Mindful People HR & Recruitment

01/09/2026

Hello September 🤍

A new month brings an opportunity to pause, reflect and choose what comes next with intention.

What are we doing simply because it has always been done that way?

What could become fairer, healthier or more effective if we were willing to think differently?

At Mindful People, September is about mindful beginnings—helping businesses examine how they recruit, lead and support the people who make their organisation possible.

Meaningful change does not need to happen overnight. It begins with one honest question, one thoughtful decision and one positive step forward.

Whether you are preparing to make an important permanent hire or want to improve your people practices, perhaps September is the right time to begin a conversation.

Here’s to a month of reflection, growth and purposeful action. 🌱

Mindful People
Conscious HR • Mindful Recruitment

🌐 www.mindfulpeoplehr.com

31/08/2026

Today, I turned 50—and I don’t feel as though I’m approaching the end of my working life.

I feel as though I’m reaching my peak.

I have more experience, better judgement, greater resilience and a clearer understanding of what I can contribute than I did at 30.

Yet many experienced candidates find that, once they reach 50, employers begin to look past them. Assumptions are made about their energy, adaptability or ambitions—without considering whether those assumptions are fair or accurate.

Mindful recruitment asks us to pause and question these inherited beliefs.

With an ageing workforce and significant skills shortages, businesses cannot afford to lose decades of knowledge, experience and mentoring capability.

Recruitment should recognise the whole person: their skills, values, experience, potential and ability to succeed—not assumptions attached to their age.

For me, 50 is not a finishing line.

It is a new chapter—and I feel as though I am only just getting started.

Mindful People
Conscious HR • Mindful Recruitment

31/08/2026

Today, I turned 50.

And I don’t feel as though I am approaching the end of my working life.

I feel as though I am reaching my peak.

I have more experience, better judgement, greater resilience and a much clearer understanding of what I can contribute than I did at 30.

Yet for many people, reaching 50 can feel like the point at which employers begin to look past them.

Experienced candidates apply for roles they are perfectly capable of doing but struggle to secure interviews. Assumptions can be made about their energy, adaptability, ambitions or how long they might remain—often without anybody stopping to question whether those assumptions are fair or accurate.

That needs to change.

We have an ageing workforce, significant skills shortages and industries in which decades of knowledge are at risk of being lost.

If employers overlook people because of their age, they do not only lose experienced candidates. They lose judgement, perspective, resilience, mentoring capability and the opportunity to pass valuable knowledge to the next generation.

Age is a protected characteristic—but inclusive recruitment should be about more than minimum legal compliance.

It should be about recognising what somebody can contribute.

At Mindful People HR & Recruitment, I believe recruitment should assess the whole person: their skills, experience, values, potential and ability to succeed—not assumptions attached to their age.

For me, 50 is not a finishing line.

It is a new chapter—and I genuinely feel as though I am only just getting started.

Perhaps the question is not whether somebody is “too old”.

Perhaps it is whether organisations can afford to disregard everything they know.

Louise x

Mindful People
Conscious HR • Mindful Recruitment

30/06/2026

I have been quiet... I had some loose ends to tie up from my Civic role which ended earlier this year.

I had spent 3 years focussing on Unity in the CommUnity - I didn't want to lose that theme.

So, over the last few months I have focussed on finishing the project I started and created We Are Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard Business CommUnity and a FREE lo cal directory to create cohesion and help mothers to succeed.

But now it's time to focus on me (and my pocket) and doing what I love - People & Culture.

A healthy working environment is essential to us all - when we thrive the business thrives and our clients get the best of both worlds! So here is my directory listing. Thank you for your patience and support Louise 🌿 Featured Local Business | Mindful People HR & Recruitment

People are at the heart of every successful business.

Whether you’re recruiting your next team member, navigating a challenging employee issue, reviewing your HR policies or looking to build a happier, healthier workplace, Mindful People HR & Recruitment offers practical, ethical support with people at its centre.

Founded by local HR & Recruitment Director Louise O’Riordan, Mindful People HR & Recruitment combines more than 25 years of HR and recruitment experience with a genuine passion for creating workplaces where both businesses and employees can thrive.

Services include:
🌿 HR Consultancy
🤝 Ethical Recruitment
💙 Workplace Wellbeing
📈 People & Culture Health Checks

The aim is simple — helping businesses build workplaces where people genuinely want to work.

Based in Dunstable and supporting organisations across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, London and throughout the UK.

If you’re an employer looking for trusted, friendly and commercially-minded HR support, this is a business well worth knowing.

Explore the full directory listing here:

🌐 https://www.wearedunstableleightonbuzzard.co.uk/directory-/mindful-people-hr-recruitment-dunstable-louise-oriordan

🪷 Mindful People HR & RecruitmentPeople-Centred HR. Ethical Recruitment.Helping businesses build workplaces where people and organisations thrive.People are at the heart of every successful business.When employees feel valued, supported and empowered to do their best work, organisations become st...

05/05/2026

💙 Information Stall at the Health Hub in Dunstable for ME Awareness Week – on Thursday 14th May 2026

This one is really important to me personally.

Living with ME/CFS can be incredibly challenging — and for a long time, it’s something that hasn’t always been well understood or visible.

The service I use has supported me in ways that genuinely make a difference, and as part of ME Awareness Week, they’re hosting a public information stall to help raise awareness and support others.

If you’d like to learn more, ask questions, or simply understand what living with ME can be like, I really encourage you to pop along.

👉 Event details here:
https://www.wearedunstableleightonbuzzard.co.uk/events-1/me-awareness-week-information-stall

Awareness matters.
Understanding matters.
Support matters.

💙

ME Awareness Week Information Stall | Health Hub Dunstable | East London NHS Foundation Trust in Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard. Discover local events, what’s on, and connect with your community.

09/04/2026

I’ve been reading the commentary from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation on the latest employment law changes, particularly around statutory sick pay and wider reforms.

From a people perspective, I absolutely support improvements to pay, statutory entitlements, and working conditions. That matters — for wellbeing, retention, and creating workplaces where people feel safe and valued.

But wearing my business and HR hat, I can also see the very real pressure this creates — especially off the back of:

• last year’s National Insurance increases
• rising wage costs
• ongoing economic uncertainty

For many organisations (particularly SMEs), changes like this don’t land in isolation — they stack.

The question isn’t whether we should improve conditions (we should).
It’s how we do it in a way that businesses can realistically sustain.

I’m really interested in how others are approaching this:
• Have you planned for the statutory sick pay changes?
• Are you absorbing the cost, restructuring, or making trade-offs elsewhere?
• Do you see risks to hiring, pricing, or workforce size?
• What support or clarity do you need from government to make this workable?

This isn’t about being for or against — it’s about making change actually work in the real world.

I’d love to hear honest perspectives from across sectors 👇

Imminent changes to Statutory Sick Pay could cause chaos.

Our Chief Executive Neil Carberry OBE says:

"From today, businesses are faced with huge changes as a result of the Employment Rights Act, as well as increases to the National Minimum Wage. This comes after a huge rise in payroll taxes last year, low growth and the impact of the Gulf conflict on energy prices, as firms do not benefit from the price cap and a third are on annual deals that expire this month."

Read our full response 👉 https://bit.ly/3PLGbiI