This Episode: Questions For Recovery – with Dr Rebecca Ray of The Conference Board

This week, Lucinda talks to Dr Rebecca Ray, Executive Vice-President of Human Capital at The Conference Board. The Conference Board is a non-profit international research body focussing on helping leaders address societal challenges.

Asking the questions for recovery, after the COVID-19 crisis, Dr Ray discusses the challenges she faces as a people professional. Furthermore, how we must reshape the workplace in the wake of lockdown. Indeed how we must explore wellbeing, culture, and the tools that can help us to think more holistically about organisational support.


Key Takeaways

  • Instead of asking if we can return to normal, we should be considering whether returning to “normal” is even a viable option.
  • Indeed, as people professionals, we need to be incredibly vigilant about the available resources regarding wellbeing and mental health, but also to encourage our people to talk about the way they are feeling.
  • Without doubt, it is incumbent upon us to remind leaders where possible, that vulnerability and humanity are vital skills going forward. Certainly this will lead to a greater trust and empathic connection.
  • Recruitment is now an opportunity to reshape the areas of the business that may have weakened, and simultaneously strengthen the areas in the most demand.
  • On-boarding and continual support, are essential elements in ensuring that, especially with new digital employees who work from home, culture is communicated and embraced.

Valuable Resources

Best Moments

  • ‘On-boarding now has to be completely re-thought’
  • ‘If you’ve mastered the core skill of empathy, that’s really going to come to the forefront right now’
  • ‘We’ve never been more important, or more relevant, than we are right now’
  • ‘I’m a big fan of getting the culture right’

About The Guest

Rebecca Ray, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Human Capital, is responsible for member engagement and the quality of all Human Capital offerings including research. Additionally peer learning networks (Councils), digital media, conferences and events. Formerly an award-winning practitioner for several Fortune 50 companies, Rebecca contributes to Forbes and is often featured in business/trade media (Wall Street Journal, South China Morning Post, Harvard Business Review, The Economist, Chief Learning Officer, HR People + Strategy (HRPS) and Talent Management).

About The Host

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. Indeed it was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“When we look up we rise up”

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