October had some of the best HR articles of the year.  Topics include 2020 HR tech trends, the pros and cons of the psychological contract, the cost of HR-business misalignment and when should employees approach HR?

NOTE:  The articles below are in no particular order.

Top 10 HR Articles for October 2019

1. What trends will dominate HR tech in 2020?

HR technology continues it quick evolution.  While this is not surprising to anyone who tracks this evolution, what is surprising is the way in which it continues to change as time marches on.  We’re not far away from 2020 and HR tech is certain to bring with it new developments in the new year.  In one of his latest articles, Steve Boese, an HR technology thought leader, looked at several trends he sees happening in the coming months.  He focuses some attention on artificial intelligence continuing to mature as well as the rise of virtual reality.  Read more here.

2. Psychological Contract – The Pros and Cons

The psychological contract has been around for a long time.  It’s not something employees and companies have always thought about, but it has always been there.  Both sides hold their own ideas about what working with one another means.  Dependent upon the perspective being used, of course, the focus could be on anything… from money, to benefits or simply the status guaranteed by working at a specific company.  Regardless, the psychological contract can be of enormous benefit or massive detriment to the company.  In this piece, HR Exchange Network editor Mason Stevenson outlines the pros and cons of the psychological contract.

3. Study Finds HR Most Stressful Profession

If you’re an HR professional and you think your job is more stressful than any other, you’d be right.  According to a new study surveying some 16,000 respondents from more than 50 cities in the United Kingdom, 79 percent of HR professionals say they were negatively impact by their job.  Behind HR, 63 percent of legal workers and 54 percent of retail, catering and leisure workers said the same.  Read more about the survey findings here.

4. What Diversity Looks Like in the Workplace

Diversity isn’t just a moral issue.  There is a business case that can be made for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  From recruitment to mentoring, human resources has a main role in the strategy.  In this article, get a clear definition of what diversity is and what it looks like in practice at TransUnion as advisory board member Debra Wasserman discusses her company’s approach to diversity.  Specifically, she discusses how TransUnion has embraced gender roles and their plan to add more women to their leadership ranks.  Click here for more.

5. When HR and Business Leaders Disagree

It’s a message HR professionals hear on a regular basis:  human resources initiatives must align with the business.  If not, it can spell ruin.  Not very often, however, is that ‘ruin’ detailed.  In her latest article, Liz Kislik gives an example of a misalignment between a business and its HR department.  Kislik discusses the cost of that misalignment and how to overcome it for the betterment of the company, HR and the employee.  Read it here.

6. 4 Rules for Recruiting in a Tight Labor Market

Nearly every company is facing a labor shortage of some sort.  It’s safe to say no one person or department within those companies feel it more than the HR professional or team.  So, how should HR approach recruitment in the current environment?  VP and assistant general manager of global HR for Akebono Brake Corporation Eric Torigian outlines four important steps to help companies succeed.  Among some of those steps, communication and the necessity of looking within the company’s current workforce for the next best talented individual.  More details here.

Want to learn more about recruiting in the labor shortage era?  Download our report here.

7. The Legal Impact of AI on HR

Should the use of artificial intelligence be legislated? If you don’t know your position on the question, read this article to help you decide.  It provides some of the latest developments in the AI space and what’s at stake at the federal and state level with regards to the technology and how it may or may not impact HR as a whole. 

8. When Is It Wise to Go to HR?

During a panel at The Wall Street Journal’s “Women in the Workplace” forum a few weeks ago, the audience was asked a question:  how many of them trusted their respective HR departments.  Only about a quarter responded they indeed trusted their HR department.  It brings to light a position many HR professionals find themselves in; that they “often want to protect company interests while supporting employees and doing their part, with others, to guide an organization’s culture.”  To learn more about how workers and employees should respond to harassment claims and HR’s role in that, click here.

9. Big HR Data Is Here: How Do You Use It?

When it comes to the use of data, HR gets a little squirmy.  Data can be very intimidating, especially if it’s not something the HR professional is used to using.  In her inaugural article on the HR Exchange Network, Novant Health VP of HR Operations Vaso Perimenis explains not only how big data is of value to HR, but also how to build the analytics capability from the ground up.  Perimenis provides step-by-step instructions on the process and provides details about each step.  Read her article here.

10. Am I being treated differently for being a millennial: Ask HR

Are millennials treated differently as a result of the generation to which they belong? The question was posed to SHRM president and CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr as part of an article series for USA Today.  In answering the question, Taylor took a procedural approach to answering the question.  For starters, is this a clear case of ageism?  What proof can be used to back up the claim?  He also looked at other ways to determine if someone is indeed being treated differently as a result of their generational identity.  One suggestion he gives is to share the story with others to see if they are experiencing similar issues.  For more of his response and responses to other questions click here.

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