on when someone said to me you can do HR outside of the charity sector and still help people. And they went just take a look at policies. You've got policiesnity, special leave that help people, so you don't have to be in the charity sector to help people. So it came naturally, but I think it's something we've all got to do, also from just a personal wellbeing point of view, when we look at our own profession and our own work.
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Speaker 2:Okay, so you've got a passion for, and do a tremendous job at Asthma and Lung UK and you've got experience as a charity trustee. How has your experience as a charity trustee informed your approach to HR in the non-profit sector?
Speaker 3:no-transcript. The tough circumstances organizations are in generally around finance even more so now when you've got the new announcements around the increase in employee national insurance contributions. Charities are really struggling. There's a whole whole list of reasons but, um, they're surviving and they're trying to do well with. We've heard of the hospice world in the past couple of months being really struggling and having to cut services. But that's the one thing.
Speaker 3:The experience highlighted to me seeing the numbers involved, especially for a small charity that's trying to help homeless people how tough it was financially, um, and, as we know, without finances not much can be done. But aside from that, it really outlined to me what the ins and outs are when it comes to the governance of charities, um, and how important it is to have that at the top and the role of trustees that they play and actually helping the organization go forward. So it was a very eye-opening time. Important it is to have that at the top and the role of trustees that they play in actually helping the organisation go forward. So it was a very eye-opening time that you don't really get to see from the outside until you're in there.
Speaker 2:Just a quick follow-up to that. Idris, do you see your career always being in or around the third sector?
Speaker 3:I haven't really planned that out yet, but I'm open to experiences. I'm happy to go to different sectors. For me it's about the learning and the experience. The charity sector I fell into by a bit, by accident, but I'm happy I fell into it. I'm really happy I fell into it, but I still am open to trying different sectors. I'll never rule that out because it's just not something I would do. But you know, the heart is firmly set in the charity sector, and for good reasons.
Speaker 2:For good reasons. Indeed, let's talk about DEI leadership and achievements if you don't mind, you have chaired DEI committees and increased workforce diversity. What are some of the strategies or some of the initiatives that you've found most effective in driving real, actual, actionable change?
Speaker 3:I think a bit before the actions. What really um has helped, in my view, is a bit of um, the kind of outside pieces of what I would call it. So things like being really honest with yourselves, an organization, what's your size, what's your resource, like um and not over promising and under delivering. I think that's been a huge thing I've seen in in the dei space where people intend to do good and want to do a lot, but the reality is that they've promised too much within the resource and capacity that they've got. So I'd always encourage everyone to be honest about where you want to go and also honest about the journey you're on. Where are you on that DEI journey? So I think getting that right in the beginning helps as you go along, and then the more kind of actionable things that can be done.
Speaker 3:I think data is a huge piece of DEI. I think it provides evidence and credibility to the actions you're wanting to take. So really putting a big focus on what workforce demographics look like and basing your decisions on that is really helpful. Um, the dei space is is wide and um covers a huge spectrum. So questions will be asked and I think, as hr professionals, you've got to be ready to take those tough questions and have an answer to them, and that's where data becomes really key. And I think another thing that I think has has helped is that external um external insight that you get, however, that is whether it's through forums, whether it's through um accreditations, but having an external eye on your DEI practices really helps leverage it.
Speaker 3:We internally are naturally biased within our organizations from an organizational point of view.
Speaker 3:We will think certain things work and and have that vision where someone from the outside can look at.
Speaker 3:Actually, your problem does lie here, and so I think that external help is is really key when it comes to um at dei leadership. And the final thing I'll say on it is I'm a fan of um progress by momentum rather than setting targets. So rather than having a third or half, or is three quarters better really taking your own organization as a benchmark and saying, today we are here when it comes to, let's say, workforce representation, in six months time we've actually reached here and is that a good trend or is that a negative trend? That I find is a much more um, um, realistic and actually a better place to be in to measure your momentum and your progress over time, rather than someone's figure of a quarter, because they think a quarter sounds like a good number. So I think that really helps put DEI into perspective and, as I always say, we'll be having these conversations on DEI in 10, 15, 20 years time, because it's a opportunity and a challenge that never ends.
Speaker 5:This episode of the HR Chat podcast is supported by MyStaffShop, the UK's only employee-owned employee benefit provider. We provide a range of competitive and flexible employee benefit solutions to help you improve your employee value proposition, from exclusive deals and discounts to help your people stretch their salaries to effective reward and recognition programs and a comprehensive health and well-being offering. We pride ourselves on our friendly and collaborative way of working, putting the interest of our clients at the heart of everything we do. Learn more at mystaffshopcom, thanks, and now back to the hr chat show.
Speaker 2:We are recording this interview today towards the end of January 2025. In recent months, we've seen a lot of corporate America roll back DEI efforts, for example, amazon, meta, mcdonald's. Just last week, as we record this, the new Trump administration said that they are pulling all funding for DEI or DEIB programs from the government level and they are laying off those folks who have been needing those programs. Up to this point. Lots of people have got lots of different opinions around this. I'd love to get your take on the Trump administration's decision to cut DEI programs at the Fed level and, more generally, this pullback and let's add SHRM to the mix as well. They moved away from DEI to talk more about inclusion in mid 2024. I'd love to get your take on it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're to start with all of this. I think what I'll say is nothing new in the respect that 18 months ago there was talk around the civil service and removing all DEI roles as well in the UK. So there's no shock and surprise. I think what I take from it from a HR professional point of view is that everyone has their own view of how DEI should be done. I don't think it's a case of no one wants to do DEI because we're all, as humans, uniquely individual and have our own um makeup and so forth. So I think it's just from my take, it's a way of going down how to do dei, so we don't need dedicated resource and funding to it. Maybe someone may feel it happens. Naturally that's a take, but the key for me is is let's, like I said before, let's fast forward six months and let's see what progress has been made in di's result, this change, and see where we are from there. So again, it's not a shock. It's something that I is is unfortunate for the professionals working and being impacted. That's very unfortunate for them. I just think what I focus on the impact here. What impact? And we don't know that at the moment and we can have an educated guess. That actually is going to mean, you know, workforce representation, the rights of people and so forth. It's going to have an impact on that. It's going to have an impact on policies of organisations and so forth. But I really do think it's about looking at the impact of what that has and who knows whether that decision will be reversed. So, whilst on specifically, it has its impact, I think on a broad level, the challenge is still the same. You know, how do we make sure that we hear the right voices and involve the right people and make sure people's needs are catered to? That's not going to go away.
Speaker 3:Regardless of the changes that are proposed or made, I still think the core element of why you do DEI still stands, because there's still going to be the question of oh, actually, um, right, we've done that, so what now do we do? When it comes to um, let's just say, for an organization that has customers, we've seen a decrease in a certain area around ourselves. Okay, what do we do? What's the driving force behind that? Actually, um, they felt that their preferences won't take into account. What preferences? Oh, their language. So for me, the DE di you can't go away because it's just naturally, intrinsically around us everywhere we go.
Speaker 3:So for me it's although the decision's been made, I think that the challenge still maintains of anyone working in that sphere or leading that piece of work needs to think how do I still do dei without having dedicated resources there? Um, so that that's my general take on it in in terms of when it comes to that is, it's not something you'd ideally want to see, um, but it's not a shock or new news. I think it's a challenge to how, on on that level, the country responds to that. So, from the response comes from the people that impacted, they'll have a voice. The people who would want to see change, they'll have a voice. And the people at the top seeing that how we made this change, how does that actually manifest itself? So it's interesting, it's unfortunate, um, but I think it's a wait and see. On that one, okay, thank you.
Speaker 2:I've got so many more questions for you. However, we don't have time today, um, so let's just wrap up with one more, and that is how can our listeners connect with you and learn more about all of the awesome stuff that you get up to?
Speaker 3:oh. So linkedin is easy and that, for me, is my go-to place um of when it comes to me and learning more about my work. I try and post most days and try and get some content out there and some, you know, engagement and some learning for myself as well. So linkedin is the place for me um to do that and, yeah, I welcome any connections, comments and so forth. So that's the place for me excellent, idris, you're a good man.
Speaker 2:Uh, you and I've had a few chats now. Um, I think that you've got a very strong moral compass. Uh, you genuinely tried to help the profession. I appreciate your time today. Thank you very much and you bill.
Speaker 3:Thank you very much again.
Speaker 2:And listeners as always. Until next time, happy working.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show. If you enjoyed this episode, why not subscribe and listen to some of the hundreds of episodes published by HR Gazette and remember for what's new in the world of work? Subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit HRGazettecom.
