2016 has been a turbulent year, with the UK's historic vote to leave the European Union and most recently, the landmark US presidential race to the White House. Corporate scandals continue to make headlines and revelations of dubious working practices have sadly eroded trust in the establishment, and in businesses, to do the right thing.

The flip side of all this disturbance is that corporate culture is at the heart of the business agenda as never before, and this gives HR a fantastic opportunity to get involved and make a difference. HR is not unique in recognising the need for action/change and we’re proud to be part of the ‘movement for better business’ that's been reinvigorated by recent events. We’re delighted to be collaborating with other communities including Engage for Success and The Future of Work is Human, and proud to be part of the wider movement helping shape a brighter future of work. And the CIPD’s role in that movement doesn’t just stop at an organisational level; members are getting involved too. A growing group of CIPD members are volunteering their time to mentor young, unemployed people and other disadvantaged groups who’re struggling to access the labour market. And, there are also members who’re sharing their expertise with small charities who can’t afford a dedicated HR function of their own.

At our Annual Conference and Exhibition in Manchester, Peter Cheese, CIPD Chief Executive, will reveal more about the work we’re doing and the plans we have in place to campaign for better business. 

We aren’t the only community with a hunger for change. Our research has shown that there’s a growing appetite for making more balanced choices about work. But, where we used to rely on best practice in our decision-making, it doesn’t tell us what to do in changing contexts because it can only ever describe what’s worked well in the past.

Peter Cheese talks about the work the CIPD is doing to give practitioners the tools, behaviours and competencies they need to make good decisions, even in unprecedented circumstances. There’s a whole host of ways in which we already help members to learn, develop and connect, from events like the Annual Conference, to the new CIPD website, to digital learning.

But for the longer term, the CIPD has also been working with members, the wider HR community and business leaders to develop principles which can guide good practice as the world of work evolves, by encouraging practitioners to prioritise the right things when making workplace decisions. That process will enter its next stage of development in the coming months; the CIPD will be stress testing those principles with members and the HR community to explore how they might be applied to different situations, and how they can be embedded into key areas like knowledge and skills, situational judgement and social and ethical responsibility.