Back your managers, act early and build confidence by doing: Day two in Manchester
From Octopus Energy’s Greg Jackson to Professor Herminia Ibarra, day two of the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition focused on confident managers and acting early.
From Octopus Energy’s Greg Jackson to Professor Herminia Ibarra, day two of the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition focused on confident managers and acting early.
The CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition closed at Manchester Central on Thursday 5 November. Day one called on people professionals to focus on organisational outcomes and not wait to be asked. Day two showed what that takes: back your managers, act early, link your people practice to what your organisation needs to achieve, and build confidence by doing.
Greg Jackson CBE, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, opened the day in conversation with CIPD President Chloe Smith. His starting point was that “everything we have comes from people”.
“You have to genuinely, truly value people. It’s not about lip service.”
People care more and do better work when they carry responsibility, he said, and he wants every manager to genuinely value their people.
Octopus’s decision not to have an HR department has drawn attention, and Greg addressed it directly. People professionals work across the business, he said, and are available to managers whenever they need training or support. He was clear that “it doesn’t mean that I think other companies shouldn’t have HR departments”.
For Greg, a big part of the people profession’s role job is helping managers be brilliant, equipping them with the skills to deal with their day-to-day challenges. That idea ran through the rest of the day.
In Member Central, CIPD chief executive Neil Carberry spent a live Q&A answering questions from members and hearing their views on where the CIPD should go. Asked about the biggest challenges ahead, he said the operating models of organisations will change rapidly. When you face a new challenge, he said, you should find something we’ve given you that helps. Asked about local, branch-level activity, he said what the CIPD offers isn’t only what we do for members. It’s also what members contribute to each other.
“It is all of us together, stewarding a profession that we care about, which makes a difference.”
The same principle applies when we speak up for the profession. Influence starts with demonstrating expertise, he said, and “trust is our currency”.
On the exhibition floor, a mock unfair dismissal tribunal drew a packed crowd. The hearing paused for explainers on timelines and what to do in similar situations, then delegates voted on the outcome. The takeaway was that when a process is followed properly and the person feels fairly heard, many disputes can be avoided.
That matters more from 1 January 2027, when the Employment Rights Act 2025 reduces the unfair dismissal qualifying period to six months. In a conference masterclass, HR consultant Edua Effiom said probation reviews can no longer afford to wait until the final weeks.
“Managers must act early. Performance conversations need to happen in week two, not month five.”
Managers “need capability and not just instruction”, she said, so HR coaching becomes essential. Her advice was to update policies, train managers, brief leaders and audit current probation decisions. Our guidance on unfair dismissal changes and probation periods can help you get started.
A case study from NHS Wales showed the same principle at work. Andrew Cooper’s team found that more than half of 109 disciplinary investigations ended with no sanction, and each took an average of 265 days. They made formal action the last resort and backed managers to try informal approaches first. Investigations fell by 71%, and they estimate they’ve saved more than 3,000 sickness days.
Professor Herminia Ibarra of London Business School gave the closing keynote on leadership skills for the future. Her opening point was that “what got you here will not get you there”. Uncertainty means leaders have to reinvent themselves, she said, and she set out five skills: cross-cutting, collaborating, culture-shaping, coaching and connecting.
On coaching, she described a shift in the role of managers. The aim is to help people help themselves, which means asking questions instead of giving advice. That’s hard to do, she said, but it gives people the chance to show what they know. On collaboration, she said silence is the default in most teams, so leaders need to make speaking candidly part of the culture. She also called for learning cultures, where people look for chances to learn new things even if they don’t succeed.
Her answer to how leaders build confidence was to act.
“We act our way into a newfound confidence in our abilities to be change leaders within our organisations.”
That means trying new behaviours, even when they feel clunky, and accepting that you might make a mistake. And leaders need to be clear about what they want to encourage.
Neil Carberry closed the conference with a commitment to members. The CIPD will keep working to stay relevant, stay focused on impact and support you every day. He ended where day one began.
“We’re about workplaces that perform… That’s about creating workplaces where people flourish and great things happen.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Manchester. Whatever you take back, try it on Monday morning. What will you do differently?
