Welcome to HR Disrupted, the podcast where Lucy Adams and guests reimagine traditional HR practices for a more agile, people-centric future. Each episode dives into innovative approaches for leaders and HR professionals, offering practical advice on leadership, employee engagement, and organisational culture. As CEO of Disruptive HR, the go-to agency for innovative people practices for the last ten years, Lucy brings fresh perspectives and solutions to the ever-changing challenges of modern workplaces. With years of experience as a former HR Director for major brands including the BBC, Lucy is the author of two best-selling books ‘HR: Disrupted’ and ‘The HR Change Toolkit’ . Every two weeks, join Lucy and her guests as they challenge the status quo, empowering businesses to navigate the complexities of today’s workforce with bold, forward-thinking strategies. Website: www.disruptivehr.com Join the Disruptive HR Club https://disruptivehr.com/welcome-to-the-future-of-hr/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/disruptivehr/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disruptive_hr/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hrdisruptive/ Email: hello@disruptivehr.com
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 07, 2025
Tuesday Oct 07, 2025
In this episode, Lucy digs into one of the big questions right now: if most organisations have landed on hybrid, why does it still feel so clunky? Ranya Nehmeh, senior HR strategist, lecturer and co-author of In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work - joins to unpack why many hybrid set-ups deliver the “messy middle”: full calendars, half-empty offices and confused norms. She makes the case that the office still offers something distinctive: spontaneous interactions, faster trust-building and the sort of collaboration you can’t schedule into a diary.
Lucy and Ranya explore the long-term culture risks of ineffective hybrid working such as lower discretionary effort, individualism over collaboration, and promotion decisions skewed by proximity bias. They look at practical ways to make hybrid better including designing anchor days around activities that need co-location, fixing meeting hygiene and measuring outcomes not optics. They also discuss a divide many miss - pre- versus post-pandemic hires—and how HR can act as “architect of connection” through extended onboarding, mentoring across cohorts, and rituals that make everyone visible.
This episode looks at how you build flexibility and a healthy culture. The answer isn’t blanket policies; it’s clarity and intention. Think presence with purpose, flexibility with structure, and leaders equipped to have grown-up team conversations about what works now—for the work, the customer and the people involved.
Chapters
(00:03) The Future of Hybrid Work
(15:24) Optimizing Hybrid Work Strategies for Success
(21:54) Bridging Pre & Post-Pandemic Workplace Gap
(26:15) Hybrid Work Flexibility and Structure
(31:17) Importance of Office Relationships
(34:53) Exploring Hybrid Work Strategies
Contact Rayna https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranyanehmeh/
Discover more about Disruptive HR
- Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com
- Get in touch: hello@disruptivehr.com
- Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/
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