Elevating the People Agenda with Farmin Diez

This fantastic and thought-provoking episode focuses on:-People Agenda: A Missing Priority in the BoardroomTalent is the most valuable currency for organisational success.However, human capital discussions are underrepresented in boardroom conversations.The need is urgent to elevate the people agenda to the board level where strategic decisions are made.The future of work is not in the future—it’s the present.Traditional full-time employment extends to contractual, gig, hybrid, and skill-based careers.Organisations must adapt recruitment, development, and compensation policies to reflect this new reality.GenAI is revolutionising white-collar work, much like how the internet changed business.HR must now manage a mixed workforce: full-timers, part-timers, machines, software, and AI agents.The new role of HR leaders is to act as Chief Productivity Officers, managing how work gets done, not just who does it.HR policies must consider AI tools, automation, and hybrid teams in addition to human workers.Organisations are focusing on “no headcount increase” growth, where productivity must rise through reskilling and AI integration.HR must move beyond engagement and retention dashboards to focus on strategic talent planning.There is a need to reskill and upgrade HR’s understanding of tech, productivity, and strategic alignment.Boards often underestimate the execution risk of strategies that rely heavily on people.Succession planning is often superficial—HR and boards must take ownership to ensure real readiness.Two common misconceptions:Both are flawed. HR professionals can add immense strategic value, but must also be board-ready.HR professionals aspiring to board roles must invest in governance training (e.g., SID’s LED program).