Do you work in talent acquisition, retention, or evaluation? This reading list for HR professionals will get you up to speed in the latest HR news.
First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently
By Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
This book goes over the concept of innovative methods to create productive, efficient teams. The book studies various managers across industries and what makes them great, and it goes over smart lessons about ignoring conventional HR wisdom and cultivating motivated, productive employees.
Love’em or Lose’em: Getting Good People to Stay
By Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans
This book focuses on employee retention. It’s one of the biggest concerns in HR, considering the high costs of replacing an employee. The authors of this book go over key insights on keeping employees engaged and happy in their work, and motivating them to focus on their job and not other opportunities.
1501 Ways To Reward Employees
By Bob Nelson, Ph.D.
This popular book stays true to its title, offering 1501 creative ways to reward employees and keep them happy and nurtured. Many of the methods Nelson covers are low-cost solutions that most companies initially overlook. It’s an excellent resource for any HR department, from bootstrapped startups to large conglomerations.
Work Rules!
By Laszlo Bock
This book was written by the senior vice president of Google, with insights that will transform how you lead your teams. Bock takes a close look at behavioral economics and human psychology, while showing the readers an insight peek into how Google runs their HR. The book covers a range of industries and how the best management creates a high quality of life at work, while balancing creativity and structure.
Smart Staffing
By Wayne Outlaw
This book is an excellent resources for small businesses or startups that don’t necessarily have a full-time HR department yet. The founder or CEO may still be doing the hiring, or one of the first employees of the company. Smart Staffing addresses the specific needs of companies wherein only one or two people (who may not necessarily be trained in HR) are handling talent acquisition and retention. It goes over job postings, requirements, procedures, and other technicalities that you may have missed.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
By Jim Collins
This book looks at different companies, and why some fail and some succeed. Collins provides insights that are particularly powerful for startups and small businesses that are looking to grow, sharing scalable models and hiring processes. One of the tidbits from the novel is that most often, humble managers inspire the most confidence in their teams, and the best managers acknowledge the flaws in the company while striving to fix and improve them.
What else is on your reading list for HR professionals?
Did we miss any great books that must be shared? Let us know in the comments below.
About the Author: Jocelyn Pick
