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Hello PPMA members and friends

As we approach this year’s PPMA Conference & Awards, it’s a valuable moment to reflect on the importance of coming together as a community, particularly at a time when our sector continues to navigate change, challenge and opportunity.

The conference remains a key date in the PPMA calendar. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step back from day-to-day demands and focus on the bigger picture, where we are as a profession and sector and where we’re heading.

Time to step back — and think forward

With a packed programme of expert speakers, panel discussions and sector perspectives, this year’s conference will explore the issues that matter most right now, from workforce challenges and organisational development to leadership, innovation and the future of the sector.

Across the two days, attendees can expect a mix of keynote sessions, interactive discussions and opportunities to engage, all designed to encourage both learning and open dialogue.

In addition, the conference provides valuable time to engage with our sponsors and exhibitors, who play a key role in supporting the event and the wider PPMA community. It’s an opportunity to explore the latest products, services and innovations shaping the sector, and to have meaningful conversations about how these solutions can support your organisation’s goals.

Our aim is that every person leaves not only informed, but inspired, with fresh ideas, practical insights and new perspectives to take back into their workplaces.

The value of connection

One of the defining strengths of the PPMA Conference is the opportunity it provides to connect.

Bringing together HR and OD professionals from across the industry creates a unique environment for sharing experiences, exchanging ideas and building relationships. These conversations are often just as valuable as the sessions themselves and continue well beyond the event.

Celebrating our industry

As part of the conference is the PPMA Gala Awards Dinner, a highlight of the two days.

It’s an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the innovation, dedication and achievements across our sector, while also bringing everyone together in a more informal and celebratory setting.

Looking ahead

This year’s conference will also mark an important moment for PPMA, as we look ahead to the next chapter of leadership.

We look forward to welcoming Sandra Farquharson as incoming President and to continuing to build a strong, collaborative and forward-thinking community together.

Whether you are attending for the first time or are a regular at the conference, we look forward to welcoming you to Birmingham this April.

If you’ve not yet booked there are a few tickets left, check out our website for more information.

Hello PPMA members and friends

Last Sunday was International Women’s Day and with a theme of ‘Give to Gain’,  it’s a reminder of the progress women have made in the workplace, while highlighting the responsibility we all share to go further. In this post, our President Elect, Sandra Farquharson talks about the importance of women in our profession and sector continuing to champion one another, support wellbeing, and create the conditions for women across the Public Sector to lead, influence and succeed.

The HR Profession is heavily dominated by women, yet men are often disproportionately represented in senior leadership positions.  It is time to not only celebrate the tremendous talent of our women, but to act as leaders to ensure that we are strategic allies, champions and advocates for other women across the Public Sector.

The PPMA proudly provides insights, visibility and influence across the Public Sector to help us to shape and lead on empowering women within the workforce, acknowledging the significant difference that we all make. Balancing professional aspirations with domestic responsibilities is often a challenging core element of many women’s lived experience, yet it is exactly this that makes our contribution to the workplace so highly valuable. It is also important to point out that the lived experience is not uniform, it varies significantly based on race, ethnicity, and identity.

Wellbeing is such an important part of our success as women are often the primary providers of empathy and conflict resolution, in both their working and home lives, they face a unique set of challenges to their own success. When your job is to support others through layoffs, mental health crises, or workplace conflict, your own emotional reserves can run dry. Prioritising wellbeing is what allows women to stay in high-impact roles without burning out.

Success often depends on having the boundaries and support to manage these competing demands without sacrificing health. It is important to understand and celebrate the collective power of women giving to each other. Giving your time and your experience to other women allows us to have the strategic thinking space that fully appreciates the unique challenges that we share.

We don’t have to do this alone. You can reach out to another woman in our profession and offer some of your time to coach or mentor them, and especially those who may not typically have access to those resources. There are a lot of myths about what it takes to be a leader. Each one of us can be one. ‘Give to gain’ means that we will continue to make progress towards achieving a fairer and more inclusive workforce and our support for one another in turn will be of the greatest benefit to society as a whole.

Sandra Farquharson, PPMA President Elect and Director HR and OD, London Borough of Hackney

Hello PPMA members and friends

Our post this week is in video format and is from our President Elect Sandra Farquharson. In it she talks about her recent participation in the PPMA Awards as a judge and the phenomenal work that she has had the difficult task of shortlisting, her excitement about the upcoming Annual Conference and why you should attend. She also explains more about the call out for PPMA Vice President Roles and what’s involved as well as some great reasons to be a PPMA member.

Find out more about all of the things that Sandra mentioned on our website.

Hello PPMA members and friends

This recently published summary from CIPD HR-inform of the Employment Rights Act 2025 outlines one of the most significant overhauls of UK employment law in recent years, with major reforms set to impact both employers and workers. It highlights the key changes and implementation timelines organisations need to be aware of.  This blog post is a synopsis of the article and you can read the full piece:  CIPD_Employment_Rights_Act_Summary 1

The Employment Rights Act 2025 represents one of the most significant overhauls of UK employment law in decades, introducing a broad suite of reforms designed to modernise workplace rights across Great Britain. Based on the official summary of the Act’s provisions, these changes will be phased in from 2026 through 2027 and will fundamentally reshape how employers and workers interact.

A New Era for Workers’ Protections

The Act delivers substantial enhancements in employee rights and protections:

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP):
From April 2026, SSP will be payable from the first day of sickness and to all workers, regardless of earnings level. This replaces the old system where employees needed to meet a lower earnings limit and wait three days before entitlement.

Parental and Paternity Leave:
Parental leave and paternity leave become day one rights — meaning employees qualify for these from their very first day of employment rather than after a qualifying service period.

Fair Work Agency:
A new enforcement body — the Fair Work Agency — will be established to consolidate enforcement of statutory rights, support workers with claims, and act on their behalf in tribunals.

 Major Protections and Employer Obligations

Fire and Rehire Banned in Most Cases:
The Act makes “bullying” fire and rehire practices (sacking an employee only to rehire them on worse terms) automatically unfair in many contexts, with limited exceptions tied to genuine financial necessity.

Stronger Protection from Sexual Harassment:
Employers must now take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment — including harassment by third parties such as clients or customers.

Trade Union Rights:
From the outset, the law widens trade union protections, overturning parts of previous restrictive legislation and strengthening balloting and political fund arrangements. Employers are also required to formally notify employees of their right to join a union.

 Phased Reforms Through 2026 and 2027

The act introduces changes across multiple areas of employment law on a structured timeline:

 October 2026 (major HR responsibilities kick in):

• Employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.

• Trade union access and information duties begin.

• Collective bargaining and tipping protections (among others) start moving forward.

• Time limits for bringing tribunal claims are extended.

 January 2027:

• The qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection drops from two years to six months.

• The cap on unfair dismissal compensation is removed, allowing awards to better reflect loss.

• Bereavement leave rights are expanded for a wider set of circumstances.

• Flexible working becomes the default unless employers can justify refusal.

 Other 2027 Protections:

• New rights for zero-hours and low-hours workers (e.g., minimum notice of shift changes and rights to guaranteed hours contracts) are introduced.

• Large employers will need action plans on gender pay gaps and menopause support.

 What This Means for Employers and Employees

Overall, the Employment Rights Act 2025 marks a transformational shift in UK workplace law. Workers gain greater security, earlier access to key family and health rights, and stronger protections against unfair treatment. Employers must adapt to a more proactive compliance environment, with enhanced enforcement mechanisms and expanded duties — from preventing harassment to facilitating trade union engagement.

CIPD HR-inform are a trusted guidance resource and is available free to all PPMA members!

Hello PPMA members and friends

As we build momentum towards #PPMAHR26, we’ve invited some of our speakers to share a preview of what they’ll be bringing to the event. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be spotlighting these sessions to give you a taste of what’s in store. To kick things off, Kate Enver, Corporate Head of Communications, HR & OD at Runnymede Borough Council, and Juliette Alban-Metcalfe, CX at Real World Group, look ahead to their session ‘Creating a Thriving Culture at Pace’. They’ll share the inspiring story of how Runnymede Borough Council transformed its organisational culture within just 12 months, following the receipt of a Best Value Notice that explicitly highlighted cultural challenges.

Organisations often talk about culture change as if it’s a very slow, almost tectonic process, something that can be marginally shifted over years, maybe decades, and only with the right alignment of stars, strategies, and senior leaders. But what happens when you don’t have years? What happens when the need for cultural transformation isn’t a strategic aspiration, but an urgent requirement?

That’s the question at the heart of our upcoming session, Creating a Thriving Culture at Pace. It’s a story rooted in real pressure, real stakes, and real leadership, the kind that emerges not from job titles, but from collective responsibility.

Runnymede Borough Council found itself in exactly that position. A Best Value Notice had highlighted culture as a critical area of concern, placing the organisation under intense scrutiny. The clock was ticking. The expectations were high. And the margin for error was slim. Yet within just 12 months, the Council achieved a level of cultural improvement that many organisations struggle to reach in far more forgiving circumstances.

How?

That’s the part we’ll explore together, not just through theory, but through lived experience.

Kate Enver, Corporate Head of Comms, HR & OD at Runnymede Borough Council, and Juliette Alban‑Metcalfe, Chief Executive of Real World Group, will share the inside story of how leadership was mobilised across the organisation. Not just senior leadership, leadership everywhere. Because one of the most powerful lessons from Runnymede’s journey is that culture doesn’t shift when a small group of people work harder. It shifts when a whole organisation starts pulling in the same direction.

Before you join us, it’s worth reflecting on one question:

What would it take for your organisation to change at pace, not in theory, but in reality?

Most of us instinctively think of barriers: capacity, resistance, legacy behaviours, competing priorities. But Runnymede’s experience invites a different perspective. It suggests that even under immense pressure, culture can move quickly when three things align:

• Clarity of purpose, not slogans, but shared understanding of why change matters now.
• Distributed leadership, people at every level feeling empowered to act, influence, and model the culture they want to see.
• Psychological safety, the confidence to speak honestly about what isn’t working, and the trust to try new approaches without fear of blame.

These aren’t abstract concepts. They are practical levers and when aligned they create momentum.

The session is an invitation to think differently about what’s possible in your own context with the right tools to assist you. Whether you’re facing external scrutiny, internal challenges, or simply the ambition to build a healthier, more engaged organisation, the Runnymede story offers a powerful reminder: pace and positivity are not opposites. Under the right conditions, they reinforce each other.

So, as you prepare to join us, consider this:

• If your organisation needed to transform its culture in the next 12 months, where would you start and who would you bring with you?

We’re looking forward to joining fellow public‑sector leaders to reflect on how we can collectively create the conditions for people and organisations to thrive at pace.

Kate Enver, Corporate Head of Comms, HR & OD Runnymede Borough Council

Juliette Alban‑Metcalfe, Chief Executive, Real World Group

Book your place now at ppma.org.uk/ppmahr26

Hello PPMA members and friends

Workplace investigations are rarely straightforward and for those involved they can be challenging, emotional and highly sensitive. As PPMA members continue to navigate increasingly complex disciplinary and grievance processes, understanding how to conduct interviews in a way that minimises distress has never been more important. In this post, Karen Wise,  Managing Director from Senatus Consulting shares key insights from her recent PPMA webinar on trauma-informed interviews, exploring why distress protocols can play a vital role in supporting both employees and investigators during difficult conversations.

In October, I had the pleasure of delivering a webinar to PPMA members on Trauma Informed Interviews for Disciplinary and Grievance Processes.  From our experience at Senatus, investigations are becoming both more complex and more sensitive. Best practice suggests that interviewers need to be mindful that the employee they are interviewing may be suffering from some form of trauma which may or may not be related to the topic under discussion. This trauma may surface in the interview, causing the employee to become distressed. It’s important that investigators learn how to undertake investigations in a way that minimises any potential distress – either in interview, or afterwards. Knowing how to deliver a trauma-informed interview yields benefits both for the investigator and the interviewee.

I mentioned during the webinar about how organisations would benefit from having a distress protocol. Distress protocols are increasingly being used in academia when researchers are interviewing participants about sensitive and distressing topics, and are seen as an essential element of the process when planning and executing interviews.  A distress protocol ensures that investigators know what to do when someone they are interviewing becomes distressed. The protocol also describes how an organisation can support the wellbeing of the investigator.

A distress protocol should contain 4 stages:

1. Giving space

When an employee shows distress, the interviewer needs to respond appropriately.  This could including asking the employee if they want to switch off their camera, have a moment to drink some water or take a break. It’s important to ask the employee how they are feeling, checking whether they would like to continue, only doing so if the employee indicates that they feel comfortable to do so. It’s important to remind the employee that they can take a break at any time, so that they feel that they have control in the interview – a central principle of trauma-informed interviews.

2. Returning from a break

If the employee has left the interview and returned, enquire as to how they are feeling, ascertain whether they would like to continue and offer support.  As the interview continues, check-in with the employee to see how they are feeling. If the employee would like to stop, or continues to appear distressed, the interviewer should move to Stage 3.

3. Stop the interview

As an investigator, we can decide to stop the interview at any point. However, it is important to ask the employee whether they feel safe if the interview is terminated, and what support is available to them once they leave the interview. If they are already engaged with mental health services, encourage them to make contact; alternatively, remind the employee of the organisation’s EAP services. If the employee appears to be in high distress and does not have any immediate support, the employee’s manager needs to be informed.

4. Aftercare

Follow up with the employee with a phone call or email the following day, reminding them of the organisation’s EAP services. Also, remind them that you are available if they have any queries about the investigation. This is an additional step that most investigators do not take; however the research shows that this additional step is helpful for employees in managing their wellbeing.

A distress protocol would not be complete without recognising the potential distress of the investigator. Research shows that investigators can be affected by distressing interviews through secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue. A distress protocol will outline how the organisation can support investigators, such as engaging in debriefs, discussing their cases in appropriate supervision spaces, and participation in reflective practice.

Trauma-informed interviews when well planned and executed can have a positive impact on the wellbeing of both the investigator and the interviewee. A distress protocol is just one of the tools that an organisation can implement to ensure this.

For those of you who are interested in knowing more about trauma-informed interviews, the webinar is available to view here, or contact me if you want to talk about how to best implement a trauma-informed approach in your workplace investigations.

Karen Wise, Managing Director, Senatus Consulting

Hello PPMA members and friends

As we near the end of our 2025 Awards Showcase Webinars and Blog Posts series, we’re delighted to spotlight Solace, winners of the Best Talent Programme award. In this feature, the Solace team share insights into their innovative AMPlify talent development programme and the impact it’s making across the sector.

“What happens when ambition meets opportunity – and the system is designed to let it flourish? That’s exactly what AMPlify has achieved. The groundbreaking talent development programme, designed for underrepresented leaders in local government, was awarded Best Talent Programme at the PPMA Awards, a recognition that celebrates not only its outcomes but the cultural shift it is helping to ignite across the sector.

The challenge AMPlify was created to tackle is clear: local government senior leadership doesn’t yet reflect the communities it serves. “We know that our workforce at senior levels doesn’t look like the diverse communities we serve,” says Kim Wright, Chief Executive of Brent. Without diverse voices at the top, decision-making suffers, inclusivity falters, and organisations struggle to respond effectively to the complex needs of their populations. AMPlify aims to change that.

Launched in 2022 through a partnership between Solace, E-Quality, and the LGA, AMPlify is more than a leadership programme – it’s a movement. In three short years, it has supported 46 participants and their line managers across 27 local authorities, giving talented individuals from minoritised backgrounds the tools, skills, and networks to progress into senior roles while also driving wider organisational change.

Why AMPlify Works

The programme draws on insights from the Solace report, Understanding and Improving Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Local Government Workforce (2022), which highlighted the barriers ethnic minorities face: bias, lack of mentorship, and few structured pathways to leadership. AMPlify confronts these barriers head-on with a three-strand approach that combines leadership development, personal growth, and organisational culture change.

The results speak for themselves. Of the first three cohorts, 33% of participants have secured promotions, stepping into senior leadership positions. Beyond career progression, the programme has boosted employee engagement, retention, and organisational performance, demonstrating that investing in diverse talent pays dividends for both individuals and institutions.

Voices from the Cohort

For the participants themselves, the programme is nothing short of transformational. Delegates report newfound confidence and self-belief, saying it helped them “expand my visibility” and “advocate for myself.” One shared that it inspired them to “aim higher” and reinforced the belief that “it is possible” to reach senior leadership roles.

Networking and peer support are equally important. The cohort provides a “safe space for support,” helping participants build long-lasting relationships with like-minded colleagues across the sector. These networks are more than just contacts – they are communities of encouragement, collaboration, and shared learning that continue long after the programme ends.

Professional growth is another consistent theme. Delegates describe strengthened personal brands, increased visibility, and strategic thinking skills that allow them to tackle complex organisational challenges. One participant reflected, “AMPlify supercharged my strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities, enabling me to manage with greater efficacy and innovation.”

What Makes AMPlify Different

AMPlify is not a typical leadership programme. Its impact comes from several innovative elements:

• Inclusive Co-Design: Participants, senior leaders, and line managers all shape the programme, ensuring relevance and sector-wide buy-in.
• Reverse Mentoring: Senior leaders learn from participants about diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI), creating a culture of mutual respect and understanding.
• Action Learning Sets: Delegates tackle real-world challenges in collaborative groups, applying leadership insights immediately.
• Focus on Intersectionality: The programme addresses overlapping barriers such as ethnicity, gender, socio-economic background, and family dynamics.
• Psychological Insight: Participants are supported to navigate “invisible” barriers like bias and imposter syndrome, empowering them to thrive in complex environments.
• Manager Engagement: Line managers are trained to mentor and advocate for their underrepresented staff, helping embed a culture of inclusion.

Transforming Organisational Culture

AMPlify doesn’t just aim to change individuals – it aims to changes organisations. Senior leaders report that participants’ presence has prompted broader cultural reflection and encouraged inclusive practices across teams. Paul Hanson, Chief Executive, observed:

“Participants of AMPlify have been able to take higher profile roles and show leadership across the organisation, which has prompted a positive response from colleagues of all backgrounds. Senior leaders making space for participants’ voices has had a real impact on culture.”

Looking to the Future

With more cohorts planned, AMPlify is poised to expand its reach further. Its dual focus – developing diverse talent and embedding inclusive leadership – ensures that local government can better reflect and serve the communities it represents. By fostering confidence, strategic thinking, and robust professional networks, the programme is building a new generation of leaders who challenge barriers, inspire innovation, and model inclusive behaviours across the sector.

Winning the PPMA Best Talent Programme award is a recognition of the programme’s impact. AMPlify has delivered measurable outcomes in career progression, organisational performance, and cultural change. Most importantly, it has empowered a generation of leaders from underrepresented backgrounds to thrive, advocate for themselves, and inspire others.

AMPlify proves what is possible when leadership development, diversity, and inclusion are approached holistically. By continuing to invest in programmes like this, local government can build leadership teams that genuinely reflect the communities they serve, foster inclusive cultures, and ensure long-term organisational success.

As AMPlify looks ahead one thing is clear: a new wave of diverse, empowered leaders is already reshaping local government for the better.”

Find out more about the AMPlify programme here.