25 Best HR Experts, Blogs and Influencers to Track in 2010
Experts
John Challenger: The chief executive officer of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas is a nationally quoted expert on the job market. His blog examines everything from holiday bonuses to job cut announcements.
Anil Gupta: An expert on global strategy, Gupta is co-author of "Getting China and India Right." He teaches management and organization at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland at College Park.
John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development: The 21st century demands new workplace skills, and researchers at this center are looking at innovative ways for workers to acquire them. The center is part of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers.
Alexandra Levit: Levit is an author and speaker who regularly addresses workplace issues at conferences and corporations. Her latest book is "New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career."
Steve Roesler: The principal and founder of the Steve Roesler Group helps executives develop leadership skills. He is an international speaker and blogs about topics from workplace stress to the importance of feedback.
Daniel Shapiro: The co-author of "Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate," Shapiro is an expert on negotiation. He is founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program.
WorldatWork: This non-profit professional association tracks compensation and other tools for recruiting and retaining workers. It offers its members education, research, surveys and networking opportunities.
Blogs
Compensation Cafe: A handful of compensation experts look beyond the headlines to see what the latest employment numbers or a recent book release means for HR. Topics range from sales compensation and pay for performance to paid time off and predictions for 2010.
Fistful of Talent: Are employee referrals better than LinkedIn contacts for filling positions? What will recruiting look like in 25 years? As this blog's subtitle - "Recruiters, HR, Consultants and Corporate Types on all things Talent" - suggests, a dozen contributors ponder these and other questions.
George's Employment Blawg: What constitutes negligent hiring? How can you tell a job applicant he or she has been rejected without risking a lawsuit? An employment lawyer tackles these and other topics, along with updates on court decisions that affect the workplace.
HBR Blog Network: The Harvard Business Review has about two dozen contributors to its blog, from inside the Harvard Business School and outside it. They tackle topics ranging from the use of avatars in the real-world workplace (not just in the movies) to whether an MBA makes a person a better CEO.
KnowHR: The publisher of this blog, iFractal, is an organizational communication consulting company, and the focus on clear, simple communication shows. Whether the topic is 10 Tips to Better HR Writing or the importance of including "old people" in diversity programs, the posts are short and to the point.
Punk Rock HR: This irreverent blog finds its way onto many lists of favorite HR sites. Topics range from workplace relationships to why some employees complain that Martin Luther King Jr. Day "isn't a real holiday."
StrategicPay Series: This blog covers the big picture of compensation and benefits, such as where salaries are headed in 2010, as well as detailed issues such as the federal COBRA subsidy. The publisher is the seller of do-it-yourself kits for compensation planning.
Tom Peters: The management guru takes his advice online with "Dispatches from the New World of Work," a Twitter feed and an extensive list of other blogs to check out. You can even get a daily Tom Peters quote emailed to you.
Work Matters: Stanford professor Bob Sutton takes on topics ranging from CEO compensation to how to design the ideal organization. Sutton is the author of several books, including "Weird Ideas That Work: How to Build a Creative Company" and "The No Asshole Rule."
Influencers
Marcus Buckingham: A management consultant who specializes in helping people discover and capitalize on their strengths, Buckingham is the author of the recently published "Find Your Strongest Life: What the World's Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently."
Stephen M. R. Covey: The son of the author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" speaks and advises companies worldwide on trust, leadership, ethics and high performance. He is the author of "The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything."
The Drucker Institute: Peter Drucker's legacy is kept alive by this campus-wide resource of Claremont Graduate University. The think tank works to apply Drucker's ideas to contemporary management issues.
Facebook: As Facebook use becomes common among workers of every age and category, employers and employees are discovering both the advantages and the pitfalls. Companies are using Facebook for marketing and recruiting - and to check out potential new hires.
Tim Ferriss: The author of "The 4-Hour Workweek" continues to make people rethink how they spend their time. His website includes a blog, answers to frequently asked questions and an expense calculator to help you determine how you can work less.
Daniel Pink: Pink's latest book, "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us," has people rethinking traditional ideas about how to get the most out of their employees. Pink's website includes a blog and even a new iPhone app.
Society for Human Resource Management: A perennial inhabitant of lists of HR players, SHRM has more than 250,000 HR professionals worldwide as members. Through conferences, publications, education and its website, it provides information on all aspects of HR.
Twitter: The latest trend in social networking has gone mainstream, and it has proved useful for people on both sides of the recruiting fence. It's also a good way to track your favorite experts; here is one blogger's list of "Your first 100 HR Twitter follows."
Who Moved My Cheese?: An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life. This book by Spencer Johnson is more than a decade old, but it continues to strike a chord, especially in uncertain economic times.
