This is an exciting time to be a human resource professional. Whether positive or negative, there is a huge spotlight on our profession, forcing our leaders to ensure all the “ducks are in a row” so to speak. From monumental changes in employment law to health care reform, HR pros are on a first name basis with the business community.
I have been in the HR field since I graduated from college in 2004. Since that time I have watched and actively participated in our profession gaining momentum. We have gone from finally winning that seat at the table to fighting to keep it. Some may consider having to fight to keep our seat a negative aspect of our jobs but I disagree. This type of fight forces us to stay abreast of all the groundbreaking concepts, opinions and research surrounding our field. It keeps us in the foreground of a monstrous business field, where the finance department usually gets all the attention.
The evolution of HR has been a long time coming and with tools like social media, it will continue to have a huge impact on how we do our jobs. It excites me to see the unlimited opportunities for the improvement of our profession through technology. For example, the HR blogging community now has clout, not just for interesting opinions on tough subject matter but for initiating necessary discussions to help us progress. China Miner Gorman, Chief Global Member Engagement Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management believes:
“Blogging, micro-blogging and social media are no longer viewed as taboo. In fact, they are becoming much more mainstream for HR, and our SHRM members are very interested in understanding what’s happening out there. Blogs, for instance, are a venue where people tend to say what’s really on their mind, whether constructive or negative. For HR, the value is in knowing what people (employees, customers and other stakeholders) really think about policies and practices. As you know, at the SHRM Annual Conference in New Orleans, we held our first-ever session on HR blogging. The beauty of that panel was that we had four very different types of HR bloggers on stage talking about how they got into blogging and what it has meant to their professional development and their professional effectiveness. Their experiences were in some ways similar, yet different – but they were all blogging for and about HR. That’s what was really motivating to see. HR is making its voice heard like never before.”
HR bloggers have become “celebrities” in our field. With their help there has been a push for more education in linking HR with technology. I recently talked with Ben Eubanks of Upstart HR and posed the following question: Is linking technology with HR essential? He replied, “No it’s not essential to link technology and HR. Human resources can go on with its traditional role, planning the office birthdays and making sure people take the exact number of sick leave hours. It can also sit in the corner when real strategies are being planned. However, if HR is going to be something bigger and better, then embracing technology is an amazing way to make a difference. Communicate with employees. Capture, analyze and forecast metrics. Use technology to make HR indispensable.”
A great example of how far we’ve come is the advent of HRevolution, an “un-conference” that will focus on integrating technology like social media and blogging with functional human resources. The event will be held in Louisville, KY on November 6th and 7th (register here). When I first heard of this event I was very excited. To that end I had a discussion with HRevolution co-founder and blogger for HR Ringleader, Trish McFarlane who said, “For me, the idea came from hearing so many HR people involved in social media talking about how conferences were not delivering relevant information on social media for HR. I hope that each person that comes will be able to teach what they know and how they apply social media to HR. I also hope that each participant walks away with some actionable take aways from what they learned.” Sharing is a big part of the evolutionary HR movement and is essential to its success.
I hope by now you are actively participating in the evolution of our industry. If not, why? Get involved – take an active stand and show your company why you deserve to be respected. Don’t be the quiet HR pro who just “goes with the flow.” Do something that provides value to the industry. I’m not saying you need to start your own blog but you can read, comment and initiate conversations with this community. I promise…you won’t be disappointed.
