THIS DEFINITELY WORKED! FEBRUARY 2026 PHOTO GALLERY


IS HR HOLDING BACK BRITISH BUSINESS?

Tuesday 10 February 2026, 6.30-10pm
Knightsbridge, London

WATCH the video of the first half
READ the report from the whole event

HR is under fire – and we need to talk about why.

If we agree that people are an organisation’s greatest asset, why are UK productivity, capability and performance so stubbornly low?

Is HR empowering leaders to build high-performing teams, or has it become a risk-management bureaucracy that slows decisions, stifles innovation and confuses culture with compliance?

Are legal fears, ideological trends or managerial skill gaps the real blockers? And what should HR be in 2026: strategic partner, behavioural architect, or something else entirely?

To investigate these questions, This Is Working hosted an evening of frank discussion and clear-eyed analysis with senior business professionals from across the private sector, including a panel of special guests:

  • Neil Morrison HR Director, Severn Trent
  • Octavius Black CBE Founder, MindGym
  • Akua Reindorf KC Employment and discrimination barrister
  • Steve Harrison Author of Adland’s Progressive Gaze: How UK Advertising Lost Sight Of The People And Things That Matter Most

Attendees left with fresh insight — and practical, actionable ideas — to help them navigate the fast-evolving workplace, sharpen their people strategy, and avoid the legal and cultural missteps that are tripping up so many UK employers.

Hosted by Tanya de Grunwald, founder of the hit podcast This Isn’t Working, the evening ran as follows:

PART 1: Does HR deserve the kicking it’s getting?

Our panel explored the forces shaping today’s organisations:

  • Why HR processes have ballooned while productivity has flatlined
  • Where legal risk is misunderstood or exaggerated — and how to right-size it
  • How ideological drift in creative and corporate cultures can disconnect companies from their customers and employees
  • What leaders actually need from HR if they want to build capability, confidence and high performance

PART 2: Where do we go from here?

Building on the panel’s perspectives, we opened the floor to questions, reflections, scrutiny and debate from our audience of senior business professionals.

Together, we explored how to rebuild trust in HR, restore managerial confidence, create legally robust cultures, and ensure people functions enable — rather than inhibit — business success.

We heard sharp insights, competing views and a welcome dose of reality.

(This event was NOT not for wallflowers!)



We’re grateful to Volker Schulze and Accxia for their generous support in helping cover the venue and catering costs that made this event possible.

Photos by Jas Lehal jaslehalphotography.co.uk