The HR Room Podcast
Episodes
Ep 262 - The Importance of Play at Work
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Playfulness at work is often misunderstood as being unprofessional or distracting — yet growing research shows that adopting a more playful mindset ...
Ep 261 - Neurodiversity in the Workplace
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Neurodiversity is increasingly recognised as a natural and valuable part of workforce diversity — but many organisations are still unsure how to tra...
Ep 260 - The EU Pay Transparency Directive: Everything You Need to Know
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Pay transparency is about to transform how organisations manage compensation, communicate pay decisions, and demonstrate fairness in the workplace. In...
Ep 259 - How to Navigate Irish Immigration Law
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Immigration and employment law continues to evolve — and for HR professionals in Ireland, staying compliant while attracting global talent has never...
Ep 258 - Is Manchester Utd a Toxic Workplace?
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is Man Utd a Toxic Workplace? – Lessons for HR Leaders If you worked somewhere that went through 10 managers in 12 years, made hundreds of redundanc...
Ep 257 - Still Boxed In: Gender Stereotypes At Work
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Gender stereotypes continue to shape how work is valued, how talent is assessed, and how people progress in organisations, often in ways that operate ...
Wellness Works Ep3: Embedding Wellbeing through Champions
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Embedding workplace wellbeing takes more than good intentions and one-off initiatives. It requires people across the organisation who are willing to c...
Ep 256 - Conflict Case Study: David Walliams vs HarperCollins
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace investigations sit at the heart of fairness, trust and accountability in organisations. But when investigations involve high-profile individ...
Wellness Works Ep2: Wellbeing Begins with Leadership
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace wellbeing is often talked about as an HR initiative – but without leadership ownership, even the best programmes struggle to succeed. In t...
Ep 255 - When Redundancies Go Wrong
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Redundancies are one of the most sensitive and high-risk moments in the life of any organisation. When they are mishandled, the consequences can be pr...
Wellness Works Ep1: Yoga Mats and Fruit Bowls Aren't Enough
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace wellbeing is a phrase we hear all the time - but what does it actually mean in practice? For some, it’s fruit bowls and yoga mats. For oth...
Ep 254 - Ireland's HR Landscape 2026
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As Irish organisations head into 2026, HR leaders are facing a complex mix of challenges - from attracting and retaining talent in an increasingly com...
The 10 Key HR Insights of 2025
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of The HR Room, we’re looking back at a great year of conversations with some of Ireland’s best HR leaders. We’ve pulled together a...
Ep 253 - Designing Workplace Wellbeing That Lasts
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a world of hybrid working, constant connectivity and rising pressure, employee wellbeing is no longer a “nice to have” - it’s a business impe...
Ep 252 - Migrant Women & Employment - The Talent Ireland Is Overlooking
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Migrant and refugee women in Ireland face significant and overlapping barriers when trying to access employment — from qualification recognition iss...
Ep 251 - Festive Fallout: The HR Reality of Christmas Parties
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Christmas party season should be a time for joy and celebration — but for HR teams, it’s often the exact opposite. Misconduct, blurred boundar...
Ep 250 - The Biggest HR Challenges of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've reached a milestone - 250 episodes of The HR Room Podcast! To mark the occasion, we’re taking a step back to look at how dramatically the worl...
Episode 249 - How to 'Future-Skill' Your Organisation
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland has ranked 33rd out of 35 in the latest Hays Global Talent Tracker - but what does that really mean? And more importantly, what does it mean f...
Episode 248 - Fit for Purpose? Why Everyone Dreads Performance Reviews
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Performance management has been a cornerstone of HR for decades - but is it still doing what it’s meant to do? In this episode of The HR Room Podcas...
Episode 247 - Closing the Gap: Pay Transparency & Gender Pay Gap Reporting
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With the EU Pay Transparency Directive on the horizon and gender pay gap reporting obligations expanding to more Irish employers, how can organisation...
Episode 246 - Fake Facts, Real Consequences: The AI Authority Problem
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When artificial intelligence speaks with confidence - but gets the facts wrong - what happens next? And how do you reduce the risk and spot fake facts...
Episode 245 - The Hidden Cost of Workplace Bullying
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The HR Room, we uncover the hidden cost of bullying at work - from its devastating impact on mental health and morale to the massiv...
Episode 244 - 'Quiet’ Redundancies: Are they on the rise?
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The HR Room, hosts Mary Cullen (Founder, MD - Insight HR) and Dave Corkery (Content & Social Media Lead - Insight HR) discuss t...
Episode 243 - Inside Ireland’s Best Managed Companies: AI Adoption, Rising Costs & The War for Talent
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, we’re joined by Brian Murphy, Lead Partner for Ireland’s Best Managed Companies Awards Programme at Deloit...
Episode 242 - Return to Office Realities: What HR Needs to Know
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, hosts Dave Corkery (Content & Social Media Lead – Insight HR) and Mary Cullen (Founder, Managing Director - Insight HR) are joi...
Episode 241 – AI in HR: The Promise, The Peril & The Possibilities
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're talking about AI – in particular, its transformative immediate and potential impact on HR. Hosts Dave Corkery (Content & Socia...
Episode 240 – Executive Decision: The Value of Coaching for HR Leaders
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, Dave Corkery is joined by Mary Cullen, founder of Insight HR, and Ed Brzychcy, executive coach and leadership...
Episode 239 - Mediation Matters: Navigating workplace conflict with clarity and care
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, we explore the crucial role of mediation in resolving workplace conflict. Our Head of Strategy & Growth Ba...
Episode 238 - How to Mitigate the Risks of Workplace Investigations
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How to Mitigate the Risks of Workplace Investigations ⚖️ In our latest episode of The HR Room Podcast, we’re joined by Liam Barton, Commercial D...
Episode 237 - Mind the Gap: Unpacking Key Culture Challenges from the CPO Perspective
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s really holding culture – and performance – back in today’s organisations? 🤔 In our latest episode of The HR Room Podcast, we’re jo...
Episode 236 - Eoin's 200th Anniversary & Fond Farewell!
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've got big news! After 200 episodes and 3 and a half years, our beloved host, Eoin , is moving on to pastures new, and will be leaving the HR Room ...
Episode 235 - Why Employees Don’t Report Harassment – And What Employers Can Do About It
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unfortunately, in the business we’re in, the team here at Insight HR, similar to other HR consultants and employment law experts, are well aware tha...
Episode 234 - Liam's Law: The Cloak Of Redundancy
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back again with another episode of Liam’s Law, where Liam will be joining us to discuss a high profile case every month, and share his advic...
Episode 233 - Preparing for a WRC Audit
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a HR person’s worst nightmare isn’t it – a WRC inspector knocking in the door, right before you were about to tick all those HR admin job...
Episode 232 - Disciplinaries & Unfair Dismissals
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As we’ve seen in the headlines and in our own experiences as HR people, disciplinaries and any subsequent dismissals can be tricky business – and ...
Episode 231 - Fertility Matters At Work
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As many of us know from the statistics, the research, the news, and even through our own experiences or the experiences of friends and family, fertili...
Episode 230 - Liam's Law: Disciplinaries & Dismissals
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back again with another episode of Liam’s Law, where Liam joins us to discuss a high profile every month, and share his advice, guidance and...
Episode 229 - Managing & Mitigating Misconduct
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Disciplinaries, investigations, and managing misconduct can be a very tricky process. And when we get deep into the process, albeit necessary, it can ...
Episode 228 - The Real ROI of HR Support
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We get it – budgets are tight. And even when you need something to support you, it can sometimes feel like you can’t articulate the value and the ...
Episode 227 - Performance, Probation and Common Pitfalls
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating the probation period is one of the most critical - and often misunderstood - phases of the employment journey. Far from being just a formal...
Episode 226 - Picking (And Unpicking) Performance Management Processes
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Performance management is such a core piece of the employer employee relationship, and a key skill for leaders, managers and HR people. But it’s als...
Episode 225 - C Suite Special: Employment For Ethnic Minorities
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s that time again on the HR Room Podcast for another one of our C-suite specials, where we talk to leaders in various industries and organisation...
Episode 224 - Liam's Law: Remote Working Compensation Case
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back again with another episode in our monthly series combining your two favourite things, Case Law and Liam Barton, where Liam will be joinin...
Episode 223 - Let's Talk Mental Health & The Workplace
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re diving into the latest findings from the AXA Mind Health Report, with a special focus on what they mean for Irish workplaces. The report...
Episode 222 - Culture Audits: Analysis AND Action
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace culture is spoken about a lot. It’s a constant challenge and priority for organisations and HR teams, and rightfully so, but how can we ef...
Episode 221 - C Suite Special: Commitment To Culture, with David Lane, Ecclesiastical Ireland
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s that time again on the HR Room Podcast for another one of our C-suite specials, where we talk to leaders in various industries and organisation...
Episode 220 - Mediation: When, Why & How?
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Disagreements, tensions, and misunderstandings are a natural part of working life, but when left unresolved, they can escalate, leading to low morale,...
Episode 219 - Liam's Law: Misconduct, Mediation & Remedial Measures
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve spoken about many employment law cases on the HR Room Podcast over the years which have always been very popular episodes, and we’ve also sp...
Episode 218 - Tariffs, Restructuring & HR's Response
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trump and his tariffs have taken the headlines in recent days and weeks, and are on the mind of many politicians, business leaders, and everyone in be...
Episode 217 - C Suite Special: Inside the WRC with Audrey Cahill, WRC
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time again to bring you another C Suite Special, where we talk to C Suite leaders from some of Ireland’s biggest organisations, giving us ...
Episode 216 - He said, she said: Assessing credibility in investigations
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
He said, she said – a nightmare situation for employers and HR teams trying to deal with a complaint of something like bullying, harassment or confl...
Episode 215 - Let's Talk HR & Occupational Health
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace stress, burnout, long term absence, bullying complaints… these are the kinds of things that can keep HR professionals awake at night. But ...
Episode 214 - Liam's Law: Sexual Harassment, Investigations & Disciplinaries
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve spoken about many employment law cases on the HR Room Podcast over the years which have always been very popular episodes, and we’ve also sp...
Episode 213 - TUPE or not TUPE - that is the question!
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mergers, transfers and everything associated with them can often mark a fresh new journey for a business and a sign of expansion or progress, but they...
Episode 212 - The Realities Of Redundancies
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Redundancies and tough restructurings are things that no HR person wants to manage. The emotional side of managing the process of people leaving your ...
Episode 211 - C Suite Special: People & Purpose with Sinead Gogan, Deloitte
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s that time again on the HR Room Podcast for another one of our C-suite specials, where we talk to leaders in various industries and organisation...
Episode 210 - R.I.P DEI?
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Although diversity, equity and inclusion has faced it’s fair share of resistance over the years, the latest moves by the US and government and in tu...
Episode 209 - Change Management: Communicating Change
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Organisation’s don’t change, people do” – a phrase mentioned in our recent chat we had with today’s guest, as we thrashed out what we’d...
Episode 208 - Let's Talk Change Management
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Change management may not always involve the professionals. And arguably understandably too, as maybe moving to a new tech tool doesn’t require an e...
Episode 207 - Courtside View: What WRC Trends Mean for Employers
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As you all know by now, organisations, HR professionals and many more of us, don’t only look at the legislation to understand employment law and our...
Episode 206 - What’s Next for Learning and Development?
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learning and development is vital for any organisation. With new skills needed for employees, managers, HR teams and leaders, the challenge of upskill...
Episode 205 - New Year, New Workplace Trends?
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We might have a New Year, but are there are any new trends we should be aware of as we head into another busy year? Well today we’re joined by someo...
Episode 204 - C Suite Special with Aine Myler, Charities Institute
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’ve got a special episode, the first of many C-suite specials, where we’ll be talking to senior leaders in various industries and organisa...
Episode 203 - HR's New Years Resolutions
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As we come to the end of the year, I’m sure many of you are thinking about New Years Resolutions, or maybe even more specifically, about how you can...
Episode 202 - Insight HR's Selection Box - Best of 2024 Part 2
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back with the second instalment in our two-part, selection box series, containing some of the highlights from the year gone by. Our selecti...
Episode 201 - Insight HR's Selection Box - Best of 2024 Part 1
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Firstly, Happy Christmas to all of our listeners! A huge thank you for listening in this year, and hearing some of the fantastic insights and advice w...
Episode 200 - Special Episode: Inside Insight HR
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not just any episode, it’s episode 200 of The HR Room podcast! 200 episodes, 200 weeks in a row, with over 150 different guests, and 50,000 l...
Episode 199 - Unwrapping Reward & Employee Engagement
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Another Christmas-related episode this week, as we unwrap employee engagement and reward, and how prioritising your reward strategy can have a positiv...
Episode 198 - On the Case: Choosing the Right Workplace Investigator
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace Investigations are a notoriously tricky challenge for HR teams and employers, with tough situations needing to be tackled, with integrity, t...
Episode 197 - Christmas Parties - Getting Ready!
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so you know what that means? Christmas Party time! And while these can be jolly and jovial affairs for ...
Episode 196 - Preparing For Pension Auto-Enrolment
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
According to a 2023 survey by the Central Statistics Office, 32% of workers aged between 20 and 69 are not signed up to a private pension. Without a c...
Episode 195 - Let's Talk Employment Permits
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Significant updates to Ireland's employment permit system were recently introduced with the Employment Permits Act 2024, which took effect on Septembe...
Episode 194 - Employee Representation in Internal Disciplinary Processes
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Divine intervention in disciplinary procedures?! In today’s episode we focus on a crucial element of fair disciplinary procedures: the employee's ri...
Episode 193 - An Update on Maternity Protection Legislation
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, we’re diving into some important updates that will affect employers and employees across Ireland – the Maternity Protection ...
Episode 192 - Deloitte Special: Let's Talk Talent & Retention
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re diving into some fascinating insights from Deloitte’s latest survey of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies. The survey ha...
Episode 191 - Managing A Disciplinary Hearing
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we're diving into one of the more challenging and often nerve-wracking aspects of HR—managing a workplace disciplinary hearing. It’s a proc...
Episode 190 - Tackling Workplace Racism
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While Ireland is known for its rich diversity and inclusive spirit, the reality is that racism remains an active issue in many organisations. As HR pr...
Episode 189 - Let's Talk Transphobia In The Workplace
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A 2017 survey by the Transgender Equality Network Ireland found that 55% of respondents indicated that they had experienced or witnessed transphobic b...
Episode 188 - Taking Stock: Investigating Theft In The Workplace
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So you've caught someone red-handed, stealing from the workplace. Is what you do next simply black and white? Or is there some grey areas and a ...
Episode 187 - An Update on Collective Redundancies
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Although redundancies did capture the headlines in recent years and in certain sectors, redundancies are a challenge that many organisations across al...
Episode 186 - Remote Working: The Point Of No Return?
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As I’m sure we’ve all realised by now, remote working isn’t a simple black and white subject for employers and employees alike. Yes, we have a c...
Episode 185 - The Political Pendulum: Swinging Against DEI?
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years, the rise of far-right movements and political shifts have brought renewed scrutiny and resistance to DEI efforts. Studies show that n...
Episode 184 - Going Solo: Advice for Standalone HR Professionals
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a standalone HR professional, a one person department, managing the HR function? Are you feeling overwhelmed and under-supported, but keen to ...
Episode 183 - Inclusive Employment with Down Syndrome Ireland
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2018, Down Syndrome Ireland surveyed their members and found that only 6% of people were in deep and meaningful employment. Although many HR t...
Episode 182 - Building Neurodiverse Workplaces
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
48pc of neurodivergent people have not disclosed their condition at work. This is a statistic that we spoke to Matt Elliott, Chief People Officer at B...
Episode 181 - Gen Z: Pay & Purpose?
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Beanbags, free beer, and bring-your-pet-to-work days: these are often thought to attract Generation Z graduates. Because Gen Z doesn’t care about sa...
Episode 180 - CIPD Special: HR Practices In Ireland 2024
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, the CIPD conducts its HR practices in Ireland survey in conjunction with the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, to collate annu...
Episode 179 - People & Purpose: HR In The Charity Sector
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The charity sector is a sector which has always been valued highly here in Ireland in particular, with hundreds of charities all around Ireland doing ...
Episode 178 - Choosing The Right HR Support
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating the world of HR and employment law can be a daunting task for any organisation. Whether you are an overwhelmed and under supported solo HR ...
Episode 177 - Let's Talk Settlement Agreements
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The termination of one’s employment, for whatever reason, is a significant occurrence in anyone's professional life. It is very often a difficult an...
Episode 176 - Data Driven Change
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As HR professionals, we know driving change is difficult. But we also know that driving change is essential – not just for organisations to grow and...
Episode 175 - Let's Talk Probation & Performance
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A probation period, at a simple level is a period of time at the start of a permanent full-time or part-time employment relationship that gives the em...
Episode 174 - Re-onboarding: Supporting The Return To Work
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unfortunately, whether we like to admit it or not, we’ve all at some point felt that Sunday fear of having to return to work to a mountain of emails...
Episode 173 - LGBTQ+ Inclusion: Turning Awareness Into Action
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a 2023 study by Indeed, over half (53%) of respondents who identify as LGBTQ+ felt discriminated against at work. And although, of the 500 surveyed...
Episode 172 - The ROI On Workplace Wellbeing
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is your HR team struggling to balance your HR budget, while still trying to enhance employee wellbeing? While the latter is a driver for commercial su...
Episode 171 - Can we talk retirement?
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the challenges or topics we speak about on this podcast, or see in the headlines may not affect us all. There are however, a select few topics...
Episode 170 - Tackling The HR To-Do List
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Any of our more regular listeners will know that one thing has featured on this podcast more than anything else in recent months. No, I don’t mean m...
Episode 169 - Is Ireland working for all?
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland continues to grow and change. And in recent years, the workplace and organisations have certainly felt that growth and change with remote work...
Episode 168 - Bank of Ireland's Neuroinclusion Strategy
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bank of Ireland recently launched its Neuroinclusion Strategy, including a suite of policies and process improvements to support neurodivergent collea...
Episode 167 - Tackling Workplace Discrimination
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Although legislation, policies and practices have been aiming to prevent, or at least minimise, workplace discrimination for decades, this is still a ...