Nine Great (and Free) Resources for Human Resources

If you’re like most HR leaders, you keep a lot of plates spinning. Your act includes everything from scouring call-tracking data in your case management system (searching for ways to improve employee self-service) to staying abreast of the most recent topics in human resources news and workplace trends (seeking efficiencies, cost savings, and increased productivity).

You probably also welcome all of the HR resources you can get as easily and quickly as possible — especially the knowledgeable advice of peers — to help keep those plates spinning.

Maybe you’d like to gain some insight into a particularly sensitive matter you’re dealing with today. An online community could help with that. Maybe you simply want to be in the know on the latest workplace trends or what’s new in HR tools. Blogs and professional organization websites can help there.

We’ve asked our team to offer their thoughts on some great — and free — HR resources. In no particular order, here’s what they recommend:

SHRM — Even if you’re not among its more than 275,000 members in more than 160 countries, the Society for Human Resource Management offers a great repository of all things HR and for all levels of expertise. Its website (www.shrm.com) includes categories for interests ranging from HR data systems (“Research and Metrics”) to workplace trends (“Top News” and “Trending”). The website also offers templates, tools, publications, conferences, and education for HR professionals.

HR Magazine — Published by SHRM, this is the most widely read and respected HR publication out there. And you don’t need to be a SHRM member to subscribe.

HR.com — It may seem obvious, but we’d remiss if we didn’t include HR.com in our list. After all, it’s the largest online community for HR professionals. In addition to its huge social network, it offers current articles, news, webcasts, events, white papers, templates, forms, and best practices.

LinkedIn Groups — The primary social network for professionals in most fields, LinkedIn includes several HR-dedicated groups. Linked:HR is the top one, with more than 945,000 members and hundreds of discussions every month. The next most popular is Human Resources Professionals Worldwide, with over 72,000 members. When you join LinkedIn groups, you not only benefit from the discussions. You can also directly connect with other HR professionals.

Evil HR Lady — Suzanne Lucas’ blog is among the most widely read in the industry. She spent 10 years in HR for a Fortune 500 corporation, and her goal now is to “demystify human resources, one question at a time.” Her posts often feature real-life examples and advice to HR professionals and people seeking guidance in dealing with their HR department. Her site also houses a huge list of HR blogs and resources.

Lisa Rosendahl — A longtime leader in the HR community, Rosendahl brings over 20 years of HR experience and strong writing to her blog, offering valuable insights into very real HR problems and challenges.

The HR Daily Advisor — Considered by many to be one of the most unique HR resources around, this blog features free daily updates on news and advice, in addition to daily tips for HR professionals worldwide.

Twitter — If you’re into following tweets, Twitter has hundreds of users in the WeFollow directory who have listed themselves under “Humanresources.” (If you’re on Twitter, add yourself to the directory and tag yourself under “Humanresources.”)

LBi Blog — Of course we’re proud of what we offer HR leaders through the LBi Software blog. We like to think the topics are informative and timely, and the authors are knowledgeable and easy to read. And, we offer posts from throughout the HR world, not only from myself and others here at LBi.

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