When I started down this blasted blogging path almost three years ago, there were three things that were particularly tantalizing about the prospect. First: Catharsis! I was going through a particularly challenging time with my current employer and it was a good way for me to vent. Second: I realized I wasn’t as deeply connected with my profession as I wanted/needed to be. I saw blogging as an opportunity to grow my network…and to learn a whole lot from it. Third: After spending some time in the social-media-sphere I noticed the dialog, debate, and direction were all one-dimensional. There was a particularly important voice missing from the community: the voice of the real practitioner – the voice of the professional who spends the preponderance of their time on the ground, in the trenches, driving the workforce strategies, employee-centric operations, and is generally focused on molding the career experience for an organization. Trench HR – it’s what we’ve (I’ve) come to call this voice.
The fact that I’ve even called this out doesn’t please every one. Some call me divisive. Others don’t like the term “Trench HR” because they believe it makes the profession sound too gritty, more tactical than it should be, less polished than it is. That’s fine – think what you will. I actually believe there’s something quite celebratory about engendering an entire population to speak up. And speak up they certainly have. We now hear far more (good) stuff from Trench HR in the social realm. I have two Twitter lists alone which comprise close to 1,000 such Tweeps. We now have more (really good) Trench HR bloggers than we’ve ever had. Several years ago, the number of Trench HR bloggers on Fistful of Talent’s list of Top 25 Talent Management Bloggers was nominal. This year, a Trench HR blogger took the #1 spot on the list. Bang!
I will continue to wave the Trench HR banner because I think it matters. And as we’ve reached the 50-yard line of 2012, I’d like to start a living/breathing list of the Top “Must Read” Trench HR Blog Posts of 2012. We’ll cultivate it over the next 6 months. I hope you’ll contribute to it – add and endorse certain posts.
This will be a crowd-sourced effort – no funky algorithms behind the scenes. I’ve added a few to get the conversation started…KEEP THEM COMING!
Best Trench HR Blog Posts of 2012
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Death Becomes HR « HR Insomniac
A few weeks ago my father, Ken Hrdlica, suddenly died. It was awful. He was 69 and very cool. He was well-known in the community, so much so that the local news ran on three separate broadcast...
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Women and Negotiation: Do We Ask For What We Want? | Women of HR
I recently had the opportunity to attend a women’s networking event hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in St. Louis. Our speaker was Adrian Bracy, CEO of the Metro St. Louis YWCA.
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HR Tact: Being Honest
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Come for the Job; Stay for the Preachin’! | HR Schoolhouse
Once upon a time I interviewed for an HR Director position with a 1,000+ employee organization. I left my meeting with the VP of HR with a pamphlet in hand ...
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It’s my Company Culture if I SAY it is….Right? | HR Schoolhouse
So earlier this week I ran a fascinating post history lesson about Lupercalia – an ancient Roman festival that many say was the origin of St. Valentine’s Day. Some people ...
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Beware Managers Bearing Gifts | HR Schoolhouse
I have been laid low. Some sort of cryptosperidian-esque illness or something that has just knocked me out for several weeks. Other than going to work and the doctor’s office, ...
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HR Roundtable: Down in the Trenches – Is That Where HR Should Be?
May’s HR Roundtable in Cincinnati went on a deep dive into the HR trenches for this month’s meeting. There was a great article from XPertHR which asked if the HR Trenches were the best place to be in 2012. …
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Get Your Hands Dirty !! | Everyday People
When looking at how you practice HR, are you sitting back and pointing out what needs to be done, or are you digging in?
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Texas Strategic Human Resources » Tribalism and HR
Tribalism is natural. It's why I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan (Dallas girl born and bred), it's why I have to remind myself that Washington Redskins fans aren't ALL bad, and it's also why I've suffered through the NFL seasons since the late 90's. The 'Boys are my birth tribe, good, (mainly) bad, or
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Micro Post from Frank Zupan
Penguin Communities are more Interesting than Talent Communities!
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Cork or Screw Top: Is the HR Flavor the Same? « HR Insomniac
HR pros, are you and HR cork or HR screw top? I was watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. I am in love with him. My husband likely knows this. He had a great episode featuring Paris...
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The Look and Feel of Employee Engagement - Leadership and HR - Lisa Rosendahl
Employee engagement is top of mind for all organizations right now.
I was preparing for my role ...
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Inhale, Exhale. Repeat. | The Buzz on HR
Stress at work is real. It is also manageable. Read more ...
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The Mystique of HR ?? | Everyday People
So many people aren't clear about what HR does. What can you do about it?
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NoExcusesHR: Settle the Score
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HR is Leader, Follower, Trainer & Student | The Buzz on HR
In this guest post, John Hudson SPHR shares his views on what HR is to him
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Whitney Houston’s HR Lesson? Wellness Is Not Negotiable
Yes, I am shamelessly exploiting the death of Whitney Houston to write a blog post and using her name in the headline to snag readers.
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HR Tact: Use your Social Media Network
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It’s called “Secret” Service for a reason « Shauna Moerke is…
I’m sure by now everyone has heard about the little “problem” that Secret Service agents had while in Colombia. I think we can all agree there is a valuable lesson to be learned form this: Do not refuse to pay your Colombian prostitute after a night of alcohol and drug filled debauchery. That’s just rude. Especially when prostitution is legal and they can go to the cops.
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Process Outsourcing 101 | upstartHR
When I sometimes used to read articles talking about outsourcing HR functions, and I was quite puzzled. I can't imagine the majority of the work I do on a
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Can Executives do the REAL WORK of an organization? | from @BenjaminMcCall
Stepping on my soap box Just a question! Essentially, in many organizations, when anyone talks about talent management and emp
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Welcome To The Occupation: HR Is Like A Big Cable-Knit Sweater
Paul-Do you play golf? I am a very casual player - 2-4 times per year. But those I play with get obsessed with everything from grip to shoulder position to follow through. I think HR is kinda like that. So many details to manage, to track, to learn that it is hard to do them effectively all at once. We focus on the part that the organization needs the most support in at any point in time, and we work to bring all the elements together to the best result.
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Praise Runneth Over: Part Deux-Your Performance Development Plan is an "Epic Fail"- Now what?
This article addresses the warning signs that are often times overlooked as a result of poor planning and implementation of a performance development ...
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