Human resources forums every HR professional should join

Networking is a huge part of success in business. By connecting with other people in your field, you have the opportunity to learn new best practices, share your experiences, keep up to date with important news and trends, and meet people who can help you achieve professional growth in your career. However, it can be hard to find time to network in person, and it can sometimes even be a hit-or-miss experience. That’s when online networking steps into the picture. Online, you can engage when you have a chance, reply even during off-hours, and keep up with conversations over a period of time. Online networking has a ton of benefits, but you can only realize them if you know where to go. Here’s a list of HR communities that will give you a great start.

Why Join a Slack or LinkedIn Community?

Both Slack and LinkedIn have groups that function like Facebook groups; a bunch of likeminded people sharing information, discussing issues, and getting feedback on ideas. Slack is a real-time chat platform, allowing you to connect in channels, private groups or one-on-one chats. Engaging on Slack can help you make your connections deeper and turn acquaintances into friends or professional partners.

LinkedIn is a social network for professionals. LinkedIn groups allow you to share interesting content and comment on other members’ posts. It’s more like Facebook, but with a professional bent. If you want to join a community to learn, get ideas and gain knowledge, LinkedIn groups are a great choice.

Slack Groups for HR Professionals

We have hand-picked what we think are the most essential Slack communities for HR professionals:

#PeoplePeople

Recruiters and HR pros can find kindred spirits on #PeoplePeople. This global community will give you a glimpse into processes and ideas not just across industries, but across the world. For a place to talk about people-at-work issues and keep up with the changing talent landscape, you can’t do much better.

#RecruitingInnovators

Innovation in recruiting is essential if you want to attract and retain top talent. This Slack channel will help you talk to other recruiters about what’s working, what’s not, and what you might want to try. You can also network with other recruiters, build your reputation, and keep up to date with trends and new innovations.

#People

#People focuses on organizational psychology and human resource topics like building better companies through recruitment. This Slack channel stands out because it has a variety of events, including Ask Me Anything (AMA), Question and Answer time, and more. It’s easy to get involved, so dive in and get started!

#PeopleGeeks

If you’re passionate about employee feedback and want to incorporate it into more of your company’s policies, you are most likely to find like-minded people on PeopleGeeks. This community has HR professionals, recruiters, and even business leaders like CEOs. Members of this Slack community also arrange in-person meetups every once in a while. What a great way to learn how to champion employees within your business!

LinkedIn Groups for Growing Your HR Expertise

LinkedIn is a great platform to find fellow HR professionals to connect with. Here is our take on the best HR LinkedIn groups out there:

Human Resources Management (HR, SPHR, SHRM, Recruiter, Resources Manager, Talent Strategy & Staffing)

If you’re looking to learn, this is the group to join. It’s a hub for books, white papers, podcasts, blogs, and conference announcements. You’ll have no shortage of material giving you new ideas, and as you comment on posts, you’ll meet like-minded people. This can lead to further networking and even collaboration.

Linked: HR

Linked: HR is the largest HR group on LinkedIn that any HR professional can join. People use the forum to discuss HR in all its forms, from benefits to recruiting and from diversity to legal concerns. There are affiliated groups if you want to focus on just one topic. This huge group is likely to have something you can benefit from!

HR Professionals powered by HRCI and HRPA

For an active group that will give you a lot of conversation and even employment opportunities, look no further than HR Professionals. The Conversation section allows people to share their views and best practices, and the Jobs section is one of the top resources for HR openings online. You won’t go wrong with this group.

Benefits and Health and Welfare Professionals

If you are an employee benefits professional or want to learn more about how to administer benefits effectively, this is a great group to join. The discussions revolve around human resource topics like benefits, wellness, healthcare, insurance (including reform), and more. The group has members from HR, insurance, accountants, and attorneys, so you’ll get a wide range of viewpoints.

Connect with like-minded professionals to grow

A big part of human resources in many companies is helping current employees to grow and develop in their current role. You don’t just want to hire the right people; you want to retain them and help them live up to their potential. To do this, you must create ongoing education opportunities for your staff. Similarly, you should educate yourself and stay up to date with the trends and news regarding your field of work/interest. As you network, learn new processes and connect with professionals from around the country (and world), you’ll have a much better chance to do that.

If you haven’t already, you should definitely join these human resources forums soon. Don’t wait – start networking now!