Photo credit: Fistful of Talent
Does your day ever, or always, go something like this?
- Attend a meeting to review benefits options;
- Interview potential new hires; call references for said potential new hires;
- Work with IT and to prepare for new hires;
- Organize orientation and onboarding policies;
- Mediate employee disputes;
- Organize wellness info sessions;
- Run a lunch & learn meeting (and clean up afterward;)
- Recommend new wellness initiatives to your boss (with all of the backup evidence for why it’s a good idea;)
- Let someone go (and make sure all of the proper procedures are followed?)
And is that just a partial list of what’s on your mind every day?
We know how hard you work and that there aren’t enough hours in the day--sometimes you can’t even take advantage of your own company’s wellness benefits.
You’re forgiven (by us, anyway) for not always finding the time to keep up with the latest and greatest HR resources. So we’ve assembled a list for you of 8 top resources that inform and engage--and that won’t take all your time to read. Some will be familiar. Others, maybe not so much. (We could have offered up more, but wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?)
Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash
1. Fistful of Talent is made up of a group of pros from recruiting practices, HR shops and consulting firms across the nation. The center of the conversation is talent --which includes recruiting as well as everything you do with the talent once it’s in the door.
This is not your grandpa’s HR site--you’ll get lots of opinions, predictions, advice, pop culture references, edgy food for thought, and reader debate. A recent example: Mark Fogel’s opinion piece, filed under Audacious Ideas, There is No Such Thing As ‘Overqualified.
2. HR Daily Advisor features free daily updates on HR news, provides advice and tips, and is also the publisher of Thrive HR Magazine, a monthly periodical (free to download) that takes on issues of compliance, technology, and industry best practices.
The blog site also offers podcasts, multimedia, and infographics. You won’t find hip or snarky comment here--just serious, well-thought out pieces that can help you figure out how to navigate--for yourself and for your company--in the HR world.
Photo by Dan Dimmock on Unsplash
3. HR.com has an actual manifesto: 10 core values that reflect what they believe HR is all about. With over a million registered users, HR.com may just be the largest HR-based social network worldwide. We’ve condensed highlights of their manifesto in the bulleted list below. Actually, this is not a bad list for living a good life, is it?
- Focus on Happiness and Exceeding Expectations
- Embrace Real-Time Communication with Trust and Faith as the Pillar to All Communications
- Live and Love Passionately
- Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
- Learn Quick, Fail Fast, and Celebrate Success
- Embrace and Drive Change
- Have Fun and Be Quirky
- Be Innovative, Creative, and Open-Minded
- Always Learn and Never Settle for Just OK
- Be Frugal and Spend Wisely
(You can see the complete manifesto descriptions here. )
Photo by Ariel Lustre on Unsplash
4. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. Chances are very good that you already know about it, and use it.
SHRM is considered the the leading provider of resources serving the needs of HR professionals. Website resources include dozens of HR topics, including legal & compliance guides, downloadable tools and samples, and business solutions that are relevant to small and giant companies. In our own interviews with HR pros, SHRM ranked #1 in terms of use--and usefulness.
5. TheMuse.com is primarily a job search site--but check out the Hiring tab in the Get Advice section. You’ll find tips on interviewing, working with recruiters, dealing successfully with remote employees, and even some thoughts on hiring from Warren Buffett. These pieces are quick reads--but they’re also loaded with useful content. A recent favorite of ours: 4 Things You Should Ask an Employee Who’s Leaving.
6. Human Resouces Today aggregates HR content from all over the web, from sources including Everwise, ATD Human Capital, Justworks, Visier, Decision-Wise, ClearCompany HRM, Ask a Manager, The Aristocracy of HR, Globoforce--and many more.
A quick look at their home page yields loads of compelling content, and they publish new material daily. A recent blog in the Hiring and Recruiting category caught our eye: Workers Willing to Compromise on Salary for the Right Benefits, Culture, and Growth Opportunities. You might want to make this one the blog you check frequently to see what’s trending.
Photo by Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash
7. EvilHRLady, whose goal is to demystify the HR department, posts HR-related articles, often with real-life examples, and offers a Q&A section for HR pros and employees alike. She also answers questions by email. The blog was recently named one of the top 100 HR blogs by Feedspot, based on search and social metrics.
A recent, and very timely post: How to React When an Employee Accuses the Most Powerful Person in the Office of Sexual Harassment. You can also find EvilHRLady posts collected by Human Resources Today, so you know she’s good--and respected.
Photo by Ariel Lustre on Unsplash
8. And if you want to know where business is going, what better resource than FastCompany? Look under the Leadership tab for insights on where your future employees are coming from (literally and metaphorically), what they’re thinking, and how to improve some of your own job skills. One example: Take a look at Here is Everything You Need to Make Your Conference Calls Not Suck.
Of course, there’s more, much more--but start with these for the best of the best. And please remember our own blog, also designed with you and your work challenges in mind. Check it out!
