What might be the outlook for reward decisions in 2027? Find out at our forthcoming annual online conference. Speakers will present findings from our survey of employers’ pay intentions and discuss the economic and labour market backdrop.
With the Employment Rights Bill making its way through parliament, you’ll also hear about the changing legal and industrial relations context for pay-setting and we will also discuss AI and its potential effects on employment and reward.
Join us via Teams on Thursday, 10 September 2026, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Our panel of IDR and guest speakers will broadcast live, and there will be ample opportunities to ask questions and share challenges with peers. Don't miss out on enhancing your knowledge and preparing for 2027 – book your place now!
09.50 Welcome slides
10.00 Nicola Allison, Office of the Pay Review Bodies - Chair’s opening remarks
10.05 Zoe Woolacott and Ken Mulkearn, IDR - findings from our ‘Planning for pay in 2027’ survey and the implications for decision-makers
11.30 15-minute break
11.30 Meghann Robson, KP Foods - the company’s new approach to pay for its manufacturing employees
12.30 Lunch break (1 hour)
13.30 Hayfa Mohdzaini, CIPD - AI and employment, productivity and reward
14.15 Darren Newman - what the Employment Relations Act might mean for reward
15.00 Chair’s closing remarks
Please note that all timings are approximate and may be subject to change.
Meghann Robson is Head of HR at KP Snacks, where she partners with leaders across the business to deliver people strategies that support growth, performance and positive colleague experiences.
With extensive experience in manufacturing and operations, Meghann has led a broad range of strategic initiatives, including reward, organisational design, leadership development, employee relations, wellbeing and business transformation. She is passionate about creating practical, people-focused solutions that help organisations navigate change while building engaged, high-performing teams.
Meghann believes the best people strategies are those that balance commercial ambition with colleague experience. She enjoys sharing honest insights, lessons learned and practical approaches from leading change in complex manufacturing environments.
Hayfa Mohdzaini started her career in the private sector, working in IT, before moving into HR, where she has been writing for the HR community since 2012. Hayfa has worked with the CIPD over the last six years and previously worked for UCEA, where she expanded the range of pay and workforce benchmarking data available to the higher education HR community.
She is interested in how the people profession can contribute to good work through technology and has written several publications, as well as speaking at conferences and exhibitions and providing commentary to the media on people and technology.
Darren Newman is a leading employment law analyst and commentator with over 30 years of experience in advising businesses on the impact of employment law. He has worked extensively for IDS and LexisNexis and is the former Head of Employment Law and Social Affairs for the Chemical Industries Association. He is now a consultant editor for Brightmine (formerly XpertHR) and runs his own training and consultancy business. He has provided training, research and advice for a wide range of public and private sector organisations including the UK Government and the International Labour Organisation.
He is also the author of the Range of Reasonable Responses blog which is read by thousands of employment lawyers, HR professionals and policy advisers across the country.
As we move through the year IDR will once again be running our forward-looking Pay Intentions Programme. The key stages of the programme are detailed below.
🗓️ June/July – IDR’s Annual Pay Planning Survey goes live. Participants receive a free summary & a 40% discount on tickets for our pay planning conference in September. Subscribers receive a free summary & complimentary conference tickets for participating in the survey.
🗓️ August/September – IDR’s Pay Planning Analysis. Detailed analysis of the data, key trends & themes.
🗓️ September – Pay Climate. IDR’s quarterly bulletin containing detailed pay planning analysis. Subscribe now or find out more Pay Climate.
🗓️ September – IDR’s Annual Pay Planning Conference. A chance to hear from senior IDR experts in a comprehensive overview of the analysis/results.
🗓️ November/December – IDR’s Pay Intentions Poll. A temperature check to continue to build the picture on pay.
🗓️ January – IDR’s Pay Intentions Seminar. An updated pay intentions dataset & analysis before new pay rounds commence. Participants receive a free summary report, while our Pay Climate subscribers receive an exclusive article & additional resources in relation to pay planning through the IDR subscriber zone.
