The Changing Landscape of HR
There is no doubt about it – Human Resources is changing.
The way that people learn and research is changing.
The way that people socialize and build relationships is changing.
The way that people work and do business is changing.
It’s time for resources that allow HR professionals to innovate their workforces and future-proof their careers.
However, most companies still carry on with their HR related work in the same way that they have been. Why, when executives have been continuously pushing to optimize the other areas of their business such as IT, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Distribution, and Production? We need someone to lead the charge to optimize and continuously develop Human Resources, but HR professionals are sometimes not empowered or prepared to lead their companies into the future to keep them competitive.
It’s time to seek the application of knowledge beyond the and the and move the needle on how the HR profession is perceived and acknowledged by financial and technical leaders. It’s time for resources that allow HR professionals to innovate their workforces and future-proof their careers. It’s time for People Ops, and here are some of the best resources to get you on the path to innovating HR, right now.
Blogs
1. Re:Work
The first blog for People Ops you should check out is the Re:Work blog from Google. This blog was started in response to Project: Oxygen, an internal research project at Google which sought to. On the contrary, Google found that managers were not only necessary, but were critical, and sought to educate managers everywhere on people ops tactics that could be employed anywhere.
The best parts of the Re:Work blog are the tools, which can be used to gain value immediately, and the case studies, which reinforce the idea that people ops can be applied successfully across industries and company size.
The downside to this blog is that it is updated very infrequently. This is the first place you should go when looking to learn more about People Ops.
2. Lattice Blog
The Lattice Blog, Resources for Humans, is divided into three sections – Performance management, People Ops resources, and Lattice product updates. Lattice is a forward-thinking performance management software platform, with many silicon valley relationships and software integration partners. Unfortunately, this means that much of the content is geared toward software tech firms, but there are so many nuggets of wisdom in the content that apply universally, that you won’t really notice if you’re not the target audience.
It’s a great blog, and if you enjoy the blog form content, you can enjoy longer, meatier content in their podcast by the same, Resources for Humans, which includes interviews with leaders of Reddit, Asana, and more.
This is how great Lattice is:
Join Poprouser, and other People Ops professionals in the .
Greenhouse.io has a top Recruiter blog for better sourcing and hiring. Greenhouse is a fast, mobile-optimized, and user-friendly applicant tracking system (ATS) and recruiting CRM system, designed to make the entire process of recruiting more effective and competitive for your company. The blog is very clean and easy to skim through to find great information quickly, and shares a similar aesthetic to the product itself. It’s beautiful, but that’s not what makes it special.
It breaks down the recruiting process by very specific parts of recruiting, and gives quick tips to improve each. Don’t have time to read through ebooks or long-form blog posts? Then subscribe to their weekly newsletter, The Modern Recruiter.
Also, if you exit the blog and go to the main Greenhouse.io page, you can find a series of Ebooks which act as great people ops resources, so long as you are willing to give up your email address.
Books
1. Work Rules!
I have mentioned this book previously, and recommend anyone who joins our company, Poprouser, to read it. I go back to it regularly, as it sets some solid guidelines for people ops and contains many grains of wisdom beyond the personal stories of Lazlo Bock. See what we had to say about it.
2. Quantifiably Better
This book acts as a primer for what is People Analytics. It starts on the concepts of HR metrics and the basics of data collection, and continues on to describe what you need to include analytics in your HR function. The book introduces just enough data science and statistical methods to empower HR folks to show the executives “something they haven’t seen or haven’t thought of before”, and gain a coveted “seat at the table.”
It describes how new insights, from data you didn’t know you had, can be used to transform behavior in positive ways. The book shows HR professionals how to:
- Understand the Data and its Quality (the Seven “C”s)
- Manipulate Data
- Monitor Data
- Prepare for Action
- Understand Key Motivators
- Conduct Continuous Experimentation
- Execute a Project Plan
The key that Steve VanWeiren brings up is that analytics is not a “one-and-done,” because that doesn’t provide any value. It is a journey, which becomes more powerful the more data and information you have to go off. Finally, VanWeiren emphasizes that you need almost nothing to get started, so don’t get afraid by the completeness and quality of your data at the beginning – just start tracking!
3. People Operations
People Operations: Automate HR, Design a Great Employee Experience, and Unleash Your Workforce is a book by Jay Fulcher, Kevin Marasco, and Tracy Cote. It is a practical guide to the future of work that explains how leaders at small- and medium-sized businesses can stop spending time on HR administration―”paperwork”―and start focusing on the “peoplework” that truly fuels employee growth and productivity. The book is divided into five parts.
The first part, “The Rise of People Operations,” provides an overview of why technology and the increasingly fluid nature of the workforce is forcing the HR model to change to People Operations, and introduces the People Ops Maturity Model. It also goes into why HR is hated by employees and why HR is consistently behind the times.
The second part, “Automate HR: Kill Paperwork” focuses on using automations to eliminate the administrative function of HR.
Part three, “Build An Incredible Employee Experience,” walks the reader through what makes up a successful people function from the employee perspective and what focus areas must be navigated successfully to measure ands communicate well with employees. Performance models, Motivation models, Compensation strategy, and Communication strategy are introduced.
Part four, “Unleash Your Workforce,” focuses on performance, engagement, DEI, and work flexibility (such as remote work).
Part five, “The Future of People Operations,” walks through the building of the people function and supporting it with technology and data-driven insights.
The book is written in plain English and is packed with practical advice and tips. It is an essential resource leaders of any small-to-medium-sized business, who wants to create a more successful and productive workforce.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the book:
- The traditional HR department model is broken. It is too focused on paperwork and compliance, and not enough on people.
- People Operations is a new approach to HR that focuses on the people, not the paperwork. It is about designing a great employee experience and empowering employees to be their best.
- People Operations can be implemented by any business, regardless of size. It does not require a lot of time or money.
- People Operations can lead to significant improvements in employee engagement, productivity, and profitability.
If you are a small-or-medium-sized business leader, I highly recommend reading People Operations. Case studies from small-and-medium-sized businesses that have successfully implemented People Operations principles are sprinkled throughout the book, as well as useful metrics and analytical tools. If you can get past the shameless Zenefits plugs, the book acts as a reliable desktop reference, which can help you create a more successful and productive workforce.
Honorable Mentions (some of the best HR books, are good people ops books too):
- Project Management For Human Resources: The structure and art of getting things done in HR
- People Strategy: How to Invest in People and Make Culture Your Competitive Advantage
- The Practical Guide to HR Analytics: Using Data to Inform, Transform, and Empower HR Decisions
Well, that’s all for the resources right now. There are others, but these are the ones which, taken together, give you the perfect starting point for elevating your career in HR, or, if you are a business owner or executive, a perfect understanding of the value People Ops can bring to your business.
We’ll update this post as more become available. Until then, go ahead and check out our content. We’ve got some great stuff in the works!
- How SMBs Can Leverage People Ops to Reduce Overtime Costs - February 12, 2025
- Washington DC Labor Laws for HR Compliance – 2025 - January 2, 2025
- Commonwealth of Virginia Labor Laws – 2025 - December 27, 2024