reasons to be cHeeRful

It’s time for another Carnival of HR. If you’ve not dipped in before then you should…it’s a fortnightly collection of blogs from some of the top HR and Recruitment bloggers in the US, UK and farther afield – sometimes around a theme and other times simply a collection of the best writing of the last two weeks.

I’ve been a little remiss with my submissions lately but have been sparked into action by 6th June edition. It’s curated by a really great guy in Steve Browne – a good, and giving, friend of the UK HR community and someone whose weekly HR Net newsletters provide a regular highlight in my otherwise burgeoning e-mail inbox of money saving vouchers, LinkedIn spam messages and offers of financial gifts from East Africa.

Steve wants us to look at what’s good about HR. Most bloggers are able to pinpoint what’s wrong and what needs to change but maybe can be slower to champion what works and what makes us proud to work in the sector.

As a non-practitioner (more of a vicarious practitioner) it’s sometimes easier to take a more holistic view – which I know may infuriate those at the coalface – but things do look in fairly good shape. Sure there are those who would prefer to get back to basics, others who use strategy as a reason for overlooking the basics and many who participate in a regular kvetch fest about seats at the table and how to get taken seriously, but overall everyone I meet is passionate, committed and determined to do the best they can. In tough economic times, and with traditional employment patterns undergoing significant shifts, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of HR in keeping employers and businesses productive, harmonious and engaged.

And there are two things about the future that really excite me the most – Social Connectivity and Sharing.

The recent ConnectingHR Unconference was themed around creating a socially connected organisation and the opportunities that it can offer for listening, changing, developing and accountability.

And the sharing of ideas, attitudes, learnings, case studies and thinking that crosses borders, ages, backgrounds and all types of organisations can only enhance and grow our understanding and our grasp of ‘best practice’. Whether it’s the daily blog sharing, the regular transatlantic flights to conferences (be they in Chicago, Atlanta or Ohio) that has created a global community, or the way organisations such as CIPD and SHRM are beginning to embrace new technologies and platforms.

This brings us back to Steve Browne, who plays a key and active part in all of these developments and most epitomises the spirit of sharing, whether it’s through HR Net, his must read blog or unconferences!

Steve is a music lover and his weekly newsletter always has a music theme. So here are some good old reasons to be cheerful, in an iconic English pop music style…