“What’s Your Problem?”: A people-first take on the CIPD Festival Of Work

Last week, we joined nearly 13,000 people professionals, leaders and managers from 57 countries at ExCeL London for the CIPD Festival of Work. Our starting point was a straightforward question: 

“What’s your problem?”

Not a marketing hook, just an honest invitation. We wanted to hear what’s keeping HR and business leaders up at night. From culture change and leadership capability to the impact of AI, inclusion and wellbeing - we came ready to listen, challenge, and explore how we can help. 

Two days, hundreds of conversations

Our People and Talent team spoke with HR professionals at every stage of strategy and delivery, from those navigating the everyday demands of line manager development, to those leading large-scale change. We talked about the practicalities of outplacement and restructuring, how to benchmark roles and reward effectively, and how to prepare for the changes ahead with the Employment Rights Bill. There were questions about organisational design, talent strategy, internal capability, and the pressure to do more with less.  

What stood out was how often people said, “I assumed it was just us.” These are shared challenges, and in many cases, they’re more common than they feel. 

That sense of connection extended beyond the conversations. As the photos show, we love being out in the thick of it - meeting people, exchanging ideas, and spending time together as a team. Day one even featured a well-timed round of ice creams from our MD, Paul Armstrong - a welcome boost as the conversations kept flowing. One ice cream didn’t quite survive the heat and made a slow bid for freedom down Steve’s t-shirt. That, momentarily, became Steve’s problem. 

Letting the work speak for itself 

While the Festival buzzed with insightful speaking sessions and innovation within the industry, the standout moments for us were the conversations - the thoughtful, grounded discussions about what’s really going on inside organisations. 

Our approach is deliberately human-centred. We work with data, and we make good use of technology where it adds value, but we don’t start with systems. We start with people. Because tools are only ever as useful as the thinking behind them, and the willingness to act on what they reveal. 

We’re not interested in surface-level fixes. We’re here for the messy, complex, meaningful work of solving people problems in ways that actually last. 

Insight, leadership and looking ahead

Peter Cheese opened the Festival with a timely challenge: “If AI can do everything we can, only faster and better, what does that mean for jobs, skills and the future of our workplace?” His call was clear: “We all have agency. It is up to us to help shape a better future.” 

Matthew Syed highlighted the risk of “fixed mindset, egotistical leaders” and stressed that “psychological safety is mission critical” for high-performing teams. 

Jamie Laing reminded us that “only 13% of people feel excited to go to work”, and called for leaders to be clear, genuine and purposeful: “Don’t try to be Gen Z if you’re not - authenticity is everything.” Alex Scott echoed this, encouraging leaders to be “real models, not role models”, and to see vulnerability as a strength. 

Looking ahead, Gen Alpha will bring fresh expectations. As Amy Pressland put it: “There is no online/offline for Gen Alpha.” With 70% identifying as neurodivergent, future workplaces must be designed to be inclusive, flexible and mentally supportive from the outset.