Times change.
People have different outlooks, thoughts, and concerns. While this leads to changes in pop culture, food, spending habits, and more, it morphs the workaday world as well. This may not seem like a concern for workers, but it surely creates a headache for HR professionals.
The only way to master — or attempt to master — human resource management is to combine a sound foundation of traditional HR principles with modern, dynamic industry trends.
Blogs and articles have their rightful place in must-read piles, but books still provide HR case studies, examples, and principles that pertain to the daily and long-term goals of human resources professionals.
If you’re ready to learn more about employee relations, employee engagement, HR fundamentals, and the rapidly changing world of HR, crack the spine of a few of the best HR books.
HR spans a wide array of specializations. From talent acquisition to organizational behavior to onboarding, HR leaders must have a well-rounded approach and foundational knowledge of HR.
The best HR books combine HR/HRM principles, data-driven and experiential case studies, and real-world solutions that you can apply as an HR manager or specialist. No matter what skill or idea you’re honing, these HR best sellers will give you the information you need in digestible, applicable pieces.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion — or DEI — has become somewhat of a buzzword topic over the past decade, but its importance for HR practitioners and the organization as a whole cannot be understated.
In “Hiring for Diversity,” authors Woods and Tharakan use research and case studies from some of the world’s largest companies to create inclusive and actionable hiring policies and practices. From building basic DEI policies to designing an inclusive candidate experience, this is one of the best human resources books for empowering organizations to excel in diversity.
One of the most troublesome components of an HR role is the uncomfortable discussions that inevitably come with time. Tardiness, productivity issues, and inappropriate behavior occur, but an effective HR manager knows how to handle the situation. Regardless of your best intentions in performance management and discipline, no one likes the awkward conversations to address the situation.
“101 Tough Conversations To Have With Employees” tackles these uncomfortable scenarios with great aplomb and specific examples, allowing you to address employee performance and behavior tactfully. With guidance from this book, HR professionals are poised to handle tough issues and maintain a nurturing and cohesive workplace culture.
As a novice or even seasoned HR employee, you may not know that six HR functions or competencies can make or break your ability to manage human capital and build a high-performance team. These competencies can drastically improve the opportunity to hire top talent and bolster training and development.
In “HR from the Outside In,” the authors discuss these six competencies and how to apply them in the office:
Mastering these core competencies allows the HR professional to act as an activist for both the business and the employee, maintaining the difficult balance while sticking to company-wide HR initiatives.
Penned by the former VP of People Operations at Google, “Work Rules!” offers insight into the staffing, performance management, and performance evaluation used at one of the world’s largest and most successful companies. Throughout the book, Bock discusses the famed Google work culture, how it developed, and the mistakes made along the way.
Though Google may seem like an outlier, the author reassures readers that the same principles can easily be applied to companies of all sizes and industries. The information provided builds the foundation for employee engagement and work culture on a world-class level. If production and motivation are wavering, “Work Rules!” is the shot in the arm you need, making it one of the best HR books in this specific genre.
If you’re looking for an all-encompassing approach to HR, “The Essential HR Handbook” might be the best HR book for your needs. With applicable tips, scorecards, checklists, tools, and templates, it has everything you need to forge an efficient and trusted HR department.
Armstrong and Mitchell also divide each HR concept into easy-to-read chapters, each tackling a single aspect of HR. Some of the topics include compensation packages and benefits, employee well-being, recruiting, legal/compliance, onboarding, and more. When you only have space for a lone book on your shelf, this should be the one.
HR professionals may not have the vaulted image of a C-level executive, but an HR leader plays an equally crucial role. Unfortunately, leadership isn’t innate in most people. It’s a learned behavior that combines empathy, trust, motivation, and getting people to buy into your vision — as well as the knowledge that enables you to maximize employee potential.
In “Start With Why,” HR guru Simon Sinek points to inspiration as the single most important factor in leading an organization — even beyond motivation or employee recognition. By getting people to share your vision, you don’t have employees; You have people willing to give their time and effort to a bigger goal. Even in HR, having employees who share the same goals pays dividends.
Employee law and compliance aren’t the most glamorous parts of HR, but they’re a necessary evil, shall we say. Failing to comply with labor laws is a costly venture that can incur fines, lawsuits, a tarnished image, and even a loss in profitability.
If employment law isn’t your strong suit, this book from the Society for Human Resource Management provides straightforward language — free of legal jargon — that ensures compliance within your company. Topics include telework, salary, legal marijuana in the workplace, state laws, biometric information, and more — making this one of the best HR books for legality and compliance.
Like it or not, data and metrics have an integral role in HR now and in the future. However, combining an analytical approach with real people isn’t easy. If you start seeing your people as numbers and figures, you’ve already lost one of the most important parts of HR management.
Thanks to “Predictive HR Analytics,” you can do both effectively and efficiently. As one of the best HR books on the topic, “Predictive HR Analytics” shows you how to use metrics and data to make the right decisions for the company — and, more importantly — for employees. Using case studies, readers can determine how analytics correlate with employee turnover, morale, performance, recruiting, and diversity. If data spreadsheets look like gibberish to you, this book has your back.
Talent management is dynamic, ever-changing, and more difficult to navigate than ever, especially with AI and tech guiding your recruiting process. In “Talent Force,” Rueff and Stringer use their experience as entrepreneurs and innovators to show how to leverage technology while maintaining the all-important human touch to the hiring process.
With useful information that you can apply to every step of the hiring process, this HR book provides everything you need to streamline hiring while maintaining adaptability, diversity, and collaboration.
Even an encyclopedic knowledge of human resources can only get you so far — whether it’s from business school or the best HR books. Employees must trust you as a fair, impartial party that has every person’s best interests at heart.
How you gain that trust correlates to how you act, but a little extra something never hurts. As an HR leader, organizing excellent employee perks, benefits, and recognition programs can create a company culture that breeds excitement and engagement — every day your team is on the job.
An excellent part of these programs is gift cards from Hoppier. Hoppier allows you to set the amount and expiration of the gift card and delivers it directly to your employees’ email boxes. With availability in over 60 countries, Hoppier gift cards are the perfect addition to any HR program — and one that you may not learn from even the best HR books.
You don’t have to befriend every employee but the right mix of employee benefits and an image as a fair, just, and friendly HR fosters an enjoyable work atmosphere. That’s something everyone can get behind.
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
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