Website: Society for Human Resource Management – SHRM
URL: http://www.shrm.org/Pages/default.aspx
This is the official website for The Society for Human resource Management or SHRM, the world’s largest HR specific association. The website offers comprehensive content, albeit a large portion of it being available to members only. It has a very clear user interface and is easy to navigate. Information such as list of board of directors, annual reports, code of ethics, press releases and copyright permissions are shared in detail. As SHRM is a US based organization, it offers a separate area for legal issues is also included, with laws and regulations segregated by HR categories as well as States.
The site has a useful ‘Templates and Tools’ section that guidelines for implementing various benefits, compensation, employee relations, staffing management, safety and security, and employee development plans. Several publications such as SHRM’s HR Magazine and Books are also available for purchase. Unfortunately, these sections are limited to paid members only and not available to the HR community at large. However, there are extensive articles and blogs on various HR disciplines that available to be viewed by anyone and everyone. Disciplines include all the sections in the ‘Templates and Tools’ segment mentioned earlier. The articles cover academic papers as well as opinion articles on current HR issues. The site also contains segments highlight the various expert consulting, training, research and educational services provided by the SHRM.
Website: Fistful of Talent
URL: http://fistfuloftalent.com/
Fistful of Talent or FOT is an HR website run by 26 of the industry’s leading experts in human resources. The site covers most HR disciplines such as: a) General HR, b) Recruitment, c) Performance, d) Sourcing, e) Leadership and f) Culture. In addition, a separate segment has been dedicated to the use of social media in recruitment, a medium that has fast gained tremendous popularity in the HR arena. Each of the headings has a list of sub-categories, making the entire site very user friendly and easy to navigate. The articles under each sub-category are listed by date but can be navigated using their ‘tags’. Hence, searching for articles on specific topics is convenient. The articles are written by one of the 26 experts who consult for the site. Small profiles of all the experts are also available so the credibility of their opinion may not be questioned.
The site also has segments which include Podcasts as well as lists of services such as talks and consulting that the experts, as FOT, provide. The articles on the site are crisp, to the point, and cover the latest HR issues, taking a more globalized approach towards HR management. As such, it may prove to be a good resource for HR professionals looking for a fresh perspective on traditional as well as modern HR concepts and their applicability.
Website: HR Fishbowl
URL: http://hrfishbowl.com/
HR Fishbowl is an HR website run by industry expert Charlie Judy. The website does not aim to be a comprehensive resource for all HR professionals. Instead, it attempts to influence the mindset of HR managers to done a more practical yet humanized mantel when dealing with employees. The site’s content is free for all visitors to view and learn from. HR Fishbowl mainly contains two major segments. The first is the landing page, which is a blog, with all the posts being made by the site’s owner, Judy. However, almost every post draws lengthy discussion from over 8,500 of his followers. The posts are based on current HR practices and the application of the Fishbowl logic to them.
The Fishbowl Logic, a trademarked concept, forms the next major segment of the website. Here, Judy lists lover 150 single statement of ideas, approaches and thoughts on random HR related topics and issues. The purpose of this logic is not to train an HR professional in a specific area but to cultivate a mindset that will ease their functioning and enhance their overall performance in a modern day work environment. The site further offers an extensive list of links to free HR resources such as expert blogs, magazines and websites that would be helpful to HR professionals seeking help in specific disciplines.
The HR Fishbowl, while addressing the HR manager, is not a significant resource. It does not include sufficient information and what information is does share is not well organized. For instance, the ‘Free HR Content’ segment has a long list of resources but none of them are categorized, making it difficult for a user to browse for a specific issue.
Website: Human Resource Executive Online
URL: http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/index.jsp
Human Resource Executive Online or HREOnline is an interactive website that caters particularly to vice-presidents and directors of HR. However, the site claims that its circulation audience is senior level HR management, and hence senior managers may be included in its scope. HREOnline is more or less the web version of the Human Resource Executive magazine which has been in circulation since 1987. Considering its target base, the website offers content that is verified by esteemed institutions such as the Cornell University.
The site offers analysis of latest HR news through the opinion of expert columnists. It has a features section where topic selected by the magazine are given extensive coverage and research. The site has a dedicated legal issues segment where users may send questions to a senior law expert and have them answered through the site. The ‘People’ section follows the top management of corporations, especially HR heads, giving an overview of their recent and past achievement as well as thought-leadership views. Beyond these segments, the site acts more as a promoter of HREs services, which include webinars, seminars and conferences.
While most of the content on the site is free, there is little content to begin with. Articles from the most recent issue of the magazine are on display on the site, the rest of the content being found in archives. There are no categories based on HR disciplines and hence searching for a topic is fairly difficult. Overall, the site is not intended to be useful for everyday HR professionals and as such, it is not. For senior managers who are looking for updates, the site serves the purpose.
