For HR leaders, disengagement has become one of the toughest challenges of our time. Despite hybrid flexibility, generous wellbeing initiatives, and sophisticated feedback tools, many employees remain switched off. Pulse surveys may paint a stable picture, but productivity, retention, and culture often tell another story.

So what’s really missing? The answer is simple but often overlooked: authentic purpose.

In my upcoming headline session at the Culture Pioneers Leadership Forum 2025, I will cut through the noise and take a hard look at what truly drives people at work.

When purpose is embedded deeply into an organisation’s ethos – not left on a mission statement slide – it becomes a productivity multiplier, a retention engine, and a commercial advantage.

For HR leaders under pressure to ‘do more with less’, this approach offers a fresh perspective. Purpose isn’t just another initiative to add to the list; it’s a framework that makes existing initiatives work harder. It’s the connective tissue that links AI-driven workflows, ESG commitments, and employee wellbeing into something meaningful – something that people actually want to be part of.

This isn’t about abstract ideals or generic ‘culture hacks’. It’s about practical, repeatable methods that HR leaders can take back to their organisation.

Why this matters now:

• AI is accelerating the pace of work but stripping it of humanity. Purpose is how organisations keep people connected, not lost.
  
• Global crises – from climate to cost of living – are shaping employee expectations. Sitting on the fence is no longer viable.
  
• Retention and productivity pressures are growing, and leaders need levers that deliver measurable impact.
  

What you’ll learn in this session:

• How to recognise hidden signs of disengagement that don’t show up in surveys, but quietly erode performance.
• Frameworks to embed purpose into leadership behaviours, team rituals, and everyday workflows.
• Lessons from companies that tried to go purpose-led and got it wrong – and how they corrected course.
• How to talk about purpose in commercial terms, without sounding cynical.

This isn’t about abstract ideals or generic ‘culture hacks’. It’s about practical, repeatable methods that HR leaders can take back to their organisations and put into action immediately.

At a moment when connection is collapsing and pressure is mounting, this session will equip HR leaders with the tools to turn purpose into their most powerful people strategy.

To learn from Sanjay’s distinctive insights, join us at the Culture Pioneers Leadership Forum 2025 on 16th October in London. Find out more.